Vienna – the majestic capital of Austria

Vienna – the City of culture and tradition – and the city with the highest quality of life for 10 years in a row!

Have you ever been to Vienna? Then for sure you can talk about the beautiful city center, the magic that surrounds you and the stunning that you get when you look at these ancient Viennese buildings. Sometimes when we walk through the city, even though it is crowded with tourists, we try to disconnect from the pulsating vibrations the city offers and imagine us back in the times when the Habsburg family ruled the world. The world that the mayestic imperatrice Elisabeth of Austria was wandering through the old town of the metropole. And this is not just said, you can discover Vienna in the style of Sissy, a tour that invites you to step into Elisabeth’s shoes.

Nowadays Vienna is obviously different, but even though tourism is a huge part of the capital’s life, walking through the city you can still feel some of the old time magic. So what exactly does remind one of the romance that was happening back then?

First of all, the gothic “Stephansdom”. The whole church’s appearance is totally different from what you have ever seen before, standing there in its majesty, with the multicolored roof, the beautiful stucco all over the walls and towers. Let’s say we start our sightseeing tour there. But not without first having a drink or a cup of coffee at the Skybar where you have a beautiful overview over the Steffl, which Viennese people call the Stephansdom. You might pay a bit more there, but for once, it is totally worth it.

Continuing, we walk up the Kärnterstrasse, noticing countless shopping opportunities, but more importantly, the beautiful buildings to the right and left. Vienna’s architecture is amazing. Just before arriving at the Opera building, we will pass Hotel Sacher; that’s right, the place where the traditional Sachertorte was invented. If you want to try it, we suggest to try the Sacher Eck instead of the main cafe. It might not be the traditional one, but the cake tastes the same and in our opinion, as a woman, especially alone, you will feel more attracted to this as it is less official. You find high stools there with a bit more modern bar ambience. You will certainly love it! Don’t forget to get your coffee as well. Hint: The Austrian tradition might seem to be a bit strange to you at first, but you will be asked if you would like your cappuccino with milk or whipped cream, as the second one is a very traditional way to serve and consume it. If you are not counting calories, you might want to splurge and try.

Our next visit will be the Staatsoper, the Vienna opera house. Not only was it the location of some Hollywood movies, but it is one of the most beautiful buildings, according to us! If you have time, you might want to go inside, attend a performance, or – more romantic, the opera ball. Bring your most beautiful, floor-lengh dress and enjoy the atmosphere. Don’t forget to take a dancing class beforehand, as the Viennese Waltz is required, and the dance “to the left”! Oh, before we forget: you can take a virtual tour through the opera, the VR-Experience Wiener Staatsoper VR – as Beyond the Scenes will let you enter in.

From the opera building, you might pass the Albertina to visit the “Schmetteringshaus”, the place where you can find thousands of butterflies living in a natural environment. With a little luck, you may be able to take a picture with one landing on your hand.

Depending on your time availability, Naschmarkt is our next consideration, as well as the beautiful Schönbrunn and Gloriette, the zoo, and the Prater with the very traditional ferris wheel, where you can enjoy a candlelight dinner. If you want to go more local, visit Schweizerhaus to get amazing Austrian food. Last but not least, the Viennese Riding School might be on your bucket list as well. You can assist the official performances, but also choose to only go there for their training.

So far we have gone very touristic, right? So we have some insiders for you. What you definitely should not miss being in Austria’s capital is visiting a “Würstlstand”. No, this is not a place where you get Austria’s gourmet food, but this is what people there consider as their “fast food”. You might be surprised about the names these sausages have; you may not understand a word, but being in the right company you can have a lot of fun. Oh, please don’t ask for a translation of the sausages names, this might kill your appetite to eat it! 😉

The next tip might surprise you: we recommend to take a trip on the D-Wagen. The famous tram will take you on a cheap city tour (unless you forget to buy a ticket before) passing Belvedere, Wiener Staatsoper, Hofburg, Burggarten, Volksgarten, museums, parlament, city hall, Burgtheater, University of Vienna, Votivkirche and the old stock market. Let yourself been taken away on that trip and just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Society tip: you want to meet up with the famous locals? Then the “schwarze Kamel” is where you definitely must visit. It’s a place that is a bit more expensive than the general tour areas, it can be crowded at any time, but full of locals where the performances never stop: main act on stage: the clients. A one time experience, or you come back again, and again.

Last but not least, we want to get you to a place which could not be more traditional over and over. Simple tables and chairs, wood, and a Viennese flair, just like a “Wiener Beisl” should be: Gasthaus Ubl.

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But we are not done yet. There is more you can do, especially if you want to try the Austrian wine. If you are lucky to be in Vienna in autumn, you can go on a tracking tour in the vineyards on the Nussberg and have a try now and then on your way. Don’t worry, it is not a difficult trek, and they also do have water. 😉 We recommend you try “Sturm” (freshly made wine) once you are there. But not too much; it seems like juice but it leaves you quite dizzy! 😉 Not there in autumn? No worries! Go to Stammersdorf and try a typical “Heuiger” where you will love the wine, the food and the tradition.

Not enough? The best comes at the end: If you are planning on visiting Vienna, we have a winner for you: if you share this post and invite at Travelita fanpage, (send us a picture of the post via PM) and send us the names of the people you invited, you can win a Goodie bag for Vienna. 72 hours of free public transportation, a voucher for a typical “Würstelstand” and a dinner will be delivered to your hotel right when you arrive!

Good or good? To get a chance to win, share your travel picture on INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK, tag us, tag a minimum (the more the better) of 6 female friends, that you can think of being a perfect match for Travelita’s World and add at the end: >>Free your travels, be a Travelita! #travelita #iamatravelita

Best of luck, cu in Vienna!