Vienna-Colder than i thought
Vienna on New Year’s Day. Cold enough to make you rethink your life choices.
👀 First Take
Vienna is white. I mean like, all the buildings, carriages, its like a thing. Tall white buildings, parks that go on forever, and streets glowing with lights. I consider it a walking city, and it is… but it’s also a sloped city. Not dramatic hills like Lisbon, just long, steady inclines that you REALLY notice by day two.
We usually chase the sun for New Year’s (Spain the last two years) but decided to go cold this time. And cold we got. Temps hovered around 1°C (33°F) with windchills near –10°C. Bring a nice warm jacket-and gloves, and a ski mask… the wind is biting.
Overall, Vienna is a squeaky clean, expensive, and proud city. The people are cool, the vibe is quietly confident-like a city that knows it’s been doing things right for a few centuries.
🏨 Where We Stayed
InterContinental Wien (IHG)
Classic, clean, great service, and a proper cocktail bar downstairs-always a plus in my book. The onsite spa came through with a solid massage (nothing beats not having to leave the building for that).
Right across the street sits Stadtpark, a massive green space with a train station tucked inside. We could walk to the main city center in about ten minutes, so it’s hard to beat for location.
Locals out skating while I was trying to feel my toes.
🤷♂️ The Good, The Weird & The WTF
Vienna moves at its own pace-sophisticated but never showy. Music hums in the background everywhere you go, coffee houses stay cozy, and the parks and holiday lights feel timeless.
We were there during the holidays: skating rinks, street stalls, and enough mulled wine to warm a small village. And the Viennese coffee-espresso with cream- got a big thumbs-up.
My Dutch friend cant pronounce penguin…(sounds like pinwin)
👉 Come on, we’re doing this together
Local Opera (Do it!) – Total highlight. We bought tickets off the street, half expecting a scam. Ended up with world-class singers in a tiny hall that felt like a school auditorium-maybe 100 people max. It was magic, AND casual- I wore my nice jeans and warm jacket(and gloves etc.…)-this is in contrast to the traditional Viennese opera, which is expensive and definitely uppity.
Austrian Wine Tasting (Viator) – Small group, smart sommelier, generous pours, and a fun atmosphere. Highly recommend, but I like more than some.
Schönbrunn Palace – Easy tram ride, drops you right at the gate. I’m not a palace guy, I always do these reluctantly, but it’s impressive, and the Christmas Market out front was nice: hot mulled wine, festive chaos-the good kind. Link is to the best tour, the guides were top notch and its cheap, can get the Sisi ticket on same deal, if you want to go there(we did it, you can read below-I’m not a fan).
Sisi Museum – She’s a touristic icon, but the locals really aren’t that into her. If royal history is your thing, go. If not, skip-I despise royalty(too blunt?) , but I went, checked the box, moving on.
Wien Museum – Meh- below average museum fare, not much to write home about.
🍴 The Bite Test
Breakfasts at the hotel were an A+. A full buffet, local specialties, and a made-to-order waffle and egg station. Worth it.
L’Opera – Found it late one night around 11 p.m. Looked plain from the outside, but the food was fresh, tasty, and well-priced. Pasta hit the spot.
Melangerie Caffeterie & Bistro – Excellent, traditional lunch, Not a hidden gem (it’s popular for a reason) but very good.
The Palmenhaus – A stunner visually-a giant glass greenhouse with a restaurant inside. Food was decent, pricey for what it was, but worth it for the setting. We may or may not have “accidentally” taken home one of their fancy napkins.
Live a little: Vienna’s sweets are world-class. Skip the guilt and hit a pastry shop (or two). You’re on vacation-go for it- consider it research.
🚋 The Getting-Around Bit
Vienna is walkable but spread out, with gentle hills, again, feeling uphill both ways (you’ll see what I mean). The trams and trains are excellent -clean, easy, inexpensive. Our hotel was right by a major transit hub hidden inside Stadtpark, so we never needed a car. Bring comfy shoes and roll.
