Vienna

So far, among the European cities I have seen, Paris and London were my favorites, but now a new city has taken the top spot, Vienna. A city that gave me a sense of home in some way because I felt so comfortable there.

I want to mention that I was in Vienna just after Christmas, specifically from January 3rd to 6th, and I can highly recommend doing the same. The city is still full of Christmas decorations (at least until January 6th), which really brings out the special culture and gives a unique effect.

My sightseeing destinations in Vienna were:

• Karlskirche *
• Belvedere Palace *
• Hofburg *
• St. Stephen's Cathedral
• Art History Museum *
• State Opera
• Burgtheater
• National Library
• Danube Canal
• Volksgarten
• (Votive Church)
• (Prater)

( * = Favorites)

As you can see, I really managed to see a lot of the city in just a few days, since everything is relatively close together :) And because my hostel (CH- Hotel Luka Budget) was very centrally located, I could reach everything on foot, most of it even within just a few minutes.

Regarding the sightseeing destinations:

If you want to experience as much of Vienna's culture as possible right away, you have to visit the Hofburg, which was about 5 minutes away from me and looks impressive from the outside, in my opinion. But the Hofburg is not just a pretty sight: many carriage rides start from there that you can book directly. In the alleys around the palace, I actually encountered more carriages and horses than cars. Additionally, there is also the Sisi Museum for those interested in history. You can walk through the palace and come out right at the National Library. Unfortunately, I didn't go inside because you have to pay an entrance fee, but just from the outside, it is definitely the largest library I have ever seen.

If you walk about 5 minutes further from there, you will arrive at the Art History Museum, which I also visited. The entrance fee is usually about €25 (depending on whether you want to visit everything or just part of the museum), but I only paid €18 because it is cheaper for students - a small advantage. However, I was mainly there for a specific purpose: the café located inside the museum. It is said to be one of the most beautiful in all of Vienna, and I can confirm – that is true. The prices there are supposedly not cheap, but this café has something really special and royal. And as a tip: go to the second floor of the museum first to see the café from above, trust me :). But I also walked through the museum. There was everything from Egyptology to coin cabinets and antiques, and the museum is truly HUGE. When you enter and walk up the grand staircase, you feel like you're in a grand palace, everything is gold and very elegantly decorated.

You can easily visit these 3 sightseeing destinations together or consecutively, as they are all located very close to each other.

One thing I would never forget to mention is what I looked forward to the most on my trip: the Belvedere Palace. To be honest, I don't even know what to rave about, I can only say: YOU MUST see it. The palace is already a real eye-catcher from the outside – a Baroque complex that looks like something out of a fairytale or a movie. I also found the expansive gardens connecting the Upper and Lower Belvedere impressive. I think all the artfully designed fountains, sculptures, and flower beds make the place truly special. Ideally, you would want good weather on the day you visit the palace, as it enhances its beauty, in my opinion. I was lucky with that.

Of course, you can't avoid all the churches in the city. My favorite was the Karlskirche, which I visited first on my trip. When I decided what to visit in Vienna, the church was the first thing that caught my eye. I personally find it cool how it is built, with its columns, the large dome, and the turquoise blue roof – it really stands out, in my opinion. By the way, the construction time of the church was 1716 - 1737 as a fun fact for those who might be interested :)

The St. Stephen's Cathedral is also worth a small detour. From the outside, it momentarily reminded me of the Cologne Cathedral, but more so at first glance. You could also go in for free during a church service (that’s why I didn’t take pictures of the interior of the cathedral), but only at certain times. From the inside, it is quite nice.

You can also combine the Vienna State Opera and the Hofburg Theater nicely. The two attractions are not far from each other, allowing for a relaxed visit one after the other. I viewed both places in the evening because I think they look even more beautiful when illuminated at night.

On my last day, I walked a bit along the Danube Canal and strolled through the Volksgarten, which unfortunately does not offer as much during this time of year as it does in summer. I only viewed the Votive Church and the Prater from a distance, which is why they are in parentheses above.

Overall, for some reason, the city really impressed me, and I would definitely travel there again! The city has become like a little second home for me, and as I said, I can only recommend visiting Vienna around Christmas time. I also appreciate that, apart from the main roads, it was very quiet. Very few cars drove through the alleys, and it felt very relaxed there.

& I've posted more pictures from the trip on Instagram, as always :) https://www.instagram.com/claiire.jsn/profilecard/?igsh=OHJlcnhpdHFmODFs