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My Vienna in 24 hours
December 20, 2022
Only a short stopover in Vienna? Read for these hidden spots - told by a local
Who knows a city better than a local or someone who has lived there for many years? Christa Gschweitl shares her favorite bars, places and hidden spots in Vienna which give it such a special flair. Discover the city from a very personal and, most probably, very different perspective.
A Recommendation
Following Stadtwanderweg 1 hiking trail (https://www.wien.gv.at/umwelt/wald/freizeit/wandern/wege/wanderweg1.html) through the vineyards on Kahlenberg hill, complete with a stop at Mayer am Nussberg (an outdoor wine tavern, https://www.mayeramnussberg.at/) to enjoy the superb panorama of Vienna and the Danube. It is very easy to get there directly from the city center: Take tram line D to its terminus in Nussdorf—and off you go.
Eating – drinking – having breakfast
What is your favorite place to eat in Vienna?
In summer: Have breakfast at Cafè Motto am Fluss (https://www.mottoamfluss.at/de/cafe/das-cafe/). Sit out on the terrace and drink in the attractive architecture as well as the fantastic views of the Donaukanal and the Pipilotti-Rist installation on the top floor of the hotel opposite (https://www.dasloftwien.at/). The breakfasts are very delicious.
In winter: Go to Café-Konditorei Bürger, Servitengasse 12, 1090 Vienna for a traditional breakfast or a sweet snack in between meals. They have the best Panama cake in Vienna in my opinion as well as almonds with chocolate and many other delights made in-house. Tip: When it comes to marking special occasions, you can order and pick up cakes that get artfully decorated upon request.
At Spelunke (https://spelunke.at/), they serve the best steaks. Coming from the first district, simply cross Schwedenbrücke on Schwedenplatz to get to this restaurant where you can savor Lucullan delights in an atmosphere that is as original as it is stylish.
Hidden spots
As a Vienna insider, what places do you recommend visiting which can’t be found in a tourist guide?
Take a stroll through the picturesque and culinarily diverse Servitenviertel and its heart, the street Servitengasse: from Café-Konditorei Bürger (see above) to the superb Edelschimmel cheese bar (http://edelschimmel.at).
Continue your trip to Xocolat (https://www.xocolat.at/) and look through the huge shop window to see outstandingly fine chocolates in the making. Finish off with a dose of French flair and some eclairs at La Mercerie (https://www.falstaff.at/ld/c/la-mercerie/).
There are many great places to visit on just one street!
Vienna at its best
Why is Vienna one of the coolest places in the world? What makes it special?
Vienna's culinary offerings (ranging from Tafelspitz, a prime cut of beef, and the wide variety of coffee houses all the way to the very special sandwiches that you can enjoy along with a Pfiff (⅛ l) of beer in an authentic atmosphere at “Trzesniewski”, which is located just round the corner in the Graben area at Dorotheergasse 1, 1010 Vienna) and its cultural richness (Leopold Museum and Mumok at Museumsquartier, Burgtheater, Opera, concerts at Wiener Stadthalle) are only the beginning.
If you are based in Vienna, you live in a metropolis, and one with vineyards for hiking and mountain biking at that. Moreover, the everyday quality of life is high.
And: Vienna is home to the WU Executive Academy; I have very fond memories of my 2017/2018 GEMBA class and all the regular class reunions, dinners, brunches and annual outings we have had since graduating from the program. (Our first outing in October 2018, which had been perfectly organized by our Bulgarian colleagues, took us to Sofia—a trip I will never forget. I am already looking forward to outing number two this October. We will travel to South Tyrol, where we will visit companies, do some hiking and enjoy culinary delights. Our South Tyrolian colleague has done a marvelous job organizing the outing, complete with a web page with the program details for our class).
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