What is so special about Vienna’s elegant city center? What sights are located here? What to do if you have only one day to visit Vienna? Where better to concentrate the splendor of the former Habsburg residence than in downtown Vienna!
You go out at Time Travel and you are right in the historic center of Vienna. Vienna’s city center has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001 . On an area of about 3km² are the most important sights, which you can easily reach on foot . Vienna has a total of 23 districts and the 1st district – the center of Vienna – is where everything is concentrated. People come here to work, shop, stroll. Only about 25,000 of Vienna’s 1.9 million inhabitants can afford the luxury of living in the city center.
The Viennese often like to say: “Let’s go to town, honey” . Especially on Saturday mornings, the shopping is done at Julius Meinl, a delicatessen gourmet store on Graben. There you will find specialties from all over the world and especially a very good coffee. This is the trademark of Meinl am Graben. Then maybe a few rolls and a drink at the Black Camel to people watch before heading back to the noble outskirts into the Vienna Woods. Also popular is a short shopping break at the store with the unpronounceable name – Trześniewski. A ham and egg spread roll and a Pfiff (small beer) – that’s how Saturday can start or end.
Many traditional Viennese coffee houses (Demel, Sacher, Bräunerhof, Hawelka, Sluka) always invite you to take a short break. One pedestrian zone follows the other and strolling through the elegant center of Vienna becomes a pleasure. The world-famous Ring Road encircles the city center. You will stroll along the magnificent Graben (pedestrian zone) to St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Gothic heart of Vienna.
We recommend the following walk through the historic center to get a nice overview of the city center :
Time Travel Vienna – Graben – visit St. Stephen’s Cathedral – Kärntnerstraße – Hotel Sacher (want to taste the world famous Sacher cake?) – Vienna State Opera (possibly guided tour)- Albertinaplatz – take the escalator up to the Albertina – beautiful view of the State Opera and the square – steps down to the Burggarten (statue of Emperor Franz Joseph, statue of Mozart) – shortly along the Ringstraße at the New Castle to the Maria-Theresien-Platz with the statue of Maria- Theresia – on the left hand side is the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM), on the right the Natural History Museum (NHM), straight ahead into the Museum Quarter (MQ) . Return via Ringstraße and the Outer Burgtor to Heldenplatz with the New Castle (Hofburg Infocenter).
A short look into the Volksgarten to the Sisi statue and the Rose Garden is also recommended. View of the Parliament and the Burgtheater – back to the Hofburg in the Inner Burghof, past the Sisi Museum and the Spanish Riding School to Michaelerplatz (Roman excavations) and the St. Michael’s Church. Kohlmarkt and Demel (short break) – back to the stable castle (to see the white Lipizzaner stallions in their stables. Further it goes the
Along Augustinerstraße with stop at Josefsplatz for the visit of Augustinerkirche (wedding church of Sisi) – National Library – Dorotheergasse – Graben -Stephansdom.
This is a nice complete tour that can be extended as follows:
St. Stephen’s Cathedral – Figlmüller Passage (Figlmüller Restaurant, famous for the largest schnitzel in Vienna) – Lugeck – Hoher Markt (anchor clock) – Judengasse – Jewish Synagogue in Seitenstettengasse and to the Ruprechtskirche (oldest church in Vienna)
Time Travel Tip:
If you only have one day in Vienna , spend it in the historic center of Vienna and drift from one sight to the next.
More info: Innere Stadt (Vienna) – Wikipedia
