Vienna is one of the most interesting cities in Europe and one of my most personal favorite. It's beautiful Imperial palaces that decorate the city, the home of many historical artists, its cozy and elegant cafe's, and its present day vibe that seems to take you back in time. These are a few of the many things take make this city so unique. Here are my favorite things that convinced me that indeed Vienna is one-of-a-kind.
1. St. Stephen's Cathedral
You can start your tour around the city with one, if not the most, iconic building. The cathedral took 200 years to build its Romanesque and Gothic beauty. From the outside the most breathtaking piece of it its the roof itself which is filled with a large mosaic of the double-headed eagle that is symbolic of the empire ruled from Vienna by the Habsburg dynasty. Inside the cathedral you can visit the catacombs that have the remains of over 11,000 people. Entering the cathedral you walk on the left side and go straight, you will see a door that leads to the roof then you keep walking until you see stairs heading down (they open the catacombs every hour so you have to see when is the next opening, I asked at the ticket desk for the roof for more information about this).
2. Mozart Apartment
Mozart was a top celebrity in his time so it was obvious to say that he lived as (and pretty much was) a high roller. The last apartment he lived is right behind the cathedral and is now a museum with a guided audio. Each room explains a chapter in his life with images and items, while also explaining what each room might have been. What's strange is that to this date, it is still not clear what each room was, they are all assumptions. Very interesting to see this and to try to picture Mozart living here with his family. After the visit you can grab a bite at a Wiener stand called Wiener Würst, before heading to your next stop.
3. Cafe Mozart
After visiting Mozart's place you can go to Cafe Mozart before entering Albertina Museum which is just crossing the street. Here you can try the famous Apfelstrudel and a cappuccino. Vienna is very well-known for it's delicious patisseries so here is the best place for all you people with a sweet-tooth.
4. Albertina
If you have a love for the arts this is a great museum to pay a visit. The permanent exhibition has many works of French impressionism and fauvism works called Monet to Picasso. They have also many temporary exhibitions in their beautiful palace staterooms
5. Globe Museum and Esperanto
This a very small museum but worth the visit. On the first floor there is a small exhibition of Esperanto. Esperanto was a language invented to try to solve the global communication problem. The language launched in 1887 and was a living language for a century. Esperanto didn't attain its goal due not to linguistic reasons but mainly historical, political, and cultural factors. Today, there is still an international Esperanto-speaking community that utilizes Esperanto's for inter-cultural contacts. The Globe Museum shows the start of map designing to globes. Globes were handmade and very expensive, here you can explore the rooms and see how globes have evolved.
6. Karlskirche (St. Charles Church)
This beautiful church is a mix of ancient Greek and Roman elements with Byzantine, Renaissance, and Baroque styles. This church was build as a vow to dedicate to the victims of the plague in the 16th century. Besides its strong symbolic representation, it is a beautiful place to chill after a long day and watch the colors change of the sunset being reflected in the fountain in front of the church.
7. Karlplatz Metro Station
Close to St. Charles Church is Karlplatz Metro Station. The outside of what used to be a metro station was designed by Otto Wagner and now has a permanent collection of his life here. "Wagner's design was revolutionary. The many decorative details make the station into a prime example of Viennese art nouveau. Metal and wood were painted apple-green, the signal colour of the Stadtbahn. Gold, and finest white marble were added on the exterior." (Wein Museum). There is a café here where I also enjoyed yet another viennese patisserie.
8. Belvedere Palace
The Blevedere Palace consists of two baroque palaces and in-between them a beautiful large garden/park with large beautiful fountains. This area is open for the public during the day and the two palaces have a large collection of art. The Belvedere has the largest collection of Austrian artists, one of those is Gustav Klimt. I highly recommend visiting their permanent collection where you can see the famous works of Klimt like "The Kiss".
9. Hundertwasser House
Hundertwasser is a famous Austrian architecture that build the bizarre building between 1983 and 1986. The flowing lines and organic forms house 52 apartments and four offices, with plenty of room for living plants and trees. This building is worth seeing, even though you can't go inside, its great to go, stand in front of the building, and feel your eyes move around the colorful facade. I also had a coffee in a small café in the building called Art Café, they have a documentary on loop about the Hunderstwasser that you can watch while sipping on your warm beverage.
10. Museum of Art Fakes
A few meters from the Hundertwasser House you can visit the small Museum of Art Fakes. You will be surprised but what you learn in this museum, not just by looking at the fake replicas, but about the whole art industry. To this date you might walk into a museum and think you are looking straight at a Picasso, when in fact, it's just a replica sold for millions. Art detectives say that around 60 percent of the art on the market is fake. Observers think to know that 90 percent of all Dalí pieces are not from the master himself.
11. Sunset at the Canal
You can take the metro to Schwedenplatz or walk to the canal and enjoy the sunset. There are many people that sit along the canal or take a walk on the boardwalk and bridges. There are also many restaurants and cafe's
Transportation: The center itself is very walkable. I did however buy a 48 hour pass that allows me to use all the public transportation in Vienna for a 48 hour period. You can ask for the best option depending on your timeframe in the city at any ticket office at the metro stations.