Waltzing through Vienna in 46 hours
Type of Travel: Mother - Daughter
Visited end of July 2024 - Mum & Meg Euro trip - 2nd stop
Mum and I had a whirlwind 46 hours in Vienna; classic “we’ll be in Croatia so might as well go somewhere else nearby Europe” trip. This was my second time in Vienna - the first was just a quick day to see the holiday markets. We took the train from Budapest. Super easy and fast. See section below for more train info. As it was Mum’s first, I left a lot of the plans and places to her preferences, which meant mostly being spontaneous as we explored. Did we get to see all the momuments and palaces and places? Nope! We would have needed another 2 days or we would have needed to stick to a packed schedule, neither of which were appealing. So based on our experience, here’s what we’d do again or suggest:)
MUST DO:
~ Walk! Vienna is a super easy and walkable city. We stuck primarily to the City Center and nearby; there was plenty to see and do over the 2 days we had without feeling rushed. On foot gives the best views of the incredible architecture, cobblestone streets, churches and green spaces. It was super safe in this part of the city as well (Vienna consistently ranks high on global safety indexes and is known for low crime rates).
VISIT/SEE:
You could easily spend several days exploring Vienna. There are many palaces, museums, galleries, parks and other historical landmarks to visit. Mum’s not a big museum goer and we were satisfied enjoying the architecture from outside. Based on our limited time and also Mum’s interest, visiting the beautiful historical churches and taking in the city and streets was full-filling.
~ Visit Rathausplatz Plaza. During the holidays the Christmas market is held here. The space is often used for other purposes as well. While we were there, the Film Festival at Vienna’s Rathausplatz was being held, which included a massive food festival component too with a vast variety of cuisines. The Film Festival typically runs the end of June through August 31st every year, and is Europe’s largest culinary and cultural event, going 35 years strong. We stumbled upon the plaza and festival as we were walking and decided to make this our lunch spot. We picked a very tasty wiener and potatoes dish from Wiener Würstelstand, accompanied by a hydrating and refreshing berry lemonade. When I last visited in 2016 for the Christmas markets it was incredible. If you have the chance, I highly suggest visiting anytime, especially for the markets or festival!
~ Naschmarkt is a fabulous market that has a variety of restaurants, food vendors (spotted dried fruits, olives, cheeses, meats and seafood!), clothing and other retail vendors. We could have spent hours here.
~ We visited Belvedere Palace and gardens as it was super close and easy to get to by various trams; depending on where you’re coming from, we took the D tram, which also gives another glimpse of many stunning buildings. We were short on time so opted to walk the beautiful grounds and gardens that are free to wander through.
~ Explore the many churches. All were free to enter; tours and entrances to the tours came with a charge. Our favorites include Votivkirche, a Neo-Gothic church built in 1879; Peterskirche (St. Peter’s Catholic Church), an 18th century baroque style church with organ and live choir recitals. While we were there, a group of young asian girls were performing, which was beautiful. And of course, St. Stephan’s Cathedral, a Medieval Roman Catholic with catacombs, a museum and a gorgeous, ornate interior. What always impresses me is the size and ornate details and art. And to think that these structures have been standing for hundreds of years - quite remarkable!
EAT:
Famous for their Wiener Schnitzel and brats, Vienna takes food in general seriously.
Da Capo Pizzeria beautiful interior with plenty of outside tables which is where we dined. Overall recommendable experience despite it being a bit pricy, the dishes were delicious. The menu is massive with a variety of options for different dietary needs. I appreciate that the food is locally sourced and they also had a solid dietary guide. I started with the grilled zucchini and carciofi (artichokes) which were mouthwatering, flavorful and seasoned with just the right amount of lemon and herbs. The fish special was a light white fish, mild yet flavorful and tender.
Weibel’s Wirtshaus is a classic Viennese restaurant with both a cozy interior and outdoor seating. Recommended to us by the sister Vis a Vis wine bar (very limited food, so we didn’t stay but super cute). We shared the goat cheese salad, pork chops and grilled sea bass. The amount of goat cheese on the salad was enough for a week; but soft, creamy, deliciousness that we near devoured. The sea bass was light and juicy and flavorful. The pork a bit tough in spots, but had a rich flavor.
NENI am Naschmarkt located at the end of Naschmarkt serves up Mediterranean / Israeli food. I had the shish kebab which was extremely flavorful tender chunks of lamb. There’s a good amount of options, with breakfast and vegan options. Cash only.
Gelato Yet another thing Europe does extremely well… even the vegan is so rich and creamy.
La Gelateria Italiana was the only spot I visited but it didn’t disappoint. They have a variety of unique options including vegan, gluten free and sorbet.
DRINK:
Coffee: Austria also takes coffee seriously. There are an abundance of coffee shops that receive accolades throughout the city. Rather than run around for the ‘perfect cup’, I looked to google maps where I found 2 delicious and cute spots close to our hotel where we started our days.
Die Cafetière flavorful and robust americano and rich tea. The space is inviting, with both an outdoor space and large indoor space with sizable tables, good for groups. The almond croissant we shared was light and flaky.
Jonas Reindl Coffee Roasters near Votivkirche church is a bright and modern space, bustling at the time. I sipped a delicious and deep americano while mum had a beautiful looseleaf tea.
The Coffee Stephansplatz delicious and rich, only for takeaway circa St Peters and a block from Stephansplatz and St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Could have been the timing of when I went (a Friday afternoon); the wait was crazy long (20 min+); but I committed… can’t say it was worth that long of a wait, but if you’re in the area and craving a delicious coffee and there’s no line, its definitely worth it. They also have a number of creative coffee and tea concoctions that many ordered. Lastly, this is a franchise shop with locations worldwide, so you may come across another one elsewhere.
Wine Austrian wines are amazing. No for real. I’m typically a big bold red gal though appreciate a nice dry rose or sparkling as well. And the options in Austria are more extensive than one might think! We visited a cute wine bar (listed below) and also enjoyed wine with dinner. There were a lot of cute wine bars but not enough time. There’s also several wineries within the city limits and easy to get to by tram; definitely will venture during the next trip.
I’m not a beer drinker, but Mum very much enjoyed the Austrian beers too.
Cafe Bar Prancis.Vienna offers a vast selection of wines, beers and cocktails as well as food. We enjoyed a break and beverage here in their outside space after quite a bit of walking. It’s a few blocks from the super busy Stephansplatz and St. Stephen’s Cathedral so more quiet and local.
Weinorgel a cozy spot, perfect for an after dinner (or pre) glass of wine. A long list of options - nearly 30 options by the glass! They let you try before you buy…lol … which is nice when there’s so many options… and also, they were super helpful with suggestions. When we arrived, we were the only people, but an hour or so later when we left the place had filled up.
Fly or train. Depending on where you’re coming from, Vienna is an international hub and super accessible by both air and rail. We took the train from Budapest and flew from Vienna to Croatia. The train system in Europe is terrific overall and beats renting a car. There are a multitude of train options and we opted for the least expensive through Regiojet (about a 1/3 of the price of some of the other companies). We were fortunate, as the train was on-time and the seat space was large enough to actually put our suitcases directly in front of us vs leaving in a luggage section. The downside was that the air conditioning was not working and in 90 F weather, it was a tad uncomfortable. Reviews for all the train lines are mixed with being on-time etc. so it could be a gamble, but I’d definitely use Regiojet again.
STAY:
There’s no shortage of quality hotels. Given we were hardly going to be in a hotel, we kept to a mid price/4+star hotel. The Hilton Vienna Plaza was a solid choice. Located centrally in City Center is centrally locat off the Ringstrasse boulevard and near many significant landmarks. We enjoyed being able to both walk and take the tram; the Börse station is right by. We stayed with credit card points and were overall pleased with the hotel. Our room was a bit dated. However, it was very spacious for 2 people and the beds, pillows and linens were incredible - we slept extremely well. So comfortable and well that Mum is ready to track down and buy the bedding.
A FEW FINAL INSIGHTS:
Vienna is an ‘easy’ to navigate and gorgeous Euro city
It’s super clean. Zero trash and even hard to find trash cans at times. The city has undergone massive efforts to clean up the city over the past 10 years and they are very evident
It’s a very walkable city (which is always a win). There’s public transit that is easy to use and convenient, and uber is available as well (which are taxis)
English was spoken everywhere we went. Which makes traveling so much easier. I don’t expect English to be spoken when I travel (and I try to learn or know key phrases), but I am always appreciative when English is spoken as it does help make the experience and communication more clear, particularly when traveling with others and elders. And if you’re curious, English is widely spoken throughout Europe because it’s taught in schools typically beginning around 3rd grade/9 years old, and there is an emphasis placed on knowing English as it relates to schooling and job opportunities.
BONUS: CLEAN DRINKING WATER The water is drinkable from the tap (which for someone who drinks a lot of water, it was nice to not have to buy everywhere), so bring a refillable water bottle! The water stations scattered around the city are genius and very much appreciated as well!
LASTLY… MENUS WITH AN INGREDIENT GUIDE! Where we ate, menus were clearly marked with allergens and ingredients, not only gluten/wheat. Quite a few of the restaurants had an entire page with a ‘key’ to ingredients which is genius. For both diners and servers, clarifying ingredients on a menu is such a strong move - less questions, concerns and potential issues. Based on experience and my understanding, Europe seems to take food allergies and intolerances and health much more seriously than the U.S. and South America.
Intention for the trip: Give Mum the type of Euro experience she wanted and let her make most of the decisions, letting go of my need to plan everything.
WHAT SPARKED JOY ON THIS JOURNEY?
~ Not to sound like a broken record… walking and wandering, with a loose agenda sparked absolute joy. Especially because Mum enjoyed herself AND was a trooper; we logged over 24,000 steps the one day, without trying. We set out to explore, see churches, historic sites and more, and let the day take us where it may. We stumbled on the food festival mentioned above, visited probably 7 churches (I stopped counting), which were all free to visit and also different styles.
~ The water stations scattered throughout the city with free and clean water, which made staying hydrated easy and also saved a few euros.
Planning an upcoming trip to Vienna and need some help with bookings and your agenda? I would love to help, send me a note.
xoxo
Megan
