2 days in Vienna Itinerary

Dear readers,

I moved to Vienna last year on the 6th of October, mainly for my Master's degree in Psychology but also for work. After one year, I've already had many visitors here - family and friends. I feel glad that I am living in a two room apartment with a huge pull-out couch, it makes sleepovers much easier! Mostly, people are visiting for sightseeing, some also come for shopping (Primark), but all in general to hang out with my boyfriend and me. After a few sightseeing tours we prepared for our dear visitors (most of them limited to a 2- or 3-day stay), we managed to combine everything into the perfect 2-day itinerary. Here is the plan:

Day 1

• Arriving in Vienna (best time: in the morning, the latest: at noon) - don't forget to buy a metro ticket!
• Starting the sightseeing tour with the Votiv Church, University of Vienna and continuing down the inner ring - City Hall, Parliament, Volksgarten, Maria Theresia Square (optionally: visiting the Natural History Museum or the Art history Museum), Museumsquartier (optionally: visiting a gallery, e.g. Mumok, Leopold Museum or Kunsthalle Wien), continuing down through the Burgtor to Hofburg (optionally: taking a horse-drawn carriage ride, visiting the Ecclesiastical Treasury or Sisi Museum) and to the shopping street. 

• After a turn right, there is already the Stephansdom Cathedral (optionally: buying Manner waffles at the Manner store). Lunch: famous Wiener Schnitzel at Figlmüller. Later continuing up the Kärtner shopping street for a stop at the Sacher Hotel, where they serve the original Sacher cake. Right next to it, you can find the State Opera (optionally: visiting the Albertina Museum), a short walk straight you come to Charles' Square with the beautiful Charles Church (optionally, if there was no lunch before: eating a great big cheap schnitzel at Opern Schnitzel), continuing to the Belvedere Palace, 

• Stadtpark, Hundertwasserhaus and ending the day with a walk along the Danube Canal, visiting one of the Caffes or Bars for drinks at the Bermuda Triangle/Schwedenplatz (e.g. Bermuda Bräu, Hard Rock Cafe) and taking dinner with you (e.g. Schachtelwirt or take away sushi).

Day 2

• Breakfast. A metro drive to Schönbrunn, starting the 2nd day sightseeing tour with the Schönbrunn Palace (optionally: Schönbrunn Imperial/Grand Tour, Sisi Ticket), walking up to the Gloriette for a beautiful view of the city (optionally: brunch at the Gloriette), continuing to the Schönbrunn Zoo (optionally: lunch at the Zoo).

• //If you finish the Zoo quite early, you can take a drive to Kaisermühlen Vienna International Centre with the metro (from Hietzing U4 to Schwedenplatz and then U1 to Kaisermühlen VIC), walk by the huge skyscrapers, maybe pay a visit to the UN Office and cross the bridge to the Danube Island for some nature.//
• In the afternoon, moving onto Prater (from Kaisermühlen VIC U1 to Praterstern or if you still have the energy, by foot), visiting a ride in the amusement park (optionally: taking a ride on the Viennese Giant Wheel) and ending the evening in Schweizerhaus, known for their beer and delicious traditional meals.

• Departing Vienna (best time: late evening or night, the earliest: early evening)

All attractions in the itinerary are free of charge, in brackets you can find paid options like museums and tours. All eating and drinking places are also optional, I suggest you find those that suit you on Tripadvisor. There is a lot of walking, you can sometimes ride the tram in between and of course use the metro on the second day, but bring good shoes with you. Feel free to leave suggestions for changes in the comments below. The itinerary can be modified (e.g. days swapped, some things combined or left out..) and is just a rough design on how to see the most in such a short time. Underneath are some pictures of the sightseeing with my mom, who visited us in the beginning of October.
For the next post, expect something more exotic!

Love, Julija