Vienna represents one of Europe’s grandest treasures. The capital city of a once thriving Habsburg Empire, it boasts incredible museums, wonderful parks, cafés, restaurants, shops, squares and astonishing architecture. Its city center was included on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites and represents one of the most romantic downtown areas in the world, regardless of the time of year when you visit it. Due to its architectonic gems, statues and monuments, it is often referred to as a museum in the open.
The city of Vienna is one of the easiest capitals to get around in. Furnished with a very good underground rail and bus network, the city’s nucleus is surrounded by Ringstraße, a boulevard that delimits the old city walls. Within this nucleus, there are magnificent palaces and museums. The most notable museums include the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Art History. They are two identical splendid buildings facing each other, separated by a wonderful garden containing statues and shaped bushes. They form part of the Hofburg Imperial Palace, the birthplace of Marie Antoinette. The most prominent piece in the Museum of Natural History is the Venus of Willendorf, a 24,000 year old statuette. The Museum of Art History boasts a grand collection, including ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman artifacts and works by Rembrandt, Titian, Raphael, among others. The Museumsquartier is located across the road from these two buildings and houses a number of smaller museum facilities and contemporary art installations, including the Leopold Museum, which features works by Klimt, Schiele and Kokoschka.
The Hofburg Imperial Palace also boasts a number of chapels, the Imperial Library, the National Theater, the residence of the President of Austria, and the famous Spanish Riding School. The latter is the world’s oldest and last remaining riding school. There are horse carriages ready to take you on a romantic tour around the city center. In wintertime, especially if you are lucky enough to find Vienna covered by a layer of snow, the center gives you an incredible feeling of an ancient empire and is the perfect setting for a holiday for couples. The city’s coffee and cake culture is famous worldwide and you can take pleasure in an enormous variety of delicious pastries and sweets. Other notable buildings in the downtown area include the Parliament and the nineteenth century Vienna State Opera. The latter is the most active opera house in the world with around two hundred opera performances held every year and more than one thousand employees!
Southeast of the city center lies the magnificent early eighteenth century Belvedere Palace complex. It consists of the Upper and Lower Belvedere and resplendent gardens. Today, it is the home of a gallery that boasts wonderful works by illustrious Austrian painters, such as those from the Art Nouveau movement. The complex is only a short walk away from the center and a visit to this incredible piece of Baroque architecture is highly recommended.
Nevertheless, perhaps the most awe inspiring Viennese gem of architecture is the Schönbrunn Palace. Built on the cusp of the seventeenth century, this palace, which was once used as the summer residence of Habsburg monarchs, is today one of the most important tourist attractions in Vienna. Tourists can enter the palace and view the rooms of Maria Theresa, where the young Mozart used to delight the Empress with his music. It is very easily accessible by underground rail and there are regular shuttle services taking tourists to visit the palace.
While Vienna is most renowned as a culture capital, it also has no shortage of fun and amusement activities. The Prater is Austria’s most famous amusement park. Located on the other side of the Danube, it boasts a giant Ferris wheel from which you can get a fantastic view of the city. The park is surrounded by forests and represents an ideal spot to go for nature walks and picnics.
After taking in all that culture, it is good to unwind at night and have fun. Vienna has a vibrant and cutting edge club scene. Electronic and rock music parties are held almost every night and provide a great way to get in touch with the lifestyle of European youths. If this is not your cup of tea, do not worry, there are numerous pubs and cafés where you can calmly enjoy yourself in the company of great Austrian beer.
