Before visiting Vienna, I hadn’t really given the city much thought. It’s not a place you often hear at the top of people’s travel bucket lists, but after traveling to the city at the end of 2019, I can confidently say it SHOULD be. Vienna is the home of Mozart, sparkling palaces, incredible shopping, and some of the best Christmas markets that Europe has to offer.
While it wasn’t necessarily more expensive than any other country in Europe, I have truly never felt fancier in my life. Everything felt decadent: the food, the architecture, the nightlife. Though we only had a few days in Vienna, we covered a lot of ground. Read on more for my top 12 spots to visit while in Vienna!
EAT
Palmenhaus: If you have one splurge meal in Vienna, make it here. Beyond having incredible food, this restaurant is absolutely stunning. It’s housed in an old converted greenhouse in the middle of a beautiful park. It's a little pricey, but very worth it.
*Tip: I would recommend making reservations and going on the later side. We had ours at 6:45 p.m. and the place was still pretty empty until around 8:00.
Figar 1040: This cafe was perfect for brunch (their Eggs Benedict is dooope) and there are various locations throughout the city. The location we visited, Figar 1040, was in a super hip area that was fun to explore after our meal. Bonus: this place also turns into a bar late at night!
DRINK
Loosbar American Bar: When I first heard about this spot, my first reaction was disinterest. We were in Austria…why would we want to go to an American bar? But I am so glad I gave it a shot! This place is TINY, but seriously so cool. The “American Bar” part of its name is derived from the 1920’s decor inside, which was made to look like the American bars at the time it was built. We found out from the bartenders that it was originally a place where ex-pats would go drink in Vienna, but now it's mostly locals.
Cafe Europa: So an interesting thing about bars in Vienna...most of them are actually cafes and restaurants during the day! Cafe Europa, like the cafe Figar 1040 mentioned above, seemed like a run-of-the-mill restaurant until things really got going around 11:00 p.m. This was my favorite bar we went to in Vienna. We made friends with lots of locals (including a chow chow puppy!) and it was such a blast.
Onyx Bar: This place was more on the high-end side of things, but has great views of St. Stephen's Cathedral (it's across the street inside the DO & CO Hotel). It would be perfect for grabbing a couple of cocktails pre-/post-dinner.
DO
Hofburg Palace & Austrian National Library: There are so many different areas and exhibits to explore within Hofburg Palace, but our main mission was to visit the Austrian National Library that is housed inside. Y’all…pictures do not do this library justice. As a lifelong bookworm and lover of libraries, I was absolutely floored. I could have sat and stared at this space for HOURS. Literally the most beautiful library I've ever seen, and well worth the 8 euro ticket price to get inside.
Belvedere Palace: This sprawling palace is located pretty close to the city center, but the grounds are so expansive it feels removed from the bustle of the city. Most of the palace is now an art museum, most well-known for housing the famous Gustav Klimt piece, "The Kiss." I’m not much of an art connoisseur, but this painting was very cool to see in person. I even found a few more pieces throughout the museum that I fell in love with!
Graben St and Kärntner Strasse St: Both of these streets are gorgeous, pedestrian-only streets that hold practically every store you could want. The shopping in this area truly cannot be topped, and the stunning architecture is just a delightful bonus. We were lucky enough to be there over the holidays and the Christmas lights that are up in this area were some of the most beautiful (and extra) I’ve EVER seen.
Museum Quartier: We didn’t manage to hit all of the museums we researched ahead of time, but even if you don't make it to any of them...the area they're in is beautiful to just wander around. Here is a list of a few that were on our radar:
Albertina Art Museum
Kunsthistoriches Museum (Art History Museum)
Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum)
Haus de Musik Museum (since Mozart is from Austria, this is a cool music-related museum)
Rathaus Christmas Market: Even though Christmas markets aren't up year round, this place still deserved a spot on the list. Rathaus is the biggest, most well-known Christmas market in Vienna and it's easy to see why. There's ice skating paths, unbelievable decor, and a billion market stalls. It definitely got a little crowded at night, but it was still worth it.
I feel like we covered a lot of ground, but there is still so much we didn’t get to do! For starters, I’m already trying to plan a trip back so I can go to the famous Vienna Opera House and attend a performance. Plus, it’s so close to other major European hotspots (like Prague, Munich, Budapest, and more) so it’s easy to add in to any itinerary.
If Vienna wasn’t on your radar before, bump it up on your travel list! It’s a city not to be missed.
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