Vienna Through My Eyes…

Palaces…Parks…Old Cafés…Breathtaking terraces…Opera…Vineyards…

These are some of the precious elements instilled in the culture of elegant Vienna, past and present…

Vienna is the epitome of an imperial city…the glory of past eras will charm you as it is still very visible in all of the architecture, the culture, the cafés…However, they have found the golden mean between past and present harmoniously blending lovely, modern, vibrant corners, events, exhibitions all year long..

Oldie but Goldie: Busy morning in front of the Opera circa early 1900s (Personal Archive)

Dedicate one today:  To stroll around Museum Quartier go to the Mumok or Museum of Modern Art and then up and down Mariahilferstrasse to take in a strong dose of modern, vivacious, fresh, young, international, mainstream Vienna…

Best hour: Vienna charm (Getty Images)

Dedicate the next day: To endless strolls in the old city of Vienna, the heart of history where elegance meets violin melodies echoed in the streets, the coffee houses standing as remarks of a timeless, legendary tradition and a golden street, Graben oozing true luxury from all the well-known boutiques…

Strolling towards the Hofburg Palace and in one of the most expensive streets in Vienna (Getty Images)

Dos:

• Vienna is a city that invites you to discover it on foot…and if you want to channel some of your royal nature much like Empress of Austria, Elizabeth (Sisi) maybe try the famous carriage rides around the old city..
• Divide your days so you discover as much as possible from both past and present culture..
• Discover the incredible new and old collections in Albertina…but mostly wonder on the upper Palace Habsburg Staterooms where opulence takes you instantly back to the 19th cent..

While visiting the Palace staterooms (Personal Archive)

• Make a note to visit the Belvedere Palace & Gardens and my all time favourite Klimt gallery room

Inside the Belvedere, Gustav Klimt, The Kiss (Belvedere Images)

• As you stroll to the end of Graben and be that you don’t carry too many shopping bags…take a look inside Hofburg, the central Palace where the Habsburgs lived in the winter and the Sisi Museum
• And if you still want to be historically accurate take the whole day to visit Schönbrunn Palace, walk around the fountains and the incredibly vast area of the gardens and if you want to see one the best views of Vienna…

Schönbrunn Palace & Gardens (Getty Images)

• Head up the hill to enjoy a Melange (almost like a Viennese cappuccino) and Apfel Strudel at Gloriette, a real gem which posits up the hill right across the Palace, overseeing the estate at its entirety and giving you the chance to truly look and feel the grandeur of the city.
• Book tickets for the Opera…and believe me once is not enough..

PoV: The OPERA (Getty Images)

I fell particularly in love with:

All of the old coffee houses among them, Café Sperl, Domayer Café, and Café Landtmann and Café Central…

Vibrant city restaurants of the finest international gastronomy like Fabios..

Old tiny antique shops scattered all around Stephansdom..

The view while walking at the vineyards in Kahlenberg…

From my day in the vineyards..(Personal Archive)

While jogging at the Schönbrunn gardens and Gloriette in the late afternoon just when the sun sets..

The idea of taking the train and in just two hours soaking up the sun next to the river in Salzburg…

Weather report:

Vienna is chilly so check the must haves and what you need to pack for the trip here.

It’s true that I can keep writing about Vienna, pages and pages…But what I will cherish forever is the city’s mesmerizing, magical vibe reflecting a fantastic, lively symbiosis of past and modern elegance that you have to feel, taste, see, hear for yourself…

Through my eyes…Vienna is and always will be an elegant fairytale if you are willing to live it…

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*Special thanks: to the best Vienna tour guide…