A Weekend in Austria

January 25, 2024- January 28, 2024

I took my very first solo trip outside of Italy to Vienna, Austria, and it could not have been a better experience! I have always wanted to visit Austria not only for its beautiful architecture but it’s amazing music and museums that I completely took advantage of!

For starters, I should mention, I had a morning class before my flight… and if that doesn’t embody the life of being a student abroad then I don’t know what does. I landed in the evening in Vienna, and I arrived at my hostel which I couldn’t recommend to travelers more! I stayed in Wombat hostel right near the city center of Vienna, and it was a perfect walking distance from all the attractions. They offer a variety of different rooms for very good prices. They have a lovely, large, and comfortable common area on the ground floor where their Cafe is located you can get delicious breakfast and coffee for discounted prices! They also have activities for travelers posted around the hostel where I found my activity for the evening!

I scanned a QR code in the hostel that brought me to a link with the longest list of affordable activities for budget travelers. I even found an evening walking tour for free! I immediately signed up and that is how I spent my evening. I love doing activities last minute like this when I don’t have any other plans because I find myself meeting more people and getting more recommendations for my travels. Some people on the tour recommended a delicious restaurant just 10 minutes from the city center that offered delicious goulash and bread rolls. And, of course, since having no plan is the best one, I found myself stumbling upon a jazz bar, got a last minute ticket, and spent the night listening away to an amazing jazz band at Porgy and Bess jazz music lounge!

My first full day in Vienna was the one I made plans for that I loved! I walked through the Upper and Lower Belvedere Palace and Museums, saw some very famous paintings, and walked through the Privy Gardens that I had all to myself since I went the Museum so early in the morning. Right across the street from the Palace is Art Corner restaurant that served Schnitzel and tea and had the sweetest customer service ever! This entire excursion brought me up until after lunchtime and I began getting ready for a formal dinner and Mozart and Strauss concert in the Schönbrunn Palace. This was a package deal that I found on Get Your Guide that is a really useful app if you’re looking for a kind of activity anywhere you are visiting. If you are keeping an eye on it consistently you can find discounts every once in a while, and that’s exactly what I did I bought a ticket for about $70 that provided a 3-course-dinner meal at a beautiful restaurant across from the palace, and it included an entrance ticket to a full orchestra concert showcasing some of Mozart’s and Strauss’ best works in a Palace! It was an amazing experience, and a concert is definitely something you should attend in Vienna.

During my last full day in Vienna I spent it doing what I do best… not having any plans and walking around until I find something that catches my eye! On this day, I visited the Giant Ferris Wheel in Prater and walked around the amusement park taking in all of the excitement. I walked around the very famous Innere Stadt square and got a würstel to eat while sitting next to St. Stephen’s Cathedral that is simply magnificent. I went souvenir shopping, walked into open churches, and eventually found my way to the Albertina Museum and Albertina Modern Museum. These museums are a 10 minute distance away from each other and they are much smaller than the Belvedere Palace museums, so it is the perfect filler in your day if you have a few hours to spare. Finally, there are some small markets that are placed just outside the city center near the Wombat hostel that I visited before calling it a night. At these markets they have food, gifts, decorations, art, clothes, and so much more!

My time in Vienna was simply lovely. It was very simple and slow days filled with exiting new adventures. I felt like the 2 and a half days that I was able to spend in Vienna was just enough to be able to see the city and all of it’s beauty if you take the time to allow yourself to get lost in it’s beautiful streets. There was still so much more to see, however, but I hope if you ever go you are able to experience more than just scratching the surface because I believe Vienna also holds so much of it’s beauty in it’s live music and nighttime scenes.

If you want to see more about my trip to Vienna, Austria you can check out my YouTube video!