For the tldr; version you can see my Vienna Instagram story highlights.
Arrival: Friday Night
Arrived in Vienna and took the train to arrive at my hostel. Yes, even though the last time I stayed in a hostel in Barcelona I left saying “Never again. I’m too old for this shit.” the high prices of hotels compared to my simple needs (A bed.) drove me yet again to a hostel. I checked in to Wombats Vienna and immediately loved the vibe. I tried to as quietly as possible settle in to my 4 bed dorm (feeling guilty and impossibly noisy as you always do) to rest up for a day of explorations tomorrow.
Day 1: Saturday
I let myself sleep in a bit which was glorious because all my dorm mates were out early so I had the room ready to myself to get ready. I went out to explore Naschmarkt across the way (Where I was heavily harassed by dried fruit vendors so left rather quickly). Eventually found Volpension for coffee. Luckily, my plan was takeaway, because you need a reservation if you want one of the adorable kitschy, cosy tables.
I headed back to the hotel for the walking tour, but nothing materialized in the lobby so instead, I downloaded an audio walking tour from VoiceMap.me “The Heart of Vienna” and struck out towards the Opera House. In the back was the famous Hotel Sacher – home of the Sacher Torte. So of course I queued up and soon I had a cosy little table where I sat and luxuriated in the chandeliered dining room with my Sacher Torte, coffee, and Prosecco being a total tourist and loving it.
I continued my walking tour past all the museums, squares, churches and monuments of Vienna. Including the controversial Alfred Hrdlicka Holocaust statue in Alertinaplatz. (Read more here or this Washington Post article)
The tour ended at the famous St Stephens Cathedral – where I went to my 1st Christmas Market! And of course, got my first punch. Thanks to the walking tour I also learned about this unit of measure next to the door (since the market used to be here in the square), the 05 mark of Austrian resistance and the phallic statues that indicated the male and female side of the church back in the segregated days.
Then I walked through the Altwiener Christlindlmarkt and Wiener Rathausplatz Christlindlmarkt on my way over to the Sigmund Freud Museum.
I made it just before closing.
Then I stopped for a proper dinner at Roth before heading on to the The Old AKH University Market and then onward to the market at Maria-Theresien-Platz where I shut down the market – which was perfect because I was exhausted. I headed back to the hostel to rest up for a big Day 2.
Day 2: Sunday
Woke up to a slightly chiller and somewhat overcast day. Hopped on a bike share past Karlskirch to Cafe Pruckel which was old school and amazing with waiters buzzing around in their tuxes.
After a lovely coffee and soft boiled egg with toast I biked down to the Belvedere Palace. I particularly enjoyed the Secret Garden vibe heightened by the weather. I got a super yummy pistachio punch at the Christmas Market which was free since it was my 5th stamp on my card. Mission complete!
Hopped back on a bike and passed through the Karlskirch Market on my way to Schonbrunn Palace where I looked into getting an entry ticket, but wasn’t in the mood to kill time until the next available entrance. I was planning on going to a cafe for lunch, but some cabbage saurkraut and meat dumplings caught my eye which I enjoyed with some white gluhwein. It was warm and local and festive. This market definitely had the best and most interesting food options.
Biked to MuseumsQuartier where I checked out their market, but it was ultra modernist and trendy and more of a night scene. Instead I quickly checked out the exhibit then moved on towards Cafe Sperl. I enjoyed some cheese strudel, a glass of wine AND some coffee and then it was time to grab my bag and head to the airport.
Final count, here are all the Christkindlmarkt I visited:
- Stephansplatz
- Old Freyung Altwiener
- Rathausplatz
- The Old AKH at the University
- Maria-Theresien Platz
- Belvédère Palace
- Schönbrunn
- Karlsplatz
- MuseumsQuartier
Shout out to this Hostelworld guide to exploring Vienna’s Christmas markets. And here’s another good guide/map: