Vienna was the perfect European city to venture to after our lovely stay in Prague. Vienna is rich in history, art, and culture and carries a regalness about it. Knowing that we only had a short time frame in this beautiful city, my husband and I wanted to make the most out of our trip. We found a lovely Airbnb close to the U- Bahn, making getting around the city that much easier. Suppose you’re searching for a European city filled with artistic entertainment, museums, palaces, and gardens. I suggest placing Vienna on your bucket list! If you want to see how my husband and I experienced Vienna in three days, continue scrolling and join us on our journey.
Day 1
We ventured over to the Schonbrunn Palace, and it was an all-day experience. I didn’t realize how expansive the surrounding grounds were. The surroundings were everything I envisioned Vienna to be. Beautiful gardens flourished with greenery and blooming flowers. At the time, we chose to do Classic Pass Plus, which included the Grand Palace tour, Privy Gardens, Orangery, Gloriette, The Maze, and the Schonbrunn Zoo. Yes, you read that correctly. The Palace has a zoo on the grounds. The Schonbrunn Zoo is the oldest operational zoo in the World, dating back to 1752. As much as I loved walking around the zoo and seeing the animals have enclosures where it took on an actual natural habitat for them, I truly adored walking through the vast gardens and getting lost in the mazes that they offered. The details that went into making these gorgeous landscapes were breathtaking! Make visiting Schonbrunn Palace the top of your list if you visit Vienna and plan for a full day.
Before heading back to our Airbnb, we made a stop at the Travel Shack. This bar had an awesome tiki vibe and a unique characteristic about it. When we went, they had just opened, so we were able to strike up a friendly conversation with the bartender. Currently, the place is temporarily closed due to the ongoing pandemic.
Later that evening, I had made reservations for us at Steirereck. Steirereck now ranked #12 from the World’s 50 Best restaurant list from 2021 list! The dining experience was on a whole other level and by far one of the most creative dining experiences we have attended. The plating was top-notch and elevated beautifully. To learn more about this fantastic dining experience, visit my Dining in Vienna blog. I highly suggest If you ever wanted to dine in a Michelin Star restaurant that’s ranked on the World’s top 50 list, make the reservation and check this place out!
Day 2
We spent the entire day walking the streets of Vienna and taking in the sounds and sights of the beautiful architecture. Our first stop of the day was exploring the grounds and gardens of the Belvedere Palace. Belvedere Palace is accessible to the public while walking outside, but there is a fee for visiting the museum inside the Palace.
While continuing on our St. Stephen’s Cathedral journey, we made a quick detour to experience the local food options at the outdoor market called Naschmarkt. Over a hundred vendors ranging from market stalls, restaurants and bars offering speciality items from all around the world.
Arriving at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, we immediately bought our all-inclusive pass and jumped in line to take the catacombs tour that runs under the cathedral into the town square. Since we purchased the all-inclusive, we could ride the elevator on the North Tower and gaze upon the city from above. This site is excellent for capturing fantastic photos! The South Tower is a different challenge. Instead of an elevator, we climbed 343 steps to the top of the tower. Once reaching the top, it’s a pretty small area to maneuver. The cathedral itself was stunning with the exceptional details on the statues, murals, and the floating rocks in the middle of the central aisle. I highly suggest checking St. Stephen’s Cathedral out. The all-inclusive pass allows you to see so much of what the cathedral has to offer.
Later that evening, we took the U-Bahn to Prater to visit the amusement park. Prater’s amusement park is accessible to the public; however, each ride has its own individual cost. The amusement park is home to the iconic Ferris wheel The Wiener Riesenrad. Built in 1897, Prater’s iconic Ferris Wheel has gondolas instead of the typical seats you would generally see.
If you love taking photos, Prater amusement park is the place to get some unique shots. We ended the evening at the Funky Monkey Bar. The bar has a tropical vibe along with ten drink shots for 13.50 Euro! We took advantage of that and stayed for the rest of the night, enjoying the music and meeting new people.
Day 3
Deciding to take it easy on our last day, we explored the museums around the city. We stopped first at the inspiring Austrian National Library. To say it was beautiful would be underestimating it. Purchasing the all-inclusive pass included the Austrian National Library, Papyrus Museum, History of Austria located in the Hofburg Palace, Globe Museum, and Literature Museum. Each museum was unique in itself. My favorite ones were the National Library, History of Austria, and the Globe Museum (perhaps I am a tad biased since I love world globes and traveling). Visiting these five museums will take up your entire day of exploring but worth immersing yourself in understanding the culture. Visit my Museum Adventures in Vienna blog to learn more about each of these museums.
For dinner, we ate at the authentic Figlmüller Austrian restaurant. Highly recommend making reservations. Although the restaurant takes walk-ins, you could potentially wait a long time. However, the food is worth it! I ordered the original wiener schnitzel and could not believe the size of it. The schnitzel completely covered my entire plate! Lightly dusted with lemon juice, the schnitzel was the best I have ever had. Don’t let the long wait compel you from not eating here. You will not be disappointed!
Overall Thoughts
Vienna is a beautiful city that should be on your bucket list to visit. If you love visiting museums, Vienna has an abundance of them that need to be explored. Don’t forget to try the amazing desserts that are offered in Cafe Central when you visit!
