Last summer on our Danube River cruise – my husband and I visited Vienna for the first time. With a prime docking location, it’s the perfect jumping off point to explore the city! From the banks of the Danube, it’s a fairly short walk to the town center (taxis and Uber are also readily available).
Besides walking at least 15,000 steps this day – we also ate and drank our way through Vienna! Being a hot summer day we enjoyed drinks on a terrace, as we watched the hustle and bustle in the Old Town city center. Make sure to wander the streets and alleys here – the architecture is lovely!
After exploring near Schonbrunn Palace and the Vienna State Operahouse, we found a nice spot in Old Town for a Viennese lunch. My husband opted for a Viennese sausage and I chose to satisfy my sweet tooth with a slice of the famous Sachertorte (decadent chocolate cake)!
Our day also included a 343 step climb up a winding staircase to the south spire of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. All the sweat was worth the views of Vienna from the top! 🙂 I recommend doing this later in the day as we noticed the crowds had completely thinned, the staircase wasn’t as crowded, and there wasn’t a line for entrance tickets.
Outside St. Stephens is also a great spot to get a glimpse of the famous Lipizzaner horses (white stallions). They are lined up in this area waiting to give carriage rides.
My husband and I stayed in the city to sample more Viennese food for dinner. We dined on enormous Wiener Schnitzel at the famous Figlmuller Restaurant (just around the corner from St. Stephens). As you can see in the photo – it’s not an exaggeration it covers your entire dinner plate! I wish I could have taken the leftovers (it was tasty and deserving of the hype!)… and next time we’ll share. 😉
Vienna is a city worthy of more than a day, but we made the most of our time! There are so many things to do and sites to see in “The City of Music”. I hope to catch performances at the Spanish Riding School and Vienna State Operahouse on our next visit.
Until the next adventure – bon voyage!
Kris
