Amazing Vienna

I was so excited to see Vienna last weekend and our trip did not disappoint. Vienna is a spectacular city rich with almost 2500 years of history. We were blown away by it's beauty and by the sheer number of castles and immaculate architecture. With so many sights and so little time, regrettably we were unable to get through everything we wanted. But what we did see, was magnificent.

Schonbrunn Castle was the first castle we paid a visit to. This castle dates back to the 14th century and was used by the Habsburgs, the ruling dynasty of Vienna for almost 700 years, primarily for hunting and summer entertainment.  While we were somewhat unenthused by our expensive interior tour,  we were very impressed by the gardens which can be wandered for free.

A giant golden ball at the Hofburg Palace 

After the Schonbrunn Castle, we ventured deeper into Vienna and walked the grounds of the Hofburg Palace, also built by the Habsburg Dynasty. This enormous masterpiece sits in the heart of the Old City. Sadly the only room we toured was the Butterfly House. This is something we will definitely come back and explore more of.

Nat Geo style at the butterfly house 

Across the street from the Hofburg Palace is Museum Square. Since time was an issue, we chose to just tour the Kunsthistorisches Museum. It is such a cool museum. The Habsburgs must have robbed Egypt because they have a massive ancient Egyptian collection. Other collections include Greek/Roman/Estruscan History, Coins, old school Art and Jewels. The museums collection is so extensive, an entire day could easily be devoted there.

At night we went to the Naschmarkt for a leisurely dinner with excellent people watching. This area is an outdoor market with pop-up style restaurants and bars. Naschmarkt offers a fun atmosphere with really good, well priced international food. We selected a Mediterranean restaurant since Austria is mainly known for their pastries.

Our crazy beautiful hotel 

Post dinner, we headed back to the magnificent Imperial Hotel for a drink in the bar. We were fortunate enough to stay in this hotel that was built by Prince of Wurttemberg. The Prince never actually moved in and still remains in its original condition today.

On our last day in Vienna we stopped at the Belvedere Museum. The museum is in the former summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy and has breathtaking vistas of the city. It houses the largest and most significant Gustav Klimt collection in the world including his most famous painting, "The Kiss." It was so amazing to see in person especially since I had the poster throughout college. It is so awesome!

The Russian Monument near the Belvedere Museum 

Finally, we toured the Secession before the seven hour drive home. The Secession is where Klimt's Beethoven Frieze is (the murals are here, here and here). Klimt created the mural for the "Association of Visual Artist- Vienna Secession" which took place in 1902. The mural spanned three large walls and was definitely worth the trip to the Secession. However, the other art at the museum can be missed.

Vienna is a spectacular city and should be included on Euro trip itineraries. It is definitely our favorite stop so far and we hope to make it back there before our time abroad is complete.

See all our Vienna pictures here and look for my "sweet" Vienna post later this week.