Travelling around Austria with a Local: #029 Vienna in 24 hours

A few glimpses of Vienna. Polaroids by @theodora.austria

Vienna within 24 hours - is that even possible?

Hi, Servus - and welcome to my blog Travelling Around Austria with a Local!

I'm Theodora from Austria. Together with friends from abroad, I'm exploring my home country - and I talk about its beauty and its curiosities. The twenty-ninth episode answers the question if getting a grasp of Vienna is possible within just 24 hours. Spoiler alert: I think it is - but staying longer is worthwhile - find out why!

Morning

This owl loves Schönbrunn castle - and so do I! Picture by @theodora.austria, taken at Wiener Fotomarathon

08:00 Breakfast in a nice coffee house (for example Café Z near Schönbrunn castle)
09:00 Take busline 10A to Schönbrunn castle
09:30 Tour of Schönbrunn castle
10:45 Catch the underground (line U4) to Schwedenplatz
11:30 Take the Vienna Ring Tram with its audioguide that tells you all about the sights you'll pass by
12:00 Traditional Austrian lunch at Griechenbeisl

Afternoon

01:00 Go time travelling at Time Travel Vienna (make sure to buy the tickets online in advance, as you'll save a lot of money that way!)
02:15 Walk to St. Stephen's Cathedral
02:30 Take the lift / elevator up St. Stephen's Cathedral's tower to see the Pummerin bell
03:10 Walk to what might well pass as the best ice-cream parlour in Vienna: Eisgreissler
03:15 Ice-cream at Eisgreissler on Rotenturmstraße
03:45 Walk to Schwedenplatz
04:00 Take the U-Bahn (subway) to Praterstern
04:30 Have a sausage at Bitzinger's sausage stand at the entrance to the Prater (my recommendation: Bosna. It's like a hot dog - only better.
05:00 Take a ride on the Giant Ferris Wheel. Again: pre-order them online to avoid standing in line
06:00 Have a nice evening at the amusement park (but avoid the rip-offs!)

Night

09:00 Let the pub crawl begin!
My recommendations:

• Iceberg - the most awesome party but keep in mind it only takes places every last friday of the month! Its motto is "waste your youth" - and it's nowhere wasted better than there, trust me on this one! Location: Arena (Underground line: U3 // nightline N75 - be sure to check as this information can change!)
• Flex- probably one of the best-known clubs in all of Europe, with a lot of different music on. Also serves as a concert venue - I once saw Pete Doherty there. Probably number one on your bucket list of clubs.
• Chelsea : Located right underneath the underground line U6, this music pub is THE place for people who love rock and alternative music. Also a great place for live music.
• U4 the mother of all clubs in Vienna - a definite must-see.
• Grelle Forelle - a place for people who love electronic music.

Why you should stay longer than one day

Vienna is home to the weirdest museums...

... and you might wanna see them! Here's a short - and by no means extensive - list:

• Torture museum
• Contraception and abortion museum
• Esperanto museum
• Globe museum
• Museum of Illusions
• Chocolate museum
• Schnapps museum
• Chimneysweep museum

This list could go on and on but I suppose you get the picture. Plus:

• You haven't even been to Schönbrunn zoo (the oldest zoo in Europe) and the
• house of the sea (Haus des Meeres - yes, there are sharks in Vienna's city centre!) yet.
  
  This is Sol. She lives in Schönbrunn zoo and is about the coolest orang-utan in the world. Picture by @theodora.austria

You haven't gone on one of the many pretty cool tours yet:

• Sophort instant photography tour
• The Third Man tour
• the Shades Tours or Supertramps tour, where your guide is a homeless Viennese person who will give you an insight in life on the Viennese streets

You haven't been to a proper Heuriger yet (a typical wine tavern, that sells inexpensive regional food and wine - but beware: Several of them are rip-offs and it's usually worthwhile to try one of the Heurigen that are not located in but near Vienna).

You haven't seen the many wonderful places outside Vienna yet.

Seeing most of Vienna within a day?
Yeah, you can do that. But you have no idea what you're missing out on if you don't stay a little longer. So take your time and explore the city if you can. If you can't, have fun with my itinerary!

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Do you have any questions? Feel free to ask in the comments below!