A Day in Vienna

Vienna was the first stop of the week-long Central European adventure with my long-lost-met-in-Thailand best friend. I flew in on a €12 Ryanair flight from Pisa and met Coco at our cute Airbnb room in the apartment of a nice older English man, Stephen.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/19005779?source_impression_id=p3_1564085263_DprPYM3MSBBOll6D

Since it was already late the first night, we headed out right away to a rooftop bar, Dachboden at 25hours Hotel. This place has a super funky vibe, good drinks (I would recommend a mule), and a great view.

After the rooftop and some photobooth pics, we hopped over to Matiki; a hidden gem with fun tropical drinks, friendly staff, and free popcorn at the bar ;)

The next day we got up pretty early to make the most of our single day in Vienna. First, we headed to Belvedere Palace, which was Prince Eugene of Savory’s summer home (if that means anything to you). Today, the palace is home to centuries worth of art, including famous “The Kiss.” We didn’t have much time to explore the inside, but we had coffee at the café outside and snuck in to view some artwork afterwards.

After coffee, we decided to head for some classic Austrian food and beer at Bier & Bierli Restaurant. This place is super reasonably priced with a central location and funky scene with beer cans/ signs covering the walls.

Because we only had one day to see everything we wanted to in Vienna, we bought a pass for the all-touristy Big Bus Hop-On Hop-Off Tour. This allowed us to get from each major attraction easily and also have a guided tour of the route along the way. (Plus you get the most stylish headphones) Would definitely recommend if you’re short on time in any city!

Our first stop on the all exciting bus tour was Prater Amusement Park which is home to the popular tourist attraction, the giant Ferris wheel. Walking through a foreign amusement park is unsurprisingly super entertaining and of course we stopped for a beer at Gösser Eck Beer Bar on the edge of the park.

Obviously I had to get another cup of coffee in the city known for its coffee culture! So we headed to the historically famous Café Aida where all the servers are dressed in pink and all the pastries are delicious. I got an espresso with whipped cream and an apple strudel (would recommend both).

While at Aida we happened to spot a vegan restaurant across the street, Veggiezz, where I was able to get vegan bratwurst and complete my Austrian food experience.

For some real Wiener schnitzel for Coco, we headed to Plachuttas Gasthaus zur Oper. The schnitz was apparently super yum but the staff messed up and charged us for things we didn’t order so make sure you’re clear when ordering!!

There’s so much more to explore in Vienna and I would definitely go back! However, it was the most expensive out of the three Central European cities we visited, so make sure to budget well if you’re on a backpacker’s budget!!