Yiota
Waltzes, open green spaces and the Danube set the stage for Vienna’s imperial past alongside its coffee-house culture and artistic vibrant neighborhoods. Vassiliki spends 36 hours in the Austrian capital and shares with It Girl all the little tips that made her short stay special.
Vienna is wonderful all year round, but extremely beautiful and quiet in autumn. As its center extends to about 4 kilometers, a few hours are enough to fascinate you and convince you to come back. If you decide to spend some days in the capital of Austria, you will get -mostly- quality time!
19th-century palaces, museums and imperial gardens together with artistic neighborhoods, modern galleries and up-and-coming areas prepare the setting for a perfect -even short- travel experience. It Girl follows Vassiliki’s little tips and gets the most of Vienna in 36 hours!
10 AM
Start your day in Albertina Museum. On your way to the museum, you can decide to stop at Pnika, a Greek-style bakery in the center of Vienna. As long as you taste traditional pies and Greek coffee, you can buy online your museum tickets and save precious time.
Albertina with over 60,000 paintings, including some of the masterpiece’s of Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt and Mônet, is one of the most important and beautiful museums in the world. Vassiliki needed about four hours for a full tour and highly recommends the Claude Mônet exhibition, which runs till January 9th, 2019. More information here.
*Alternatively, the former imperial stables have been transformed into the innovative MuseumsQuartier, with a diverse ensemble of museums; the Leopold Museum houses the most representative collection of Austian art, while the History of Art Museum showcases important works of Raphael, Vermeer and Caravaggio.
3 PM
For your afternoon coffee head to Freyung Passage, which is part of the Ferstel Palace. Built between 1856 and 1860, the building used to house the National Bank of Austria and later the Stock Exchange. Opt for the well-known Cafe Central or look for smaller beautiful places in the Passage.
The coffee-house culture is typical of Vienna and, of course, there is no better setting than the Thonet tables and chairs. Vassiliki suggests Bistrot & Epicerie Fine, with its renaissance-style glass ceiling.
8 PM
If it fits into your program, take a walk in the most lively and alternative neighborhood of Vienna, Burggasse. Ask for Burggasse 24, with a great second hand collection and a hidden garden cafe. Take your -late- drinks a little further at Erich Bar, the perfect place to finish your day and relax.
10 AM
Even if you are about to leave Vienna, take the chance to enjoy a short last walk around the city center. Take your breakfast in the classic confiserie Demel, where you’ll get impressed by the fine confectionery art. If there is no place inside, take your coffee or snack way and walk across the impressive Hofburg Palace, the former principal imperial palace.
*Direct flights from Athens to Vienna are operated by Aegean and Austrian Airways. If you book your tickets in advance, it will cost you 150 euro/person without luggage.
Christmas markets
From late November, numerous Christmas markets spring up all over the city. Dive into to world of handcrafts, hot rum punch and hot wine with spices. The most popular markets are located in Maria-Theresien Platz, close to the Natural History Museum, and in Stephansplatz, next to the Cathedral, which, due to its location, gets sometimes super crowded.
Maria-Theresien Platz: Sun-Th: 11.00-21.30, Fr-Sat: 11.00-22.00, 24/12: 11.00- 16.00, 25/12 & 26/12: 11.00-19.30, 27/12 to 1/1/2016: 11.00-19.30, 31/12: 11.00-02.00 (New Year’s Eve)
Stephansplatz: daily: 11.00-21.00, 24/12: 11.00-16.00, 25/12 & 26/12: 11.00-19.00
