Hotel Tip: Motel One At The Vienna Opera

In my last blog post I've taken you along on a weekend getaway to beautiful Vienna. I showed you a few reasons why you should put the Austrian capital on your travel bucket list and enjoy beautiful architecture, arts, coffee and food in Vienna. Today I want to give you the ultimate hotel tip to make your Vienna trip perfect. Think of a design hotel that will not blow your budget, think of fantastic opulence and a location in the heart of Vienna: welcome to the Motel One at the Vienna Opera.

This brand new hotel belongs to the design hotel chain Motel One which stands for design at a very affordable price tag and their design signature are turquoise Egg Chairs by Arne Jacobsen. But this hotel in Vienna is special: its location next to the Vienna Opera has significantly influenced the hotel's interior design which is opulent and unique to say at least. This Motel One only opened its doors in November 2014 and its official opening party will take place this week. I had the great opportunity to get a better insight into the hotel's interior design thanks to the hotel's management.

When you enter the hotel you will immediately realize that the world renown Vienna Opera served as a design inspiration for the interiors. Luckily, the hotel resides in two connected historical buildings that have lots of character and style - just look at the amazing columns and stucco in the lobby! Everything exposed in the hotel has an artsy feel to it - the lobby is decorated with light installations describing famous ballet formations which are depicted behind the reception, the light pendants refer to the airy ballet tutu skirts, the chairs have ballet feet and behind the hotel bar you can watch real rehearsals from the adjacent Vienna Opera.

Unlike many other Motel One hotels, this one has around 200 rooms in various sizes due to the historical character of the building which prevented any substantial architectural changes. You can find cosy single bedrooms overlooking the Vienna rooftops, spacious rooms with glass front all around, comfortable double-bedrooms with balconies. Interesting fact: A few rooms have a sort of wall in front of the windows due to architectural restraints - the design team created private outdoor spaces and included an illuminated Vienna skyline to the wall creating a very special feeling even to those rooms. The stairways of this hotel are so beautiful, you will deliberately skip the elevator and enjoy the historical ironworks and beautiful old tiles.

My room was very comfortable with a big bed, free Internet and a great breakfast buffet with organic food. After breakfast I headed out to the main sights of Vienna - all of them in close proximity and reachable by foot. The central St. Stephen's Cathedral is a mere 10 minutes walk away, the buzzing market 'Naschmarkt' is five minutes away, so is the museums' quarter. Perfect for a weekend getaway!

I was invited by Motel One to stay and test their new hotel but my opinion remains untouched and honest. I really recommend this place if you want a nice hotel, if you want to be central and if you don't want to spend a fortune. I'll be back for sure.

Photography by Igor Josifovic

This blogpost has been brought to you in collaboration with Motel One

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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

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From Place To Space: Advent In Nuremberg

Before we all take off to our well-deserved Christmas holidays and spend the days and evening feasting with our beloved ones, let me take you one more time to a new city in this year. Since we've almost reached Christmas, I thought it would be nice to take you to the German city of Nuremberg. Nuremberg is known for its castle, Albrecht Dürer, its sausages, its ginger bread and - yes of course - its huge Christmas market during the advent time (be prepared, it can get crowded - ok, I am absolutely understating this!).

Luckily, Nuremberg is a mere hour train ride away from Munich and so I took the opportunity to visit a friend of mine during the festive advent season there. In the heart of Nuremberg's old town the huge Christmas market welcomes every year thousands and thousands of guest from all over the world. People flock to take in the festive atmosphere that recalls fairy tales from the brothers Grimm, sip on a mug of mulled wine and nibble on yummy sausages and tasty ginger bread - both local specialties and really worth tasting!

But the Christmas market is not everything there is to Nuremberg. Take a stroll off the main square and discover small alleyways, half-timbered houses, cosy inns named 'The Witch's Hut' or 'The Castle's Guard', vintage bookstores and more. A visit to Nuremberg is not complete without a visit to the city's castle perched on a rocky hill overlooking the city's red rooftops.

Even though I am pretty sure everyone is already in a very festive mood, I hope this little stroll through Nuremberg in the advent time has added a bit more festive feeling to your Monday. Happy Christmas week!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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