Walking Through Vienna

This week we arrive in Vienna, the capital of Austria. What a wonderful place!

For Vienna, you definitely have to prepare your feet to go a long way because there are so many to see, both indoors, museums, galleries, exhibitions, churches, but also outside, so if you want to admire as much of this architecture as possible imperial city, the best option is to take a walk on the streets.

As I mentioned in other articles, I like to explore every time I visit, so I prefer to walk or scooter / bike from one location to another.
Vienna is a place of great political and cultural importance. Vienna’s old town and the Schonbrunn Palace have been listed by UNESCO on the list of World Heritage monuments.

This great city boasts of culture and art, a place that has a peaceful air despite the thousands of tourists and crowds. A place where things are in a well-established order and common sense prevails. What I noticed the first time I arrived in Vienna was peace. This place seems to have its peace of mind, even if it is crowded, each person has an intimacy to speak so as not to disturb the others, even if the cars make less noise there. I was surprised that I could hear my thoughts.

After we landed, from the airport we bought City Cards that I had read so much about before. I opted for the valid 72 hours and paid 30 euros per person. Depending on what you choose for your card, prices may vary. We chose this option which included more than 210 discounts at museums and tourist attractions, theaters and concerts, in shops, cafes, restaurants and unlimited public transport trips from Vienna.
We were lucky to have a great weather, sun every day, so we had more to explore. Here’s what we managed to see and what impressed us:

1. Schonbrunn Palace.

It’s definitely the first place when I think of Vienna. Being a lover of nature and green, I fell in love with the palace gardens. Just a dream. We opted for a full pass that cost 22.5 euros with the city card (instead of 26.5 euros). It included a complete tour of the palace, Gloriette Terrace, Maze, Labyrinth, Private Garden and Orangery Garden. If you have time you can spend a full day at the Palace, but we wanted to take advantage of the city center, so we only spent about 5 hours here.

Schönbrunn Palace – once the summer residence of the imperial family – is one of the most beautiful baroque architectural complexes in Europe. In 1830 Emperor Franz Joseph was born here, the one who married the charming Sisi and who reigned between 1848 and 1916. The monarch spent the last years of his life only at the palace, which passed into the administration of the new republic only two years after his death.

The palace has 1441 rooms; of these, only 45 can be visited. The Rococo-style furniture and interior decorations (especially white stucco with 14 karat gold leaf ornaments) are complemented by Bohemian crystal chandeliers and porcelain stoves.
The living and working rooms of Emperor Franz Joseph are simple and unadorned; the more luxurious the protocol rooms and the guest rooms look. He was a simple man who woke up at 5 in the morning, at 6 he went into his office where he was until dinner. His motto was that he must work for his people until he was exhausted.
The palace gardens are wonderful, of course I am thinking of those in Versailles. You can also stroll through the gardens because you won’t be able to see much. They are simply huge.

Gloriette
The splendid architectural work houses the Gloriette café today. From the top of this building you can admire the palace, gardens, but also the historical center of Vienna. Gloriette was built in 1775. The inscription on the middle arch reminds us of this: “JOSEPHO II. AUGUSTO ET MARIA THERESIA IMPERANTIB. MDCCLXXV ”(raised under the reign of Emperor Joseph and Empress Maria Theresa. 1775).

THE LABIRINT – rebuilt in 1998 according to the original plans of 1740 is an entertainment place. We had fun wandering through the maze and trying to find the way out.

2. The starting point of our walk through the Vienna Center was the Opera.

Wiener Staatsoper is one of the most important works in the world, where a variety of opera and ballet shows are presented at the highest artistic level. The price of a ticket to Opera shows starts from 7 euros and can reach up to 300 euros. Next time I definitely want to see a show.

3. Stephansdom Cathedral
Located in the heart of the city, Stephansdom Cathedral is one of Vienna’s landmarks and Austria’s most beautiful Gothic edifice. The bell of the cathedral is one of the largest in the world and was made of iron obtained from a cannon captured by the Turks in 1683. To reach the visitor tower in the South Tower you must climb 343 steps from where you will have a wonderful view over Vienna. Admission to the cathedral is free, but the climb costs 3.50 euros.
Near the cathedral is the house where Mozart lived.

4. Hofburg Palace
For over 600 years, the Hofburg Palace has been the residence of the Austrian sovereigns. It has been developed over time, becoming one of the most important centers in European history. It covers an area of ​​240,000 square meters and is divided into 18 wings, 19 interior courtyards and 2,600 rooms.

5. The Museum Quartier
The Museum District is the old Baroque building that served as a stable for the emperor’s horses, which has been transformed into one of the largest museum complexes. And if you are tired of so many walks you can rest in Burggarten or Maria Tereza Park. Wherever you choose the view is superb. Also in this area is the Butterfly Garden.

6. Albertina Museum
In the halls of the palace-museum there are exhibited over 65,000 drawings and about 1 million graphic works, from the old masters to modern artists. Among the reference names are Albrecht Dürer, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Rembrandt, Rubens, Claude Lorrain, Eugène Delacroix, Édouard Manet, Paul Cézanne.

7. Karlskirche (St. Charles Cathedral)
A building built in the Baroque style from where you can meditate on the water reflection of the church. A enchanting image that gives you a feeling of peace and quiet.

8. Stadt Park
This is the ideal place to relax and reflect on the beautiful things you have managed to see in Vienna. Also here you will find a monument built in honor of Johann Strauss.

9. From the park we went to the Hundertwasserhaus.
I made about 15 minutes from the park up there, on the way you can enjoy the look with the architecture of the buildings. This block, the Hundertwasserhaus has a great energy, has its own personality, you feel it lives and instantly gives you a positive energy.
You also have all kinds of cafes and places where you can enjoy a delicious apple pie.

10. Then we went to the Music House.
It’s a kind of museum dedicated to music, composers and so on. It is also in the historical center area. We had a lot of fun on the music ladder, composing our waltz and listening to all kinds of sounds.
The price of a ticket is 12 euros, but with the city card I only paid 9 euros.

11. I visited, of course, the Burgtheater. I passed Parliament, Rathausplatz and so on.
There are a lot to see in Vienna, 3 days is not enough, but the good part is that you have more to visit next time you come.

12. I enjoyed a cake at the famous Mozart cafe. I have to admit, they weren’t too tasty, but the service and location were excellent. Also, we intended to stop at Cafe Central, but it was a huge queue we didn’t want to stay.

There are a lot of shops with souvenirs, chocolate and all kinds of goodies. People, crowds, shopping, cafes, wrusts, colors, sun. Vienna was a wonderful experience, I wholeheartedly recommend this city.
P.S .: Winter Vienna is a dream. Christmas Market is wonderful and introduces you perfectly to the atmosphere of the holidays.