Jeremy and I are traveling around Europe for 6 weeks. So far we’ve spend 2 nights in Milan, 3 nights in Budapest, 1 night in Gyor, and 2 nights in Bratislava. The next destination is Vienna Austria!
Vienna, the capital of Austria, is famous for it’s imperial palaces, impressive museums, and high quality of life it offers to the nearly 2 million people that call it home.
The city has a history of opulence, wealth, conflict, and culture.
It’s story kicks off in the 1st century with the Romans, who built a settlement that flourished into an important trading post. The area was conquered by Charlemagne, then became a key player in the Crusades. It grew into a central city of the Holy Roman Empire, and was a main point of defense for Christianity against the Ottomans.
There were decades of war, periods of astounding growth, plenty of religious conflict, and loads of aristocratic drama. It’s surely Netflix series in the making.
Like most countries in Central Europe, Austria (Austria-Hungary at the time) was rattled by WW1 and WWII. But it officially regained political independence in 1955, and entered a period of economic boom soon after. Today, Austria’s economy is incredibly stable, there’s low unemployment, and people seem to be doing pretty darn well.
(Interested in learning more about the history of Austria and Vienna? Click HERE and HERE.)
Initial Impression of Vienna
I was in utter awe. The sheer number of astonishing buildings was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. They boasted detailed carvings, impressive statues, and monstrous domes. Some were museums and churches. Others housed cafes, shops, and offices. Many had well manicured gardens around them.
A unique aura of opulence spilled through the air. It licked my skin, tasting that I might not be in the right tax bracket to fully enjoy the riches. But it welcomed me in nevertheless.
“This might be the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen….”
The streets were pristine, and the locals seemed kind. Little misting machines were sprinkled about, offering reprieve from the hot summer sun. Most had free water bottle refill stations with water that somehow tasted delicious.
I got the sense that the quality of life in Vienna is impeccable.
It’s the type of city that makes me feel hopeful for humanity.
Where We Stayed for Our 3 Nights in Vienna.
We stayed in Moxy Vienna City East. It was right around the corner from the bus station, and about a 15 minute subway ride away from the city center. It had a gym and solid AC, and the room was perfectly nice.
My one gripe was that there was no kettle or refrigerator in the room. But luckily there was a grocery store right across the street and the manager let us snag hot water in the morning for our Aeropress coffees.
We stayed using the handy dandy gift card Aunt Carol got us as a wedding present. But I don’t think it would be worth paying a little over $100SD per night out of pocket given the locale and basic room.
What We Did During Our 3 Nights in Vienna… and You Should Do Too!
Vienna is a massive city that you could easily spent weeks exploring. We only have two full days, but did our best to get a taste of everything Vienna has to offer. Here are highlights that I highly recommend!
Explore the Old Town
Wandering around the Old Town is a non negotiable. The Stephansplatz is the main central point, and from there you can see St. Stephen’s cathedral, the Habdsburg palace complex, Rathaus der Stadt Wien, the opera house, and the MuseumsQuartier… just to name a few key sites!
Bop Around the Gardens
Vienna is chocked full of well manicured gardens and parks that are free to putz about. The ones that shouldn’t be missed are Volksgarten, which sits in front of the Austrian Parliament, and Stadtpark, where you’ll see the famous golden statue of Strauss.
Fun Fact: Some of the most famous musicians of all time called Vienna home. The list includes Schubert, Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn… just to name a few.
Walk Up Neubagasse Street and around Margareten
Neubagasse is a charming street that’s lined with cool vintage shops, interesting stores, and plenty of trendy eateries and cafes. It felt like the Brooklyn of Vienna, and strolling down and around the street was one of my favorite things we did during our 3 nights in Vienna.
Margareten is a relaxed neighborhood that also has cool vibes and intriguing eateries. The perfect neighborhood to explore if you want to get out of the hectic tourism zones.
Things I Think We Maybe Should Have Done…
While we clocked over 20,000 steps each day, I’m not sure we fully maximized everything Vienna has to offer. Here are the things I would have added in if I were to do the 3 nights in Vienna over.
- A trip to the Schönbrunn Palace.
- A coffee and dessert in a classic Viennese cafe.
- A walking tour– I’m not a huge walking tour gal. However, I think it would have been a great way to get to know the city center of Vienna!
Where We Ate
Vienna is loaded with traditional restaurants and cafes. And we patronized none of them. In every city on our trip, we have splurged on a traditional meal. But each time we walk wishing we didn’t just blow $75 bucks on average flavors. We opted for more casual foodie experiences instead, and had some major foodie wins!
Pizza from Mamma Anna
The waft of fresh pizza hit our noses before we spotted the little pizza shop. We had dinner narrowed down to 3 options: go find schnitzel (which would likely be quite pricey), walk 1.5 miles to a recommended pizza spot, or go with this pizza spot we knew nothing about. Aching legs inspired us to pick the third. And wow am I glad we did! It turned out it was the opening day of Mamma Anna, and we got two Neapolitan pies for a total of 22€.
The dough was perfectly thin with amazing flavor, the sauce was vibrant and fresh, and there wasn’t too much cheese. After a day of hitting pavement, sitting on a park bench noshing on epic za was pure bliss.
XO Grill
We’ve seen dozens, maybe hundreds, of burger joints throughout our travels in central Europe. So we decided it was finally time to oblige the universe with a stop at XO Grill. We got a smash burger and pastrami reuben, both were just under 15 € . What’s cool about XO Grill is that they are part of XO Meat, which is a butcher. The beef is farm to grill, and you can definitely taste the difference. The burger was delicious, but the pastrami reuben was on the dry side.
Croissant from Ährnst – Backwaren e.U.
The origins of croissants can be traced back to 13th Austria. There was a crescent shaped pastry called the kipferl that was extremely popular. Kipferls were baked in various shapes and sizes and stuffed with various fillings. Fast forward to the early 1800s– August Zang, a Frenchman, served the pastries at his Viennoise bakery in Paris. Except they were flakier than kipferls. The French called them “croissants” due to the crescent shape. Eventually, the pastry morphed into the flakey, buttery croissant we all know and love today. (Learn more about the history HERE and HERE).*
*this story is heavily contested, and perhaps I’ll do a deep dive into the debate surrounding who invented the croissant in a future post!
An online foodie friend said that the croissants from Ährnst – Backwaren e.U. were the best in the city, so of course we had to go. The only type left was chocolate, and it was perfection. The chocolate was mega rich and not too sweet. And the croissant itself was light, buttery, flakey, and airy. A true treat!
Film Festival Market
We stumbled upon an outdoor food market for the Vienna Film Festival, and it was one of those “wow I love travel!” moments. There were a dozen or so food vendors serving everything from American hamburgers to Spanish paella.
We started out with a spicy Vienna sausage from Wiener Würstelstand. The sausage had a mild flavor, but the mustard on the side was absolutely delicious. Then we got a dosa from Daily Spice. I’m not sure if it was outrageously delicious or if we’ve just been eating unspiced food for the last week..
Other Good Bites
Over our 3 nights in Vienna we also tried a couple bao buns, a couple cinnamon rolls, and an egg and cheese sandwich from a trendy bakery. All were good, but they don’t inspire a “oh my GOSH you gotta go here” sentiment.
Cost of Our 3 Nights in Vienna
Hotel: Free! (Thanks Aunt Carol)
Bus Ride from Gyor: $25.95USD
Food: $142USD
Groceries and Laundry: $51.52USD
Attractions: None
Transport: $31.32
Total: $250.79 USD
Final Thoughts on Our 3 Nights in Vienna
Vienna has stunning streets, amazing culture, great public services, and kind, seemingly-happy people. How can a place be so picture perfect?
Surely there’s a catch. But I’m happy to leave with my rose-colored glasses firmly on.
