Vienna, Austria

We spent less than 24 hours in Vienna, but this was enough time to explore the center of the city.

We left Budapest bright and early and got to Vienna at 11:00am - not without a quick corona & docs check at the Austria -Hungary border. We stayed at Hotel Daniel Vienna (Landstraßer Gürtel 5, 1030 Wien, Austria) and we able to drop off our stuff in our room before sprinting through the rain to Kleines Café (Franziskanerpl. 3, 1010 Wien, Austria). This cafe would have been cuter if we were able to sit outside on a sunny day, but the interior made me feel like I was Ernest Hemingway plotting his next novel.

Viennese coffee culture is very important to the locals. There are different names for what you’d usually order:

• kleiner Schwarzer = single espresso

• großer Schwarzer = double espresso

• kleiner/großer Brauner = single/double espresso served with a small jug/carton of milk

• verlängerter = espresso with hot water

• einspanner = espresso topped with whipped cream

• melange = cappuccino

• haferlkaffe = coffee with milk

Audrey converted me into a cappuccino gal so we got melanges.

Audrey was insistent on getting schnitzel in Vienna so we had lunch at Figlmüleller (Bäckerstraße 6, 1010 Wien, Austria). I'm not the biggest schnitzel fan (adult chicken nuggets, anyone?) so I had a creamy mushroom soup instead. Food was decent but the grandpa-aged waiters and their dad jokes made up for it.

We bought a 24 hour transit pass when we first arrived which was great for sightseeing on a rainy day. We took the M1 train which goes around the perimeter of central Vienna and checked off a few sights on our list.

No trip to Vienna is complete without Sacher torte at the one and only Hotel Sacher (Philharmoniker Str. 4, 1010 Wien, Austria). I'll be forever grateful to teenage Shanzi watching the Vienna episode of Anthony Bourdain's TV show for introducing adult Shanzi to Sacher torte. People either love or hate Sacher torte and I'm part of the former group. I have honestly considered having this cake flown out to my future wedding. It's two layers of chocolate cake with a layer of apricot preserves in between and a thick layer of chocolate ganache over the whole thing. Some people say that the chocolate cake is dry, but I think it's perfect especially when eaten with a hearty spoonful of unsweetened whipped cream. You can get a slice of Sacher torte at Hotel Sacher for 7.90 EUR. Trust me and splurge on the original because you can't trust the random slices you see out in cafes.

That evening we explored NeuBau and Naschmarkt. NeuBau is supposedly the "Berlin-esque" neighborhood of Vienna but it reminded me more of Hamburg than it did of Berlin. This neighborhood is filled to the brim with cute apartments, ice cream shops, and dainty boutiques. Audrey and I unfortunately visited Naschmarkt (1060 Vienna, Austria) when we didn't have much of an appetite but it's fun to walk through. Go in the day time when most of the smaller shops are open for quick bites. At night it gets a bit touristy and feels like any sort of market where you get heckled to sit down.

We wanted to see Belvedere Palace (Prinz Eugen-Straße 27, 1030 Wien, Austria) but it was dark and rainy by the time we headed back towards that area so we decided to skip the stroll through the park in favor of watching YouTube videos and eating summer rolls in our hotel bed.

Here's my list of recommendations for Vienna with contributions from my cool friends Lena (lived in Vienna) and Kate M (studied abroad in Vienna).

EAT

- Karma Food (Laurenzerberg 3, 1010 Wien, Austria)

- Der Wiener Deewan (Liechtensteinstraße 10, 1090 Wien, Austria) - Pay what you want Pakistani food

- Gasthaus Rebhuhn (Berggasse 24, 1090 Wien, Austria) for an authentic Austrian meal

- Strandbar Herrmann (Herrmannpark, 1030 Wien, Austria) Open air bar

- Volksgarten (Volksgarten, 1010 Wien, Austria) DISCO CLUB!

- Holzofenbäckerei Gragger & Cie Spiegelgasse (Spiegelgasse 23, 1010 Wien, Austria)

- Eis Greissler (Mariahilfer Str. 33, 1060 Wien, Austria)

- Nook Cafe (Altgasse 12, 1130 Wien, Austria)

- Cafe Jelinek (Otto-Bauer-Gasse 5, 1060 Wien, Austria)

- Müllers Heuriger & Weingut (Cobenzlgasse 38, 1190 Wien, Austria) - Wine bar

- Naschmarkt (1060 Vienna, Austria) - Café Central (Herrengasse 14, 1010 Wien, Austria) - Cafe visited by Freud & Trotsky

- Demel (Kohlmarkt 14, 1010 Wien, Austria)

- Wiener Würstelstand (Pfeilgasse, 1080 Wien, Austria) - Hotel Sacher Wien (Philharmoniker Str. 4, 1010 Wien, Austria)

- Donauinsel - Long, narrow island on the Danube with restaurants & bars

- Kleines Café (Franziskanerpl. 3, 1010 Wien, Austria)

SEE

- Albertina (Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Wien, Austria)

- Prater (1020 Vienna, Austria) - Amusement park turned tourist destination and landmark

- Central Cemetery (Simmeringer Hauptstraße 234, 1110 Wien, Austria) - one of the most beautiful sites in Vienna with 330,000+ tombs

- Saint Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansplatz 1, 1010 Wien, Austria)

- St. Peter's Catholic Church (Peterspl. 1, 1010 Wien, Austria)

- The Hofburg (Michaelerkuppel, 1010 Wien, Austria) - history museum

- Belvedere Palace (Prinz Eugen-Straße 27, 1030 Wien, Austria)

- MuseumsQuartier (Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Wien, Austria)

- Hundertwasser House (Kegelgasse 36-38, 1030 Wien, Austria) - Artist's creation of brightly painted, natural apartment block with a forested roof & balconies

- Rathaus (Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz 1, 1010 Wien, Austria)

- Schönbrunn Palace (Schönbrunner Schloßstraße 47, 1130 Wien, Austria)

- Stadtpark (Parkring 1, 1010 Wien, Austria)

- Graben (1010 Vienna, Austria) - Beautiful street

- Oper Wien (Opernring, 1010 Wien, Austria)

- Wien Museum Mozart apartment (Mozarthaus, Domgasse 5, 1010 Wien, Austria) - Mozart's apartment from the 1700s! Older than America alert!

STAY

- Hotel Daniel Vienna (Landstraßer Gürtel 5, 1030 Wien, Austria)

- 25Hours Hotel (Lerchenfelder Str. 1/3, 1070 Wien, Austria) - great views of the city