Overview
Vienna, Austria. What can we say about the capital of many of history’s greatest empires. One of the most beautiful, most magnificent cities in the world. Home to palaces, monumental buildings and Europe’s highest quality of living, Vienna is the perfect stop on a central European trip and a great place to experience the wonder of European culture. While being remarkably Germanic, yet different than Germany, Vienna is a world of its own. Years of immigration from its former empire, people from Turkey, Hungary, the Balkans and the east have all left their unique marks on the city itself. A great place to tour, relax, party and explore, Vienna is budding with opportunities and shouldn’t be a spot that is left off of your travel list.
Is it Cheap?
No. As far as Central Europe is concerned, Vienna will be twice as expensive as cities like Budapest, Krakow and Prague. While being pricy, there are many ways to get around paying exorbitant prices for food and drinks and supermarkets remain remarkably cost efficient. A hostel will generally be around 30-40 Euros a night, so budgeting may be a concern. We have found that Vienna is a great place to test out Couchsurfing, or trying another way to stay with a local.
Hundertwasserhaus
Stephansdom
Danube River
What to Do
Most things in Vienna take place in and around the stadtring, or the large circular road that encompasses the old town. A great place to start your journey through the streets of the capital would be at Karlsplatz, which is the first access to point to the wonders of the old town. While many would argue the best thing about Vienna is the large and majestic buildings of the city center, Vienna is also surrounded by parks and recreation areas that are worth exploring.
Explore the Altstadt: The old city of Vienna is massive and illustrious. Tons of places to go shopping, eat and check out. Start at Stephansplatz directly at the heart of the city and work your way around the narrow and large intertwining streets. Indulge in the beauty of the buildings, the churches and the surrounding parks. A great district to check out is the Museumsquartier (The Museum Quarter). It’s not only filled with great museums to peruse but also is a popular spot to go out and drink before heading out to bars in other parts of the city.
Go for a swim: Take the redline on the U-Bahn (Subway) about ten stops out of the city center to Donauinsel. There, you will find an excellent place to not only swim, but relax and grab a few bees. During the summer months, the boardwalk is full of tourists and locals indulging on kebabs and reasonably priced cocktails. There’s also a ton of different cafes and food options at your disposal. The Donauinsel is also the perfect location to watch the beautiful Vienna sunsets.
Have drinks at Naschmarkt: The Naschmarkt is a large food market that opens early in the morning mostly as a produce and specialty food market and transforms into a lively bar and dinner scene in the evening. The market is characterized by its diverse selection of fruits, vegetables and meats, along with its varying gastronomic influences from the Middle East, Asia and surround European countries.
Feel like royalty at Schonbrunn: When you go to Vienna, not stopping for a few hours at Schonbrunn Palace would be an absolute shame. Acclaimed as one of the most vast and impeccably designed royal houses in all of Europe, Schonbrunn embodies the elegance of Austrian high society with the extravagance of Versailles. During Christmas time, the interior courtyard of the palace doubles as a large market, selling Germanic food and craft specialties.
What to Eat and Drink
The food and drink of Vienna is much alike the rest of central Europe. Focused on meat and potatoes, the cuisine is a no thrills, full flavor affair. While many would argue the cuisine of Austria and the Germanic countries is simple and effective, the cafe scene of Vienna is a part of the rich cultural history of the city. A simple coffee and piece of cake have been the inspiration of some of Europe’s greatest political thinkers, composers artists. The cafes themselves are enchanting, capturing a time all too far away. They are the perfect venue to sit and watch the world go by, to contemplate about life and to enjoy Vienna’s excellent dessert culture.
Sachertorte/ Apfelstrudel: Each one of these desserts, respectively, play a large part in Austrian identity. The first, the Sachertorte, became a staple item of any trip to Vienna, first being sold by the Sacher Hotel in the city center. A chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and a dark, tart jam filling make the cake rich yet light. It can be found all over the city now, and we would recommend avoiding the Sacher Hotel, where a slice of cake could be around 8.90 Euros.
The Apfelstrudel is something as Austrian as Vienna itself. A crispy crust stuffed with stewed sweet apples is accompanied with whipped cream and a classic Viennese coffee.
Wienerschnitzel: We have all heard this word in the context of America, and for whatever reason a hot dog is more likely to come to mind than a large thin slice of meat, that has been breaded and fried. Schnitzel is any cut of meat that has been pounded and prepared as explained above, yet the traditional Wiener Art (Vienna Style) is made with Veal and served with fries and a fresh slice of lemon. You simply can’t leave Vienna without trying it.
Coffee: With cafe culture being so vital to the cities idenity, so has its coffee. Try a Brauner, the Viennese answer to the Italian espresso or a Vienna style coffee; two shots of espresso with whipped cream replacing milk and sugar.
Gelato: Oddly enough Italian gelato has become a staple of Vienna and the Germanic countries in general. For an awesome scoop of Gelato, or maybe to, make your way to Zanoni and Zanoni in the city center.
Stiegl and Almdudler: Beer culture is at the heart of Vienna life, and the city isn’t short with options. Try a Stiegl, a beer hailing from Salzburg in the western part of Austria. Their options include lagers, pilsners, wheat beers and the quintessentially Germanic Radler, a mixture of fruit soda and wheat beer.
We couldn’t talk about famous Austrian drinks without expressing our love for Almdudler, a soda made from herbs found in the Alps. It’s decently sweet and has a strange soap like flavor, making it all the more enchanting.
Transportation
Vienna has an awesome network of subways, buses and trams to use to get anywhere in the city. While being a bit pricy compared to most cities, the public transit is efficient and impeccably clean. A one way ticket is 2.20 and a day pass around 8. The 24 hour pass is a good call if you plan on going out during the evening and doing things in the city during the day. Don’t waste your hours while you are asleep!
If you want to do something on the water, there are many boat tours that run down the Danube river. At Donauinsel, you can rent anything from paddle boats to larger day trip vessels.
Where to Stay
While we advocate to couchsurf while in Vienna to avoid the high costs of a hostel bed, Hostel Ruthensteiner is definitely the best hostel in the city. Chill and laidback, the hostel is a great place to start your journey, meet other travelers and recover from a long night of Austrian beer.
My Travel Essentials For A European Backpacking Trip
Below you'll find a list of my must bring backpacking items. I have gotten this list down to my essentials through trial and error over 4 years of living in a backpack. I hope you'll find these items helpful on your journey!
►Main Backpacking Backpack: https://amzn.to/3vUHdik [Amazon]
►Great Front Facing Duffle-bag : https://amzn.to/3SjK6Ra [Amazon]
►Quick Dry Towel : https://amzn.to/3uarxH8 [Amazon]
►Multi Country Charger Adapter : https://amzn.to/3Ul37p0 [Amazon]
►Refillable Water Bottle : https://amzn.to/48SnG0n [Amazon]
►Padlock : https://amzn.to/3SdyYp7 [Amazon]
►Earplugs : https://amzn.to/498xTpl [Amazon]
►Power Bank : https://amzn.to/3SyXP8e [Amazon]
Travel Photography & Video Favorites
If you're interested in creating your own video content on your trip, these are some of my favorite items I've had. They work, they're effective and besides the Sony Aa7C, they aren't going to break the bank either!
►On the Go Video | Go Pro Hero 12 : https://amzn.to/3u38oHh [Amazon]
►Photography | Sony A7C : https://amzn.to/3u1Y6ap [Amazon]
►Portable Tripod | https://amzn.to/42ojHqc [Amazon]
►Lavalier Microphone | https://amzn.to/3SbL41U [Amazon]
►Drone | https://amzn.to/47TCwSY [Amazon]
►Portable Monitor | https://amzn.to/3Hzv2dg [Amazon]
All links are affiliate links with amazon which I may generate revenue from. These are products I actually have used for years and would feel comfortable recommending to first time and experienced travelers alike.
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