I have had a few trips to Vienna lately so I thought I would write some
of the things I did in this beautiful city just in case anyone is planning on visiting…

If you (like me) are a fan of the film Before Sunrise you could do this tour which you can download on to your i phone. I didn’t have time to do all of this but I did go to Cafe Sperl. On the same street are a couple of interesting shops that are worth a look; Saint Charles Cosmothecary (sells lots of lovely luxury beauty products like Korres and Sapofactur), Anukoo (specialises in fair fashion) and if you carry on further down Gumpendorfer Straße and take a left at Hofmühlgasse you come to Polyklamott (a great second hand clothes shop)

Before Sunrise

If you want to track down more second hand, Bric-à-brac and vintage shops then it is worth heading south to Schleifmühlgasse and furniture store Bananas and high end vintage store Flo Vintage. There are lots more Bric-à-brac and vintage shops in this area as well as a sweet little cookbook shop called Babettes which has a little cafe at the back which sells herbs and spices.

If by this time you are desperate for some Viennese coffee (Melange) and cake (SacherTorte, Gebackene, Apple strudel…) then Cafe Museum, Cafe Sacher, Demel and Kliens Cafe are all good places to stop off (Cafe Sacher and Demel are in competition over the famous Sacher Torte.. so its a good excuse to try both!)

Polyklamott and Bananas

Cafe Sperl and the kitchens at Demel

There are so many galleries and museums in Vienna… The Albertina has a wonderful collection of prints and drawings as well an interesting temporary exhibitions programme. The Wien Museum documents the history of Vienna and has a large collection of art, textiles and sculpture. If you can, head over to the MuseumsQuartier where contemporary gallery MUMOK is located – the gallery has an exciting programme of contemporary exhibitions (a Claus Oldenburg show is just about to open) This is also the site of the Leopold Museum (which holds a large collection of works by Klimt and Schiele) and Kunsthalle (the home of Contemporary Austrian art). There are also a couple of bars and is a great place to hang out in the Summer. If you are in this area you could pop round the corner to Die Sellerie (a lovely little gift shop located on Burggasse)

Museum Quarter

If you have time take a tram around the Ringstrasse. Jump on numbers 1 or 2 – they both run the length of the impressive boulevard (buy a 24hr ticket from stations and punch it before you use it)

For dinner you could try Figlmuler which serves Vienna’s famous schnitzel (the size of your plate!) along with potato salad and a glass of Riesling for under 20 euro. The Naschmarkt (Vienna’s most famous food market) is also a great place to go for an evening meal.  I went to Neni which sells delicious Lebanese and Middle Eastern food at reasonable prices in a relaxed atmosphere. If you want something a bit more swanky head over to haus haus and up to the third floor restaurant Do & Co for magnificent views of Stephansdom.

Marie Antoinette Square

Let me know if you have been to Vienna and can recommend any other places to visit. It really is a beautiful city and I hope I can go back again soon!