Vienna in one day? Possible!

Hi Steemians!

Whether you’re in Vienna just for a day due to a river cruise port of call, long flight layover, a day off on a business trip, or just limited vacation time and you’ve always wanted to go to Vienna, you can still explore this capital city of Austria and get a feel for its culture and history. Here are the top sites to see if you have only one day in Vienna.

If you arrived at Vienna airport, there are few ways to get to the city centre:

1. take CAT (fast train, which will take you to the city in 16 minutes. (https://www.cityairporttrain.com/en/home)
2. take a bus, going to Morzinplats in 20 minutes (https://www.viennaairport.com/en/passengers/arrival__parking/bus_connections)
3. Take a taxi (https://www.airport-flughafen-taxi-wien.at/en?gclid=CjwKCAjw-bLVBRBMEiwAmKSB8xF3hNYaIuJcOuRUuU_miDLQyrejBtI5_XIXMieQzL2n95p8sFs_0hoC0M4QAvD_BwE)

I personally prefer the CAT, as it is quite a luxury train, and going non-stop to Wien Mitte, and giving you access to the U-Bahn (metro), lines U3 and U4.

While taking a bus, it takes to Schweden Platz, from where you have to walk around 200 meters straight to the U1 U-Bahn and go in the direction of Oberlaa, only 1 stop, going out at Stephansplatz.

1. If there’s one historic church you should see while in Vienna, it should be St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
   The church (referred to as Stephansdom in Vienna) combines a Romanesque and Gothic architecture that blends together impressively with a prominent spire that juts up into the sky. Construction on St. Stephen’s was started in the 12th century (though it underwent extensive rebuilds after World War II) and since then has been a prominent landmark in central Vienna.

Hint: try to be there at the time, where the church holds a mass (http://cathedralofststephen.org.au/mass-times/)

1. Head through the Graben Str to Hofburg Palace.
   The Spanish Riding School is located in Hofburg Palace. Also referred to as the Imperial Palace, it has been the home of many members of Austrian royalty, like the Habsburgs, and is still lived in today by the President of Austria plus is the location of the offices for the ministers of the chancellor’s office and the secretaries of state. If you’re worried about time, you can quickly walk around the Hofburg Palace complex to see its array of different architecture, ranging from Neoclassical to Baroque. However, if you’re a big fan of Emperor Elisabeth or love old palace décor, you may want to make time to visit Hofburg Palace’s two onsite museums: the Sisi museum (Sisi was Empress Elisabeth’s nickname) and the Imperial rooms of the palace.

1. Keep walking straight until you reach the Kunzhistorisches and Naturhistorisches Museums.
   The building of both museums itself worth seeing. Although you will not have time to go inside, here are the timetables for both for admissions and fees

• Kunzhistorisches Museum

• Naturhistorisches Museum

1. Keep walking directly to Museum's Quartier (https://www.mqw.at/en/about/)

Each institution within the MQ has its own opening hours and sells its own tickets. However: The three main attractions (Leopold Museum, MUMOK, Kunsthalle) are included in the Vienna Pass.

Opened in 2001, the Museumsquartier is a pedestrianized complex of modern art museums, cultural venues, bars, shops and restaurants with regular events and exhibitions. Perhaps most famous for the huge Schiele collection in the Leopold Museum. Access to the complex is free, but you need to buy tickets for individual museums and most exhibitions.

1. Continue heading to Parlament and Rathaus.

Rathaus is the city hall of Vienna and is the seat of the mayor plus houses the city council. It was built in 1883 and is an example of Historicism architecture, which blends historic architect styles of the past with a new style that is all its own.

While visiting Rathaus, be sure to look for the Rathausmann, a knight sculpture atop the tower which stands guard over the city. The Rathaus Tower is accessible via 331 steps which take you up spiral staircases to a landing with great views of Vienna, but if you only have one day in Vienna you may want to skip making this trek.

Parlament is situated on the Oper Ring, as well as the Rathaus.

Austrian parliament building appeared in the second half of the 19th century as part of the urban renewal and expansion project that followed the demolition of the former city wall.

Given its representative function, it might come as a surprise to learn that the architect was not local, but Danish (Theophil von Hansen).

1. Next, on your way, you will see the Votivkirche, which is one of my favourite churches in Vienna, especially during the night. A neo-Gothic church built to thank God for saving the Emperor of Austria from an assassination.

1. Take the U-Bahn U2, Schotentor stop, from in front of the Votivkirche and head to Karlskirche, stop Karlsplatz (U-Bahn U1 and U2)

The Karlskirche in Vienna was built to impress. However, the church is notable not simply for its monumentality: what escapes most onlookers today is the complex symbolic programme that can be read from the individual elements of its architecture.

1. Take the U4 line heading to Hutteldorf, stop Schonbrunn, to see the famous Schonbrunn Palace.

From the 18th century to 1918, Schönbrunn was the residence of the Habsburg emperors. It was designed by the architects Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and Nicolaus Pacassi and is full of outstanding examples of decorative art. Together with its gardens, the site of the world’s first zoo in 1752, it is a remarkable Baroque ensemble and a perfect example of Gesamtkunstwerk.

1. Last but not least, the famous Johann Strauss statue in Stadtpark (U-Bahn U1, stop Stadtpark). Nice place to stop by, relax or have a picnic.

The gilded bronze monument of Johann Strauß II is one of the most known and most frequently photographed monuments in Vienna. It was unveiled to the public on 26 June 1921 and is framed by a marble relief made by Edmund Hellmer. The gilding was removed in 1935 and laid on again only in 1991.

There are several other monuments, e.g. of Franz Schubert, Franz Lehár, Robert Stolz and Hans Makart; the Stadtpark is the park with the largest number of monuments and sculptures in Vienna.

There are many other places to visit, like Hundertwasser Haus, Belvedere, Mozart monument in Burggarten, but we will talk about those in my other posts coming!