A weekend in Vienna off the beaten path

 

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 2^nddistrict 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

 

Minimalist Airbnb

Viennese design inspired by Secession furnitures

Chair by Koloman Moser at the Leopold Museum

 

 

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

 

 

Avocado and potato salad

Goulash

–O Boufés

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

Klimt early work

Death by Klimt

Secession

Egon Schiele

Egon Schiele

Robin with Egon Schiele in the background

Rodin with Kokoschka in the background

Oskar Kokoschka

Time Gentleman Please by 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 

 

Otto Wagnar heritage

Belvedère

URANIA by night

the Danube canal

 

 

Cape Town: The Mother City

The ultimate ( and very humble) guide for 10 amazing days in Cape Town is ready for you .

Here you will find some guidance about where to stay, what to do, what to avoid, the must-sees and dos , based on a couple vacation in December.

1/ Where to stay :

Clifton beach : If you are looking for peace and tranquility , amazing ocean views and be close to everything this exciting city has to offer – this is the neighbourhood for you.

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Best sunsets are also seen from Clifton beach:

 

I would personally avoid Camps Bay which can get very busy and noisy, with lots of traffic and people.

Waterkant : if like us you have a late overnight flight, I would advise you to spend the last night in Waterkant which is the perfect base  to have a lovely” city break” day before flying ( beautiful walks, leaving the car behind, a museum stroll for instance) and offer amazing views of the Table Mountain .

2/ What to do :

-Being active 

As you know, the Atlantic sea is cold and unless you are on the Indian ocean side of South Africa, swimming can be challenging as the water is around 4/5 degrees in the summer time. So a dip in the ocean can be super fun and a challenge for many- you can still paddle , use a surf board to play with the waves, or just have sunbathes .

Cape Town offers many amazing hiking trails , as well as climbing .

The ones I did : Lions Head , Table Mountain which I advise you hike to the top and then take the cable car down.

But the very best hike I recommend is spending the whole day or two days with an overnight stay at the Cape of Good Hope National Park by Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope but also visit Kirstenbosh National Botanical Gardens,the tree canopy is an absolute must see

 

-Wine tastings : Visit the vineyards of Stellenbosch , Franschhoek and Swartland 

In Stellenbosh , I absolutely recommend to visit the Babylonstoren estate and have lunch at Babel (reservations required)and a visit of their back ( secret) medicinal garden, a real sacred place.

My second suggestion in Stellenbosh , is the Mullineux and Leeu wine estate: a peaceful vineyard and hotel ( with a great restaurant) completely away from the beaten track . Honest wines, art , sculpture and great hospitality.  Absolute HEAVEN !

Haven’t had the chance to visit Swartland , unfortunately as it is the place where the so-called Swartland Revolution wine producers are. Next time for sure !

– Art : visit the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa – recently opened in september 2017

Architecture delight , in my opinion competing with the biggest museums out there : a marvel of shape , form , views and upcoming new young Contemporary African artists .

 Kudzanai Chiurai was a great discovery . I loved the fact that curators’offices were incorporated in the museum itself , first time I see that, you can see the people behind the exhibitions during their day-to-day at the museum – awesome !

– Restaurant scene in Cape town:

*Breakfast spots : Cape town is, as any modern cities, following the big healthy , organic trend

A big favorite is the Kauai (“Naturally”) , although it is a chain, it offers fantastic healthy breakfast and smoothies options ( both in Camps Bay and on Kloof Street )

In Sea Point, I loved going to Scheckter’s RAW Gourmet, with great and sometimes weird but tasty vegan options.

Matcha Latte

Weird (but yummy hotdog)

Another option , just opposite Raw, is Kleinsky’s Delicatessen if you are fan of Jewish food and like pastramis and bagels.

*Dining :One thing to know is that restaurants and bars close early in Cape Town- kitchens close around 9pm ( sometimes even earlier) and bars/clubs at 2am . Also, most of best restaurants in town, especially during the high season, require advance booking.

For me the best diner experience I had in Cape Town was in Constantia ( a must see neighbourhood with its scenic views and vineyards ) at Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia . This lovely restaurant does not require advance booking which came handy. The views are magnificent, the service knowledgeable, and food very good. Only Beau wines available here , which is a shame for natural wine seekers like myself .

Views from the bar

The Amphitheatre

The Vineyards

Constantia

The bar overlooking Constantia

The restaurant

The Menu

The Menu

Another very good experience was at Ash on Church Street, which shares the same floor space than the wine bar Publik, which offers the best wine options in town . The food at Ash was very satisfactory , and again if you come a little early, the staff which is very nice, will try to help you with a table if you don’t have a booking.

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For vegetarians or fish lovers, I recommence Sea Breeze Fish and Shell on Bree Street, love the outdoor area and the secret Rum bar at the back !

Kingklip local south african fish to try

the rum bar !

For Japanese food, try Shio in Waterkant which offers excellent japanase food with a twist.

*Inside of the Cape of Good Hope National Park, I highly recommend having lunch at the restaurant there called Two Oceans , although touristy, it serves delicious food and great service:

 

*Bars : outside of the famous Silo Rooftop bar , I highly recommend The Gin Bar, secret entrance through a chocolate store called the Honest Chocolate café  , it’s a great place to go before in the late afternoon and stay in the lovely courtyard or late at night in the intimate bar as the bar remains open late although the door is closed 😉 best speak easy bar I have been for a long time, great selection of gins and a great great music !!

Another good bar is at Kloof House on Kloof Street,it has a nice courtyard garden nested in this old colonial house, and a both a restaurant and a bar. The food is basic but the atmosphere is cool .

*Another institution to visit during your stay is the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel , build in 1899 in English Colonial Style, an afternoon (ice) tea in its beautiful garden with views on the Table Mountain is worth a visit

Can’t end this post without talking about the nature and wild nature found in Cape Town – from Elephants, to Lions but also African Penguins !

 

Thank you Cape Town for a fabulous holiday – until next time !