Vivid Vienna

- The capital of cafés

Vienna is one of my favorite European capitals. I have been to Vienna about 30 times and still want to go back. There so much to see and do, beautiful palaces, luxury cafés, great shopping, museums, opera & restaurants. It is not so easy to pick the top things to do as there is so much to choose from but here are some of my favourites.

Top 10 things to do in Vienna
Visit Hofburg Royal Palace, the former imperial residence in Vienna. It was the royal residence for over 600 years. It consists of 22 muesums today, 240,000 m², 18 wings, 19 courtyards and 2,600 rooms. It is a beautiful palace.

The St. Peter's Church (Peterskirche) is a baroque church from 1701. It was inspired by the St. Peter's Basilica of the Vatican in Rome. It is in the very city centre of Vienna.
When you finsished your visit to the St. Peter's Church you should go to the beautiful cathedral Stephansdom. If you need some exercise, skip the gym and take the 343 steps to the tower of the Stephansdome.

Now it is time to spend a few hours in the main shopping district situated around the Stephansdom.

If you want to have a quick lunch try Sushi. There are nice Sushi restuarants everywhere.

If you prefer a luxury relaxed lunch in a garden. Have a lunch in the garden of Steirereck im Stadtpark (in the city park). It is a Relais & Chateaux Restaurant . The “Steirereck” in Vienna is located in the heart of the central "city park", close to the famous Johann Strauss statue.
If you´re a foodie who loves cheese. Don´t miss the milk bar in the basement with 120 cheeses from 13 countries.

After lunch it is time for some culture. Bank Austria Kunstforum has marvellous exhibitions. I always try to stop by here when in Vienna.

The capital of cafés? I have read that no other city in the world can rival Vienna in terms of the number of historically significant coffee houses.
You should try atleast one of them. I like the Sacher café, Café Landtmann, Café Imperial, Café Mozart and Café Ministerium.

When tired of walking, go with the Tram (public transport) for a sightseeing tour in Vienna. The Vienna Ring-Tram, has a yellow Tram which takes visitors on a tour of the most beautiful parts of the city.

In the summer, you should go for a swim at Schönbrunn, another former royal palace. The beautiful Schönbrunn palace in Vienna is built in Rococo style in a magnificent park. It has a hotel, the world´s oldest zoo and a public pool.

I just love opera so an evening at the opera house is a must for me. It is a gorgeous building so visit it even if you don´t like opera.

A dinner is nice at the fine-dining DO & CO restaurant with a great view of the Stephansdome.

Stay at the Palace, Palais Coburg Residenz, also known as Palais Saxe-Coburg. A prince built this impressive palace which today is a beautiful hotel and restaurant.

Another nice hotel is the SAS Palais, address: Parkring 16. Not so fancy as the palace Coburg, but great location.