Inner Stadt

After Vienna State Opera, we strolled around in different plats of Vienna. One thing one must know while visiting any city in Europe is ‘Walking is crucial’. If you are not a person who loves to walk, be ready to be cranky during a Europe trip. Most of the European cities have an area which will have all the beautiful architectural wonders with walking distance in the old town or the Inner stadt (inner city) of the city. So, each ‘Platz’ will have statues of their most important historic kings/ queens/ statesmen/rulers who mattered to the people or changed the course of the country.

While we reached our first spot  ‘Maria Theresien Platz’, we had to click the picture of these musicians wearing animal masks. I mean, spotting street musicians in Europe is not difficult, but in a costume, totally feeling comfortable in the surroundings and playing their craft needed a picture. I mean there sat Maria Theresa, 17th century only female ruler of her house, a fierce, practical 40-year ruler of Austria and in complete contrast were these 20th-century musicians. This picture was weird at so many levels. This Platz is surrounded by museums on both sides, which we refused to enter. Personally, we are not museums kind of people during our first visit to any country. Though, we visit many churches as they are usually quick to look at, just practical reasons.
There is a straight road from this Platz heading towards our next stop via Helden Platz. 

Michaelerplatz and The Hofburg Palace

The walk through Heldenplatz towards Hofburg palace was around 10-15 minutes. One important point about Vienna is the presence of horse carriages. They are present everywhere in the old parts of the city. These horse carriage rides are a definite attraction for tourists. These carriages are in great condition and are present in really good numbers around Michaelerplatz.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral

St. Stephen’s Cathedral is most recognizable for its multicoloured roofs and is witness to many important events of Austrian history. It is a roman catholic church which has stood tall since the 12th century. Surrounding the cathedral are restaurants, shops and market places. This place is filled with tourist at all given times. The cathedral south tower stands 136 meters tall and is visible from any rooftop of Vienna. It really appears like an extremely dominant structure impossible to miss from anywhere around the cathedral.

Belvedere Palace Gardens

Have you ever visited a place only because they look beautiful and are picturesque? While looking for places to visit in Vienna, we came across reviews of the palace gardens. Everyone claimed that these gardens are free and worth a visit for pictures. We did exactly that. I have posted only one of the many pictures that we took in these premises.

Schönbrunn Palace

I will highly recommend visiting Vienna Schönbrunn Palace. In fact, who am I to recommend, you will find this as the recommendation in even your casual search about Vienna. We took the tour of Schönbrunn Palace and I will also recommend that.  Keep yourself half a day for this activity. Premises are enormous and during a hot summer day, it takes special motivation to roam around. The actual gate is very far from the actual palace. It even takes 15minutes to walk from the nearest station to the gate of the palace. You can book the tickets for the tour online. You will get devices with pre-recorded tour material while moving around the rooms. It is astonishing to hear about the Queen, King and the story of their life. I especially loved the story of the queen who was clearly ahead of her times and also well trained to rule the kingdom efficiently.

We enjoyed our stay at Wombat’s Hostel in Vienna, the place was well connected yet away from the city’s hustle bustle. We took a train from Vienna Central Station towards Graz. If you ever get an opportunity to do this journey, please please please do so, the scenery is spectacular and less talked about. I was amazed and wondered why wasn’t this ever talked about? Anyway, Graz trip was a family get together, yet discovered some gems to visit in this third largest city of Austria. Come back to read about it! Happy travelling!!