Christmas wonders in the imperial city of Vienna - Santa Claus edition

What can be the best topic for Christmas and winter time if not Austria? This charming country is full of beauties: lovely cities, tidy villages, mountains and lakes. Discover a small part of Austria with me this season! December's topic is the capital, Vienna: imperial palaces, baroque architecture, amazing cafe houses – that's comes to my mind first, when I think of the city.

Christmas mood is already on, this time of the year is always so special and glamorous. Beautiful Advent markets are organized all around the city every year. Read my guide below!

Easy walk in the center

Walking is the best way to discover the city. You can stroll through the historic center of Vienna and explore small lovely streets, that mainly have cobblestone pavements, which sets the mood already. You can walk all the way from the Karlzplatz metro station to the direction of the Stephansdom and on the way you can also visit the Museum Quarter, the Parliament and the City Hall, than reach the Hofburg and close to that you will get to the Stephansdom. Christmas atmosphere, lovely street scene, stunning stores on the way...

Let's start our walk at the Karlzplatz, where you can admire the St. Charles's Church, which is considered one of the most outstanding churches in Vienna.

Just go ahead in the direction of the Vienna State Opera, but before reaching the Kaertner street and the St.Stephen's Cathedral, discover the Museum Quarter and the Parliament.

Vienna State Opera

The building is quite impressive, it was built in a Neo-Renaissance style. They opened with Don Giovanni by Mozart, Franz Joesph and Sissi visited the Opera at the opening. Inside you will see golden silk embroidered wall panels, very luxurious interior decoration. 80 minutes before each performance, cheap standing room tickets are sold.

Little Advent stands at the Opera

Maria Theresa Square

It is located directly at the grand boulevard, called Ringstrasse. It's a large square, where two identical buildings, the Museum of Natural History and the Art History Museum
are facing each other.  The square is changing to a Christmas Village from the end of November.

Parliament

Keep walking on the grand boulevard. Just a few minutes away from the Maria Theresa Square, you will find the Parliament. It was constructed during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. You will immediately notice the Greek Revival style, look at the columns and the statues! It's referring to Greece, the cradle of democracy. I didn't have time to visit it inside, but I heard it's definitely worth doing so.

City Hall

From the Parliament, you will already notice the stunning, Neo-Gothic style building. It is the official seat of the Mayor.  Here you will find the most well known and probably the biggest Advent market right in front of the City Hall. Try ice -skating, it's fun! In the advent time you will find Christmas markets every corner. The traditions date back to the XIII. century, when the first so called ‘December Market’ was held. Nowadays, there are over 20 Advent Markets selling a wide selection of gifts, Christmas punch, mulled wine and roasted chestnuts, handmade decorations and traditional food.

Hofburg - the royal city residence

The palace is one of the most well-known ones in the world. It's a monumental exhibition, it's a bit like a city within the city, in case you would like to see it all, you will spend a full day there. Sisi Museum can be found at that place, it let you deep into the beloved Empress Elizabeth's everyday life. Enjoy a mulled wine at the Advent market before heading to the Kaertner street,  the shopping promenade and part of a large pedestrian area full of history.

St.Stephen's Cathedral - the heart of the city

The cathedral is the number one attraction in the city. The square features a mix of new and old architectural styles. The building of the original church was built in the XII. century, however this construction was entirely ravaged by a fire. The world wars also caused a huge damage in the church. Finally 7 years after the WWII, the cathedral was renovated and it was the symbol of the new Austria. Admire the eye-catching decoration, already from outside you will be amazed by the ceramic mosaic roof. The ‘Pummerin’ is one of Europe’s largest free swinging bells.

Royal Palaces - Schönbrunn and Belvedere

Once you are in Vienna, you should really immerse yourself in the Habsburg culture, therefore you will understand their life and history so much better. The palace used to be the summer imperial residence, join the audio guide tour! It's highly recommended to buy the entrance tickets in advance, I did so and I chose the Grand tour (17,50 EUR), here you can visit 40 rooms, mainly the state rooms and private apartments of the imperial couple, but you´ll also see the XVIII.th century interiors from the time of Maria Theresa. The family really created and built the palace for themselves, they personally chose the design and colors. It was interesting to see the family table set just how it was for an ordinary dinner. At that time French cuisine was favored, but they also liked Viennese specialties.

Source: www.schoenbrunn.at

You will see the bed, where Franz Joseph died and the room where Mozart was first playing in front of the emperor at the age of 6. The most impressive part was the ballroom. From the mid-eighteenth century, it was used for balls and receptions. Due to installation of an innovative lighting system, contemporary lighting is provided, it resembles the effects of candlelight. At that time there was no electricity. Fly back to time and enjoy the tour!

Source: Wien.info

The Schönbrunn park is huge, spring time it looks prettier with the flowers and fountains. At winter time you can enjoy your hot chocolate surrounded by royal atmosphere!

Palace Belvedere

Belvedere palace was built in the early XVIII. century by the famous Baroque architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt and it was used as the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy. Today it hosts the greatest collection of Austrian art dating from the Middle Ages, later on it was completed by art pieces of international artist like Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh. Admire the worlds greatest collection by Gustav Klimt, the famous Art Nouveau icon. The park hosts a beautiful Christmas market.

Eat and drink - my favorites in the center

Lunch at Rosenberger

The restaurant serves cafeteria-style and has a variety of hot main dishes all day. Upstairs there is a bistro with wide selection of salads and sandwiches.  It's located close to Albertina and it's a very convenient place for lunch while sightseeing. I enjoyed the Wiener Schnitzel with traditional potato salad. http://www.rosenberger.cc/en

Cafe at the Ferstel Passage

The entire building used to be headquarters of the Austrian Stock Exchange but it was recently refurbished to become an old-fashioned arcade full of shops and Cafés. The passage leads into a small inner courtyard, it definitely has an elegant style. My friend showed me a lovely, French Café house here, called Beaulieu, a French bistro, where you can also purchase French wines, drinks, snacks and jams as well. http://www.beaulieu-wien.at

Sacher cake at Demel

Sacher Torte is the signature cake of Vienna, the original cake was developed between Hotel Sacher and Demel Bakery. The cake consists of a chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam, I personally love it. Demel can be rather chaotic due to the crowd, but the wide selection of delicious cakes and the elegant atmosphere will compensate it.

I would like to thank my friend, Adél, for showing me around! It's a lovely city, I'll be back soon. Try to visit it on weekdays, otherwise everything is crowded during Advent time. Hope you could get into the spirit of the season.

Step into the joy of Christmas and may all your dream come true in 2018!

UandStyle