Favorite Three - Vienna, Austria
It’s hard for me to write a post about sightseeing in a different country, because a lot of my travels involve eating and sometimes I think I should just be a food blogger. Nevertheless, I am going to give this post my best shot (this is also a very long overdue post). First and foremost, Vienna is one of the most beautiful places I have visited (and I’ve been to over 33 countries at this point, so that says a lot). I think one of the best adjectives to describe it is: charming. The architectural design, the people, the food, the sights… all breathtaking. It’s an easy city to navigate, which is a huge plus when traveling abroad to countries where you don’t speak the language. Anyways, here are 3 things (plus a bonus one!) I recommend to not miss when visiting Vienna, Austria.
1. The Spanish Riding School
Found on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity list, The Spanish Riding School in Austria is iconic to the country and truly breathtaking experience. It is almost like a ballet performed by beautiful white stallions. To give a little brief summary, the Spanish Riding School is home to the famous white Lipizzaner stallions, and is the only institution in the world that has practiced haute ecole (classic equestrian skills) for more than 450 years. If you want to check out the Spanish Horses, there are a few options including morning practice, guided tours, and actual performances. For more information on tickets to see the Spanish Horses, click here.
2. Schonbrunn Palace
The Schonbrunn ("beautiful spring") Palace looks like something straight out of a movie scene, and is located slightly outside the center of Vienna, but easy to get to using public transportation from the Old Quarter. The summer palace has 1,441 rooms and contains all of the original furnishings and decorations demonstrating the lavish lifestyle of the Habsburg dynasty. The grounds include a park and gardens ( you can easily get lost in them) where you’ll see many locals running and strolling around with their kids. This is a Cultural World Heritage Site (Vienna clearly has a lot of important sights and traditions) and one of the most frequently visited tourist attractions in Vienna. For information on tours check out this link.
3. St. Stephens Cathedral
St. Stephens Cathedral from the outside alone is spectacular, but you can also go up to the top and get some amazing views of Vienna. It encompasses beautiful Gothic architecture and also has catacombs that you can visit. I know you think that once you’ve seen one cathedral in Europe you’ve seen them all, but this one is not to miss. Fun fact about this church is that it is the second-biggest free-swinging chimed church bell in Europe.
BONUS (Food!): Neni Am in Nachmarkt:
This restaurant has a 3-tiered hummus that is TO DIE FOR. Between Israel and Greece, it’s hard to come by hummus that can even compare, but this 100% lived up to my standards. The 3 different hummus were Beetroot with horseradish, mango-curry & classic humus served with the fluffiest pita bread.