Collection of Tips for a City Trip to Vienna, Austria • Leonieke .:. Vitaulium

updated: 2024-12-19

Back in 1990 I visited Vienna for the first time together with my parents and my sister. I have scattered memories: of the very warm weather (it felt like 40°C in the shade), the trams (so unlike the ones at home in The Hague), the tram annoucement of Zieglergasse in the sing-songy viennese accent, and of the large buldings and palaces. I also remember teasing my mother relentlessly, joined by my sister, whenever we saw anything remotely part of the Jugendstil movement by exclaiming loudly “O mom, look, it’s Juuuuugendstil!”

Somehow the city did leave an indelible impression because when I decided to go on vacation by myself in 2012 (flying solo for the first time), I immediately decided to travel to Vienna by train.

That vacation started something, because I fell in love with this incongruous city. I have plans to travel to Vienna later this year, which will make it my seventh visit to the city.

Tips

(in no particular order)

Buildings
- Karl-Marx-Hof : overwhelmingly large building, see this video Karl-Marx-Hof: The Longest Building In The World?
- Spanische Hofreitschule : it feels slightly awkward to see how strictly the riders are keeping their Lipizzaner horses under control, but impressive nonetheless.
- Österreichische Nationalbibliothek : too much gold, too much baroque, but what an impressive collection, often with a suprising exhibit.
- Großes Palmenhaus Schönbrunn : forget the palace or the zoo, visit the Palmenhaus!
- Wotrubakirche : (not yet visited)
- Secession : “Der Zeit ihre Kunst, der Kunst ihre Freiheit” : home of an an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau/Jugendstil.
- (by) Otto Wagner, an architect for ‘modern’ Vienna
  - Postsparkasse
  - U4 Stadtbahn : in particular the Karlsplatz and Hietzing station buildings
  - Kirche am Steinhof, see below for details
  - Majolikahaus / Linke Wienzeile 38
  - Otto-Wagner-Villa, see below for details
- (by) Friedensreich Hundertwasser, another influential architect
  - Hundertwasserhaus, but do not trip over the busloads of tourists, instead visit
    - the Müllverbrennungsanlage Spittelau, Vienna waste incinerator also designed by him
Parks
- Sternwartepark : (not yet visited)
- Türkenschanzpark : (not yet visited)
- Setagayapark, Japanese-style garden
- Floridsdorfer Wasserpark
- Blumengärten Hirschstetten
- Donaupark
- Augarten, includes two Flakturms
Museums
- MAK, Museum für angewandte Kunst, including its collection at
  - Geymüllerschlössel : (not yet visited)
- Wien Museum, closed for a few years for a very large renovation, but check out its other locations
  - Wien Museum MUSA
  - Hermesvilla : (not yet visited)
  - Kirche am Steinhof : beautiful building, quite a trek and a climb to get to the church, but worth it.
- Hofmobiliendepot : (not yet visited)
- MuseumsQuartier, collection of museums, each with their own collection/exhibitions
- Schloss Belvedere, Klimt collection
- Ernst Fuchs-Museum (Otto-Wagner-Villa) : (not yet visited)

Sources

Maps

Google Maps: Vienna, (2023-08-17 no longer updated) contains museums, interesting buildings, parks, and plenty of restaurants
OpenStreetMap gpx file: Vienna OSM (d.d. 2023-08-17)

Podcasts

Websites

Die Früstückerinnen: “Die Frühstückerinnen testen seit 2010 Frühstückslokale in Wien & Umgebung.”
Spotted by locals
Vienna Tourist Board
Hidden Vienna Tours

My prevous Vienna posts

2018

Preperation: once again … Vienna!
Travel log: Vienna 2018: Big Plans! (found travel notes in an old notebook)
Photo album: Photos Vienna 2018

2019

Tired after months of stressful work, I travelled to Vienna on a Wednesday, went on a Spy Tour on Friday and I woke up with a very bad cold and flu-like symptons on Saturday.

Preperation: NULL
Travel log: Vienna 2019: a bad bad cold (found travel notes in an old notebook)
Photo album: Vienna 2019

2023

Preperation: some of this post
Travel log: Trip to Vienna, September 7-12, 2023 (Horrible DB train travel, lovely city)