1. Visit Rathus: Vienna’s Town Hall
When I visited Vienna, this place wasn’t on my to do list as I wanted to go to the famous christmas market in front of the town hall instead but when I arrived, I was awe-struck. The building is huge and looks amazing when it’s lit up at night. I searched the townhall online that same night and found out that people can go inside the hall for free and tours are offered up to 3 times a week with headsets provided for different language settings. There is plenty to see but if you go, make sure to go upstairs to the dining hall with high ceilings and chandeliers hanging above your head in a golden illuminated hall with palm trees.
2. Central Café
Every website promoting places to see in Vienna will have this included and it’s for a good reason. The cafe is famous for being visited by Stalin and Hitler a hundred years ago with its stunning atmosphere and vintage-ness. It looks a bit like a small cathedral inside which offers a range of traditional Viennese food and mouth-watering desserts making customers unsure which one to pick, or rather how many to purchase.
As you can see in the picture below, there is a long queue even though it was 2 degrees outside, nothing phases the people wanting to eat here so it must be worth it right?
We arrived early, around 10am and waited for no more than 15 minutes since the line was way shorter.
I ordered traditional torn Viennese pancakes which I had never tried before but they were definitely a different type of pancakes than we’re used to in England. The dish was a mix between a pancake and cake as it was thicker which made it really soft with a slight crunch on the browner parts. There were raisins mixed in and icing sugar powdered on top to give it a sweeter taste which was accompanied by a homemade plum jam sauce to pour on top.
It cost around a tenner which is quite decent for the venue and the food, the portion was big too so I shared it with my friend. We still couldn’t finish the entire plate.
3. Keep An Eye Out For The Street Lights!
One unique thing I loved about Vienna were the traffic lights portraying straight and homosexual couples around the city. Traffic lights are usually similar around the world but to have a couple shown gave a slight romantic and open ambience! Even though I was walking across the street accompanied by my friends!
4. St Peter’s Catholic Church
I stumbled upon this church randomly, but it was defo worth visiting. The inside of the church is absolutely magnificent with detailed designs around the building that have to be captured. Visitors can’t sit down for a service but are welcome to watch from the entrance which was quite interesting.
5. The Hofburg Palace
Near many other attractions and museums so there is a lot to do in the same place. The palace is quite big so it’s a nice place to have a roam around and take pictures. You can also go inside to look at the interior and antique furniture but will have to purchase tickets. Here is the link for the website: https://www.hofburg-wien.at/en/
6. Jump On Vintage Trams
Whether you want to take a pic of these aesthetic trains or jump on for a ride, they’re good for both plus in the winter it’s a quick way to unfreeze your hands and toes from the windiness outside. Pull out your polaroid and take some cute snaps
7. Go to Nasctmarkt for Chinese Food and Some Cannabis
So, here is Vienna’s unofficial China town brimming with Chinese supermarkets and restaurants but with a mix of Korean and Japanese restaurants too. Now, if you want good food, like amazing food, this is the place to visit. We went to Li’s Cooking which had the best Chinese food I had ever tasted, better than the Chinese food I had in China as weird as that sounds. Portions were big, prices were good, and the service was amazing, with complimentary desserts included, I didn’t want to leave.
The link to the restaurant is here: http://www.liscooking.at/
The mention of weed must have caught some people’s eyes as I did stumble upon a marijuana shop in the market unknowing to the fact that it is legal for scientific and medicinal reasons. They had a range of products on offer so if you’re interested, have a pop around.
8. Try A Big Schnitzel
I knew that I wanted to try a schnitzel when I visited Vienna but had to find one which wasn’t made from pork due to my diet. So we found a restaurant where they did turkey schnitzels and I happily ordered one not knowing how big it would be in reality as I had only seen pictures of it. It took up an entire plate itself and came with a portion of fries and salad. Hands down, one of the best meals I have ever had.
9. Go To The Acquarium: “Haus Des Meeres Aqua Terra Zoo”
The German name is translated into the ‘house of the sea’ which is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Vienna. There is an incredible amount of 11 floors in the building consisting of a mix of an aquarium and zoo with a rooftop cafe on the 11th floor. If you like animals, then this is a must see. There are sea creatures but bats and monkeys out in the open on the 10th floor where they can walk on the railings beside you to touch if you’re brave enough.
Here’s the link for the website: https://www.haus-des-meeres.at/en/Home.htm
10. Chill At A Shish Lounge: Deuces
Deuces is also called Honey and Shisha by El Hac to clear up any confusion. This shisha place had a nice hipster vibe going on with graffiti designed walls, plants inside and plush seats. They had a nice bar area with pretty good shisha too at a reasonable price. There were a few other shisha places nearby but this one is worth visiting.
Here’s the website if interested: https://www.deuces.at/
11. Visit a Cafe Run By Grandmas – Vollpension
This adorable vintage cafe is run by a bunch of grandmas and grandpas which is its unique selling point giving it a “granny-style” vibe, the interior, delicious snacks and drinks add to the appeal. This cafe is placed in Nasctmarkt too, so you could go for a quick pop in if you need a coffee or alcoholic drink. There is Viennese style food and cakes which are really popular, might need to wait but not as long as the central cafe but maybe book a reservation if you can.
Here is the link: https://www.vollpension.wien/
That’s the end of quite a detailed list of places to go in Vienna and things to try, especially food! So make enough space in your stomach to try these Viennese goods. It’s really easy travelling around Vienna so get as much ticked of your list as possible!
[All photos author’s own]