Hello takealookers!
When most people think of Vienna they would think of the grandiose Schönbrunn palace, breathtaking Stephansdom, and amazing Oper. However, besides these famous sights Vienna has it's less popular, but equally beautiful spots. When I used to live in Vienna I loved to revisit some of these places over and over again as they always charmed me with its beauty and filled my heart with joy. So let's set on this virtual tour of Vienna's less popular sights.
First on my list is definitely Belvedere palace that is for me even nicer than the famous Schönbrunn. Belvedere palace was built as the summer residence of prince Eugene of Savoy. Today, Belvedere is an art museum that hosts art of Monet, Schiele, Kokoska, but it's most famous for it's collection of Klimt's work. Probably, the most memorable of all the paintings there is Klimt's masterpiece the Kiss. When in Vienna, it's definitely worthwhile paying a visit to the Belvedere museum for the the hit of art and to enjoy the lavish decoration of the palace. Additionally, a must see is the Belvedere garden where you can enjoy a lovely walk, you can admire the beauty of the palace and enjoy the elegant fountain while pleasantly seated on a bench. Belvedere is easily reachable by tram line D from Karlsplatz.
Now, moving on to a less royal location, next on my list is Grinzing. Grinzing used to be an independent municipally until 1892, however today it's part of Vienna's 19th district. Grinzing is a place from a fairytale with it's cozy, magical little houses and narrow streets. It's also well known for the famous wine houses or heuriger. I definitely recommend you taking the tram line 37 from Schottentor to Grinzing for what feels like time travel. Do grab a lovely glass of the famous Gruner Veltliner and, of course a Wiener Schnitzel, followed by a nice rich slice topfenstrudel with vanilla sauce in one of Grinzing's heuriger. This really makes for a perfect Saturday if you ask me.
Continuing our little journey we arrive to Stadtpark. While I was a student in Vienna I used to enjoy taking a little walk in Stadtpark every now and again, a must do at the time was bringing a blanket and spending the day sunbathing while reading a book. Honestly, it doesn't get more Viennese than that, well if you throw in a causal glass of spritzer or a melange in cafe Prückel, that's just around the corner, will you up your Viennese game. Stadtpark is a home to the monuments to several of Vienna's stars such a Mozart and Schubert, and less glamorous, but equally exciting Viennese ducks :) Yes, sounds insane, but observing the Viennese ducks in their natural habitat i.e. the pond in the midst of Stadtpark is quite a relaxing thing to do. So don't hesitate grab the U4 to the beautiful Stadtpark.
When I first moved to Vienna I lived in the area very close to Karlsplatz and Karlskirche, so to this day it keeps a special place in my heart. The little platz during summer hosts fun events such as the Popfest, movie screenings and the inevitable Christkindlmarkt during winter. Make sure to check out if there're any events taking place when you're visiting, if not I do recommend you dropping by here to admire the beautiful architecture of Karlskirche or just to enjoy a nice glass of radler beer and street musicians that seem to have a steady gig here during summer. I promise it's a magical atmosphere. Also Karlsplatz is impossible to miss out on as it's in the heart of the city and easily reachable with the U1.
And finally, Vienna's best kept secret is the visit to Kahlenberg a hill that's 484m high and located in Wienerwald. Kahlenberg offers the most amazing panoramic view of the city and the Danube river that's famously so beautifully represented in Strauss's waltz An der schönen blauen Donau. You can reach Kahlenberg on bus line 38A, but if you wanna do it like a local then you must hike here. If you didn't know, Vienna is famous for it's hiking trails or Stadtwanderwege and the number 1 Stadtwanderweg is of course Kahalenberg. The trail is around 11km long and it takes around 4 hours to reach the peak which is totally worth it. Also, what makes the walk a whole lot easier is a bunch of heuriger on your way there and back. So you can get pleasantly refreshed with a glass of wine, or two, or three, but hey, no one's judging, we're all friends here, important is to make it to the top.
And that, my takealookers, concludes our journey of Vienna's less famous sights, but definitely equally beautiful.
Until next week takealookers when we move on to a different country.
No comments