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36 Hours in Vienna
Vienna's beauty is so hypnotizing that it is difficult to imagine leaving after such a short time. But the city's small size, efficient transportation system, and compact nature mean that, should it be necessary, much of the city's haunting character can be viewed on a thirty-six hour trip.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON
Upon your arrival in Vienna, take the time to wander the Innere Stadt, Vienna's historical center. If you're hungry, grab a sausage from one of Vienna's many Wurstelstands. Unlike the thin, tasteless hot dogs of most cities, Vienna's Wurstels taste more like meat than plastic. The Kasekaner, in which cheese is literally injected into the sausage before it is sliced, is most highly recommended. Take a walk around the Ringstrasse, the road that girdles the central area, for an elegant promenade past the opera house, Stadtpark, Imperial palaces, and more, or turn into the winding streets for a more intimate view. Make sure to stop at Stephansplatz, Vienna's gorgeous Gothic cathedral.
DINNER : Highly recommended is Zum Roten Elephant (”At the Home of the Red Elephant”) for creative takes on classic Viennese cuisine.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Catch an opera at the Staatsoper on the Ringstrasse. Tickets can be ordered in advance online, with blocked-view and student tickets as low as ten euro, but no matter what row you're sitting in, take care to dress up: this quintessentially elegant affair means that your clothes shouldn't look out of place in the building's nineteenth-century opulence.
SATURDAY MORNING
Museumsquartier - Photo by flickr's Gastev
Head through the Imperial area of the Hofburg. While it's well worth going inside, today we're saving time, so continue on to the Museumsquartier, one of Vienna's trendiest districts. There, see a fantastic Schiele and Klimt collection at the Leopold-Statler and some equally thrilling modern art at MUMOK.
SATURDAY LUNCH
Photo by flickr's magnusfranklin
For lunch, head towards Karslplatz to the Naschmarkt, an array of open-air food stalls and outdoor restaurants with a distinctively Turkish influence. Choose one of many restaurants in the fresh Viennese air and enjoy exotic foods at bargain prices.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
Take the U4 Metro (Rossaeur direction) to Schonbrunn for an excursion to this beautiful remnant of Habsburg splendor. Visit both the elegant antechambers and intimate bedrooms of Emperor Franz-Josef and the notorious Empress Sissi. The audio tours are informative and lively, and well worth purchasing. If you have children, consider taking them to the adjacent Tiergarten (Zoo), the world's oldest.
SATURDAY NIGHT
Rathaus - Photo by flickr's charley1965
If you're there in summer (or around Christmastime) visit the Rathaus. In the summer, there's a food court for a lovely picnic dinner and projection screen showing everything from opera to old films, while winter hosts a lively Christmas market. If neither of these options is available to you, consider heading to the trendy Mariahilf or Neubau districts for a walk and night on the time – Schnitzelwirt Schmit on Neubaugasse has a reputation for excellent traditional Viennese fare.
SUNDAY MORNING
Karlsplatz - Photo by flickr's roryrory
Take the metro to Karlsplatz and visit the golden-domed Secessionist building near the Naschtmarkt, a museum of the classic nineteenth-century Jungendstil art movement (roughly analogous to the “art nouveau” movement elsewhere) Then head up Getreidemarktgasse to Gumpendorferstrasse, one of the city's loveliest streets, to Cafe Phil. This retro-chic record store-cum-bar-cum-cafe-cum-bookstore-etc. has free wifi, a sleek white decor, hip clientele, and best of all, a selection of delicious all-day breakfast platters (everything from fruit and yogurt to meat and cheese to all of the above) for super-low prices. Have brunch there and observe the thriving Viennese social scene.
By Tara Isabella Burton
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