This guide is written for travellers , solo or as a couple who like to experience a city like a local and avoid any tourist traps and the thing with Vienna, there are lots of tourism and therefore it will all depend on how you feel towards crowd and tourists !
Public transports are convenient and inexpensive,so I would suggest you take a 72 hours pass and use the tram lines or the metro – Vienna is small but there are still things to see on opposite sides of the city so it is better to hop on and off the tram sometimes 🙂
Where to stay :
The 2nddistrict is a great place to stay, near everything you want to see and experience but far enough from the crowd : Leopolstad area is wonderful, with the canals and the Austrian hipster crowd- my favourite place to live would definitely be around the Karmelitta Market which is awesome : beautiful buildings, nice independent cafés and restaurants, relaxed people.
Neubau : another cool place where you can find nice boutique hotels and very nice Airbnb
Where to eat :
Please note that the service in Vienna is rather special : waiters and waitresses are not the nicest , rather rude and not so keen talking English – so one can feel offended at first but then we get used I suppose
Healthy : gluten free/ dairy free / alcohol free alternatives:
If you are looking for healthy options and rather good service , I can recommend the healthy food store and café chain: SuperFood Deli , my favourite is the one in Neubau- I like their outdoor area and the options of Açai bowls and Kumbucha are great
Viennese cafés:
–Café Englander: good to try the viennese sausages in a nice environement with the view on a nice private square
–Café Prückel : very nice terrasse,good to try some café viennois and sit in the terasse .
–Café Einfahrt: very nice outdoor area, on the edge of Karmeliter market , layback atmosphere .
Best Art Nouveau café :
Café Goldegg: to experience the charm of viennese café with Art Nouveau design and yummy ( but not so healthy) deserts !
Restaurants:
Café Ansari : offers a combination of Mediterranean, Georgian and international cuisine: It is one of locals’ favourite . I found the food was fresh but nothing special – I think it is worth to go if you can get a table outside , as it is located in a wonderful little square surrounded by other nice restaurants like Mochi ( an Asian fusion very popular to the Locals too )
–Skopik & Lohn have lunch or dinner at Skopik& Lohn which seems to be an institution in Vienna
– Schone Perle:this was my favorite restaurant which offers fresh honest rustic food , typical vienese dishes at reasonalble prices, a lovely outdoor area and good service
This restaurant was recommended to me as it is the bistro, which is part of the sister 2 Michelin Stars restaurant Konstantin Filippou : we had a nice dinner outside but nothing extraordinary – the beef cheeks were delicious, very well cooked and presented, the rest was just OK.I tend to judge a natural wine bar from its Terrine, and here they serve a “decomposed” terrine which to me , from a rustic culinary standpoint, does not make sense. Good selection of natural wines and cider ( which we couldn’t find anywhere else in Vienna).
– Salonplafond: the very stylish restaurant offers beautiful settings and an super nice outdoor area – ideal after a tour of the Mak !
What to see :
- Karmelita District : have a nice healthy breakfast at Zimmer 37 where the service is super nice and they do delicious fresh smoothies
- Have a stroll in the old town and see the beautiful fiacres by the Spanish Riding School :
- Get lost in the old Jewish quarter :
- Create yourself an Art Nouveau tour by visiting all the Art Nouveau buildings of Vienna
- Sundays in Vienna: Important note: the town is completely shut down on sundays so my advise is to keep the museum visit for Sundays are most restaurants , bars, stores are closed
-Modern Museum Mumok: A piece of Art in itself
–Leopold Museum: the favorite
In this album you can see the evolution of Klimt’s work , the birth of graphic design with the fascinating Koloman Moser ( his paintings but also the furnitures he designed) , Rodin sculptures , Egon Schiele , the London inspired ‘Time Gentleman Please’ by Oskar Kokoschka
- Mak Design Museum: beautiful piece of architecture inside and out , with a few important art works from Klimt and a beautiful library
Augarten:The oldest porcelain factory of Vienna where you can see the work of old porcelain masters and learn more about Vienna’s traditions but also new designers . It is surrounded by a beautiful park where one can see the local jogging .
Vienna for architecture lovers: Art Nouveau and birth of Modernism
tongue&cheeks 