24 Hours in Vienna

Having survived our night on the overnight train and checked our luggage for the day in lockers for 1/4 of the price of Switzerland, we were already feeling pretty accomplished by 8:30am. With 24-hour metro passes in hand, we left the train station ready to explore all Vienna has to offer - in a day.

Vienna, the capital of Austria, is located in the east of the country along the banks of the Danube River. As the home for the ruling Habsburg family, who became one of the most powerful dynasties of Europe through strategically executed marriages, Vienna has a mix of monumental buildings remaining from their wealth and influence.

We started on the outskirts of Vienna with Schönbrunn Palace, the main summer residence of the Habsburg emperors.  With a total of 1,441 rooms, the palace exudes the "more is more" lifestyle of impressing visitors with one's wealth.

What started as a modest hunting lodge, Schönbrunn Palace is now an exquisite palace absolutely worth a visit

Each room is pristine and uniquely decorated

The glorious Hall of Ceremonies held lavish balls, receptions and banquets

At Schloss Schönbrunn with its expansive gardens in the background

The Gloriette, built in 1775, is a beautiful focal point and worth walking out for a closer look

Vienna has numerous Christmas markets, many of which close by Dec. 26. Some markets continue to stay open, with the largest one in the front courtyard of Schönbrunn Palace.

The best sausage - encased in a baguette bun - was our favorite! 

After leaving the palace, we went to the city center. One of the most striking landmarks of Vienna is St. Stephen's Cathedral, named after Christian martyr Saint Stephen.

St. Stephen's Cathedral's massive south tower (Türmerstube) is its highest point and a dominant feature of the Vienna skyline.

Following the tower's completion in 1433, at 448 ft, St. Stephen's Cathedral is the tallest church in Austria and the 9th tallest church in the world.  It is the second highest church tower in Europe after that of Strasbourg's cathedral, which we just climbed last week.

The original roof, consisting of wood, burned down in 1945 and was replaced with a ~90-ft high roof with a slope of 80 degrees - so steep that snow simply slides off.

The new roof is made of 230,000 glazed tiles of different colors which form various mosaics and patterns. On the south side of the roof, the mosaics represent the double-headed eagle, symbol of the Austrian empire under the rule of the Habsburgs.

Next we wandered the streets to enjoy the mix of Vienna's monumental buildings and absorb Austria's rich cultural heritage. 

The staggeringly impressive buildings are so massive that pictures hardly do them justice

With most of Vienna's markets closed for the season, all that remains of Rathausplatz Christkindmarkt in front of the town hall is a very crowded ice skating rink

For dinner we had reservations at Pürstner and ate the best schnitzel we have ever had.

Logistics:

I hadn't bought our tickets for Schönbrunn Palace online in advance, as highly recommended for Austria's #1 tourist attraction, because they are only valid for the time you book and I couldn't be sure if our overnight train would be delayed. We were hoping to get tickets for the slightly longer Grand Tour that adds another impressive set of rooms worthy of seeing. Although the sign at the ticket office said that only state apartment tours (showing just nine rooms) were available, they were still willing to sell us the Grand Tour (~40 rooms).

St. Stephen's Cathedral has two towers that you can go up; you can climb up the south tower or take an elevator up the north tower. I always prefer climbing up high so chose the south tower, which was a mistake for two main reasons: 1) the south tower's platform is inside and only lets you look out its four cardinal-facing windows; the north tower has an outside platform. 2) the north tower offers a much better view of the ornate roof tiles. At 1pm on a Saturday, we had to wait at the ticket entrance for 15 minutes while they let the stairs clear out of crowds. It wasn't until they opened back up and we stepped inside that we saw the sign: cash only. They do not accept a student discount so the guy gave Chris the child rate.