Sunday, February 22, 2015

Weekend Getaway To Vienna


A few of you might know that I was born in Austria and that I am officially an Austrian citizen. Whenever I get asked where I'm from by foreigners and I reply that I'm from Austria, the reactions are in unison: Oh Vienna! It is so beautiful! I absolutely confirm that. However, I am from the other side of Austria, but that's just a detail.



The beauties of Vienna are ranking the Austrian capital amongst the most picturesque cities in Europe if not the entire world. Traveling to Vienna is like buying a ticket through history. It's been a while since I had visited Vienna the last time, so when I revisited the city a few weeks ago I remembered why all the foreigners are so fascinated by Vienna: Beautiful, historic architecture, a vibrant cultural scene, traditional cafés and pastries, historical landmarks on every corner, and the unique Viennese lifestyle. Its location in the heart of Europe make it the perfect weekend getaway for Europeans.



Strolling through downtown Vienna feels like a historical promenade through the Habsburg Monarchy with its representative buildings and pastel facades, golden cupolas and Art Nouveau wherever your eye stops. Vienna boosts with attractions such as the imperial palaces of the Hofburg and Schönbrunn (do I hear some Sisi fans among you?), the impressive St. Stephen's Cathedral, the quirky Hundertwasserhaus and fantastic museums such as the Albertina, the Museum of Modern Art (MUMOK) or the famous Vienna Secession building ('To every age its art. To art its freedom.').




Vienna is located on the Danube river and offers many green spaces to its inhabitants and visitors. Spacious parks and a lively riverside fail not to impress and encourage alfresco activities. For the gourmets among you, Vienna will be paradise (or a calorie trap for the more cautious eaters among you): First and foremost I recommend a Saturday stroll over the famous Naschmarkt, Vienna's central market. This open-air market with countless stands offers delicacies from around the world. Vienna has always been a connecting gate between the West and the East and this can be perfectly observed on the Naschmarkt - Austrian pastries, Italian olives, French cheeses stand side-by-side with Turkish sweets, Egyptian candied lemons, pickles from the Balkans. The market offers many restaurants and bars so you won't stay hungry for long. Moreover, on Saturdays the food market is extended by a flea market with all kind of tchotchkes that make a perfect and unique souvenir for your shelves at home.



Vienna is also the capital of cafés. Legend has it that it was the sieging Ottomans in the 17th century who brought coffee to Vienna. Ever since the Viennese café (Wiener Kaffeehaus) is an integral part of the daily life of the locals and tourists alike. Touristy (and historical) coffee hotspots are the Café Demel, Café Sacher (the two first claim to have invented the famous Sachertorte cake), Café Central, Café Hawelka (a rugged, dark café used to host Vienna's creatives), Café Hofburg in the palace. Don't be intimidated by the extensive coffee selection in those cafés and make sure to accompany your coffee with a piece of local pastry such as the Sachertorte, the Esterházy cake, apple strudel or sweet dumplings filled with apricots.


Vienna will not disappoint you. You will love the romantic, charming and historical atmosphere and discover lots of Europe in one spot. Plus, staying in Vienna will not blow your budget - I have the best and most reasonable hotel tip for you in the very center of Vienna - but I keep this for my next blog post which will be published on Tuesday. Stay tuned!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

16 comments :

  1. GORGEOUS. Love Vienna. Not been for quite some time so it's great to see your take on this fine city. Now am sure P was in heaven with all the coffee, chocolate and cakes. Do love some Mozart Kugeln myself. Thank you for the tour:-)

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    1. Thank you very much, Tina! So happy you enjoyed the little, sunny stroll through beautiful Vienna! Oh yes, we enjoyed the city and its sweets, but P in particular! Oh and now I know what I can bring to London next time - Mozartkugeln!!

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  2. Oh Vienna! You look so pretty when the sun shines, beautiful photos, Igor! I recognize so many places from my one-and-only trip about 8 years ago. And you describe it perfectly well: it's an interesting mix of East and West and a gourmet paradise with all the traditional cafés (where they also have the most perfect ice cream :p ) and nice restaurants. Thank you for the virtual trip to sunny Vienna!

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    1. My pleasure Judith! I suggest next time we make a little UJB excursion to Vienna and discover its green scene together! Including ice cream of course!

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  3. Ihr Glücklichen - und dazu noch dieses tolle Wetter - unglaublich gut!
    Dort wäre ich jetzt auch gern.
    Lovely hugs
    Molly

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    1. Wir hatten echt super Glück mit dem Wetter - da ist Wien gleich dreimal so schön!

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  4. You little globetrotter - lovely images Igor, a place I too would love to visit some day xx

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    1. You must Anya! You will love it, I am pretty sure! Plus it is great for family trips too!

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  5. Hach, ich liebe Wien, eine meiner Lieblingsstädte überhaupt :-) Dort muss ich unbedingt auch mal wieder hin und mich durch die Kaffeehäuser zu schlemmen ;-)

    LG
    Sonja

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    1. In Wien könnte ich auch von einem Café zum nächsten tingeln:-)

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  6. Vienna Has forever been on my list. Unfortunatly, being North American (French Canadian to be exact), travelling to Europe is costly and my work schedual doesn't permit me to tak more than a month at a time. When I think of Vienna I think of classical music and of course Sisi (my mother used to show me the old live action movies when I was a little girl and at that time there was also a cartoon show about the iconic princess playing on tv so my childhood was filled with Sisi). One day I'll get to see the place myself.

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    1. I totally understand! I used to travel to Quebec a few years ago and yes it was costly but oh so nice - loved it there! And you should definitely visit Vienna one day if you have all those childhood memories and you love Sisi - this is the place to visit!

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  7. Vienna, Sachertorte at Café Sacher ... memories. Thank you for the visual tour, Igor. It's been many many years since I strolled the city's streets and they are still vivid in my mind. The museums too ... oh, the museums! sigh...

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    1. You are very welcome, Lisa! Happy you enjoyed the little stroll down memory lane:-)

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  8. I'm so happy you shared your trip! I came upon your site through an unrelated link through Pinterest and saw this post as well. It's perfect because my husband and I will be visiting Vienna in October with a guided tour. We have some free time so I'm glad you've shared some places/things to do.

    Can I ask, what type of camera/lens you used to take your awesome photos? I have a basic dslr, and want to make sure I've got some good lens for the trip! Thanks!!

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