Sept 2024
After, Ljubljana, Slovenia, my friend’s cousin convinced me to go to Bratislava, Slovakia super last minute! Bratislava surprised me. It was a safe area, however, I will not post a blog on Bratislava, because I did not stay there long enough to post a blog on it, unfortunately. If you are curious about Slovakia, please contact me directly and I am happy to share about my short time there. From Ljubljana, Slovenia, we did a roadtrip and stopped in Graz, Austria, which I will quickly recap in this blog as well. After Graz, we made it to Bratislava and stayed there. The next morning, we drove to Vienna, Austria, which is only an hour away from Bratislava.

I have listed the places of things to see and do, and places to eat in alphabetical order. I also added some photos & information below the list that I have experienced.

How to Get Around Vienna
We used a car to get around Vienna, but you can also use the metro and walk around as well!

Where Did I Stay?
I did not stay in Vienna, because I stayed in Bratislava, Slovakia, and did a day trip to Vienna, Austria. Vienna’s accommodations are expensive, so book in advance if you can!

How was the weather?
It was HOT in Vienna in early September! I wore a dress all day and it was fine!

What is the currency?
Euros! Pretty much everywhere in Vienna takes card. I used my credit card everywhere I went in Vienna.

Things to Do/See
Austrian National Library, State Hall
Belvedere Palace
Naschmarkt
Hundertwasser House
Schönbrunn Palace
Stadtpark
Vienna State Opera House

Old Town (Graz)
Uhrturm (Graz)

Things to Eat
Der Steirer (Graz)
Viennian Sausage!!

Things to Do/See
Austrian National Library
It costs $10 euros to go inside and if I had enough time, I would have. I came 1 hour before closing, and I was not sure how long it would have took me to explore all of the library and take photos. However, the staff member was really nice and let me take the “front” of the inside of the library, so that was nice. It is the largest library in Austria and has over 12 million items in its collection. Amazing!

Belvedere Palace
This place is a museum, however I did not go inside. I took photos from the outside! If you go on a sunny day and you are outside, there is not a lot of shade, just want to give you a heads up on that.

Hundertwasser House
This place is super unique! It is an apartment complex/house, and the artist, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, designed it with different colors, shapes, etc. to change the status quo of all the other buildings in Vienna! When I was there, I felt like I was in Barcelona, Spain, because of the colors shapes and all. I really enjoyed this area. There is also a bunch of souvenir shops and small cafe shops inside as well.

Naschmarkt
Do not go here on a Sunday because everything is closed 😦 I wish I saw this place when it was open – which it was on my itinerary for another day…before I spontaneously said yes to go to Bratislava, Slovakia, ha. No regrets though! Based on my research, this place is a giant market, with over 120 food stalls/vendors selling food, drinks, souvenirs, etc. and they always have flea market! I know I would have thoroughly enjoyed this place forsure.

Schönbrunn Palace
I did not go inside the palace, since tickets were a bit pricey, however, I explored the outside and it was beautiful! The buildings, gardens, water fountain, etc. was all free to roam around. There is a maze garden, but it costs money. I enjoyed this place as well, and took lots of photos, haha.

Stadtpark
This park was lovely, a place to be with friends, family, or even solo! It was so peaceful and beautiful. There was a kid next to me at one point in the park, and he said something along the lines “I love this park. It is so peaceful and beautiful, everyone is out and about” and I turned to him and said “I agree” and he smiled next to his mom. Adorable! We saw the beautiful flower clock in the garden, and it reminded me of the clock in Alice in Wonderland movie…even though I did not watch that movie LOL! Then, we also saw the Johann Strauss monument statue, and he is famous musician! I would definitely recommend to visit this park if you want a break from the city in Vienna.

Vienna State Opera House
I did not go inside and watch a show nor took a tour…if I had more time, I would have. The day I came, they were playing Romeo & Juliet, how cool! Everyone was dressed up in a formal attire, and there were a lot of other people just hanging outside the opera house. The Vienna State Opera House is close to many other attractions in Europe. It is a crowded spot forsure.

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Now these two places below are in Graz, Austria. I was only here for a couple of hours, and I do not think it is enough to have it’s own blog, so I am squeezing it here. We parked near State Library Sytria then walked over to Old Town & Uhrturm.

Old Town (Graz)
This place has a bunch of shops, restaurants, and city hall too! There is a main square there, and when I went, it was occupied with a co-ed soccer game – it was pretty cool! Also, there were a bunch of food vendors there too. I loved it!

Uhrturm (Graz)
Also, known as the clock tower. This place is BEAUTIFUL. This is about a 10-15 minute walk/”hike” up from Old Town to the clock tower. Once you get to the top, you can see a very nice view of Graz and there are some benches for you to sit and enjoy the scenery. The clock tower was built in 1265 as a defense tower, then it got converted into a clock tower in 1569 to watch out for fires. When I went here, it was super sunny with light winds, thank goodness! And there was a guy who played some light meditation drum, like a tongue drum or a hand pan drum, and it was so peaceful. You can also go up the clock tower for 1-2 euros, but there was nothing much. Inside you can see the machinery work for the clock to ring. Outside, you can walk around, take pictures, then you can walk down the stairs to get to the bottom near Old Town. I really enjoyed this place.

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Things to Eat
Der Steirer (Graz)
This place was a bit “pricey” but it was a nice restaurant and we got the weiner schnitzel. It was good, especially with the cranberry sauce. Without the cranberry sauce, I think it would have been too dry. This restaurant is known for other foods as well. Other than that, I think you could find another place for cheaper weiner schnitzel.

Viennian Sausage!!
I don’t have a particular restaurant or vendor name, but we just got vienna sausage at a random vendor near the Vienna State Opera House. It was delicious! I preferred the spicy viennian sausage better, because I like spicy food haha!

Overall, I think Graz & Vienna is beautiful! Everywhere you turn, it is a great opportunity to take a photo, because the architecture is amazing! I would recommend more than a day trip to either Graz & Vienna, because you cannot see everything in a couple of hours!

As always, thank you for visiting Vivian’s Ventures. Have you been to Vienna or Graz? If so, tell me in the comments/reply section about your experience. What should I do if I go back? If you haven’t been, tell me what you are planning to do there. Any questions or comments, let me know. Let’s chat! #viviansventures