- Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens- Big & spectacular Palace, once used by Empress Maria Theresa
Destinations
Vienna
Vienna is no doubt one of the most beautiful European Capital City. It has food for every kind of traveler. Austria's capital offers a unique blend of imperial traditions and stunning modern architecture. It is famous for its cultural events, imperial sights, coffee houses, cozy wine taverns, and the very special Viennese charm. A city having a bouquet of historical places, museums, cozy riversides and beautiful natural outskirts to visit.
Exploring Vienna
Pass- If you want to cover Vienna like a pro traveler, the best way is to buy a whole day public transport pass. It includes trams, buses, and metro too. Passes are available for 24 hours and 72 hours, or as weekly, monthly or annual passes. Here is a link to read in detail about the pass- Vienna Public Transport
We especially did this, rode trams, buses, and metro to any direction we wished and explored the shades of Vienna. Trust us we often encountered extremely beautiful places which were least touristy.
OR
HopOn-HopOff- There are various Hop on Hop off buses that completely covers the entire city. The benefit is that they provide temperature-controlled buses and audio guide in your preferred language. Major players are Vienna public HOHO, Big Bus, and Vienna Sightseeing. Our personal favorite was Vienna Sightseeing, yellow and green in color. Their coverage routes are perfect, they even take you to outskirts, across Austrian villages to Kahlenberg hill. They have buses, walking tours and even boat tour. Here is a link to Vienna Sightseeing tour for more details- Hop on hop off
The benefit of such a sightseeing bus is that they provide decent coverage to must-visit sights and the audio guide provided is really beneficial.
Places to see in Vienna
- The Hofburg- The official residence of every Austrian ruler since 1275
- St. Stephen’s Cathedral- Climbing the 343 steps to the Steffl’s Watch Room for the spectacular views, and the North Tower, home to the massive Pummerin Bell
- The Belvedere Palace
- Vienna Zoo (Tiergarten Schönbrunn)- The oldest zoo in the world
- The Vienna State Opera House- One of the world’s largest and most splendid theaters
- Kunsthistorisches Museum- Tremendous art collections
- The Austrian Parliament Building
- The Albertina- All the great names in modern art are represented, often by multiple works, in this magnificent museum
- Maria-Theresien-Platz- The focal point of which is the grand monument to Empress Maria Theresa. The high reliefs depict illustrious figures from the fields of politics, economics, and the arts, including Haydn, Gluck, and Mozart.
- Vienna City Hall
- Natural History Museum (Naturhistorisches Museum)- Best known for its huge Dinosaur Hall and for the world’s largest exhibit of meteorites, which includes the Tissint meteorite from Mars that fell in Morocco in 2011
- The Imperial Crypt and the Capuchin Church- Dedicated to Our Lady of the Angels, home to the Habsburg family vault containing the remains of 145 members of the family (almost all Austrian Emperors since 1633 are buried here)
- Kärtner Strasse and the Donner Fountain- Vienna’s most elegant street, Kärtner Strasse. Pedestrian-friendly area, pavement cafés, fashionable shops, elegant boutiques, and busy shopping arcades
Suggested daily budget – 50-60 EUR / 52-62 USD (Note: This is a suggested budget assuming you’re staying in a hostel, eating out a little, cooking most of your meals, and using local transportation. Using the budget tips below, you can always lower this number. However, if you stay in fancier accommodation or eat out more often, expect this to be higher!)
