🇦🇹 Weekend away in Vienna 🇦🇹

Travel tips for a few days in Vienna

Fancy a weekend away sometime soon? A trip to Vienna could be a good option as there are usually cheap flights to be found and lots to see and do when you get there. It is a City full of history, fantastic architecture and lots of outdoor space.

Once upon a time I visited a friend there and had no idea what to expect, apart from the possibility of having a schnitzel at some point, with minimal research done before I went, apart from a gorgeous piece of street art as a reference point to check out, if time permitted. A lack of planning can go either way, fortunately for me, this time it worked out. I did have some helpful tips from my friend so not quite a blank slate.

Travelling from the airport is a breeze as there are plenty of direct trains into the Centre. In fact, travelling in and around Vienna is easy, clean and there are lots of transport options including buses, trams, trains and underground. They all run frequently and the best bit is they are reasonably priced with the possibility of a seat. I got myself a 72 hour pass to travel on all transport for around 17 Euros so was able to travel around the City as much as I wanted. A little more information to see the ins and outs of public transport in Vienna here.

St Stephens Cathedral

If you take a short stroll through the City centre you will pass lots of incredible architecture, beautiful buildings and serious amounts of history eventually getting to a gorgeous area known as Museums Quarter. This area is full of museums, open space and is a great place to sit and take in the area, especially in the summertime. If you head up the steps near the Mumok it will lead to another section called Street Art Passage and more incredible views too.

Museums Quarter

Street Art Passage

Head to another part of town and you will find The Albertina art gallery, which is well worth a visit.

If you are not into art galleries, the building is beautiful and the views from the upper level are super too, so its definitely worth a visit, you get a great view of the City and can watch the horse and carts drive by below. Just on the corner outside The Albertina you will find a stand with a huge green rabbit on top of it, which I was super curious as to why everyone was so well dressed and queueing at this stand. Apparently this is one of the best sausage stands in Vienna, so now you know, every day is a school day.

In the same area you will find a gorgeous garden and the Palm House which is a great place to hang out if its sunny and have time too.

The Tourist information is close to this area too and has plenty of information of things to see and do.

View point at The Albertina

Best sausage stand

View point

Botanical Gardens

There are so many parts of Vienna to be discovered and this one was made whilst I got lost en route to The Albertina, so, contrary to popular belief, it’s actually good to get lost as often you will stumble upon something of beauty on the way. This is Stadtpark a gorgeous park full of glorious red tulips, statues, pretty blooms and this big clock. Its a great place to sit and take 5 minutes to take in the sights and sounds of the City.

Stadtpark

Here is the lovely bit of street art spotted and wanted to try and find it whilst wandering around Vienna. I managed to find out the district, Hofmühlgasse 12 and pinpointed it. Again, this was another random day of getting lost, going to another part of Vienna to explore and discover some new things on the way. This time it was more pastel pink and purple buildings, vending machines in the wall and some gorgeous streetart, as I did manage to find it.

Butterflies by French based artist Mantra for Calle Libre

This beautiful building is covered in mosaics, artwork and gold (the real deal apparently). It is actually a waste incineration plant with artwork by eco-architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. I dropped by to see it a little closer and it looks like a Hansel and Gretel House but not a sweet in sight. It is great to see and weird it is a working building too. 

Feeling inspired to book a flight and get yourself to Vienna for the weekend now? This post is only scratching the surface of what the City has to offer as I only had minimal time to explore and tried to make the most of it. I spent most of the time feeling like I was in a Wes Anderson movie, The Grand Hotel Budapest in mind, mainly due to the colours and architecture (and a tad bit daydreaming!).