Next stop on our Eastern European adventure was Vienna! If you missed our first stop (Budapest) you can check that post out here. Matt and I left Budapest and took a super easy two hour train ride over to Vienna. To be honest, I didn’t get a ton of sleep the night before (I think jet lag was playing a big joke on me) so I slept the majority of the train ride, but Matt said it was a pretty one! The train was the most affordable and easiest way and for us. Both Budapest and Vienna’s train stations were easy to navigate and close to the city-centers.

Where We Stayed:

We only spent two nights in Vienna, but I felt like we were able to see and do it all. Our train arrived around 9:30am so we had a full day of exploring. Matt and I both use SPG Amex cards and recently discovered some fun “luxury” boutique hotels abroad that we can use our points on, which is what we did here and in Prague. It’s awesome because you sort of feel like you are getting to stay for free! We stayed at the Bristol Hotel, right smack in the middle of downtown. Steps outside our door was the Opera house, tons of restaurants, bars and shopping and it was walking distance to almost everywhere.

Day 1:

After we checked in and freshened up (I was in desperate need of a shower at this point), we were starving and Matt was eager to try his first of many schnitzel meals. We decided to give Figlmüller a try as this restaurant was the birthplace of the schnitzel in Vienna. Luckily we were there at an off-time and were able to snag a table right away (which I understand is somewhat atypical for this place). As I mentioned before, I don’t really eat meat, but had a bite of Matt’s and it was pretty tasty! I went with the spinach dumplings with parmesan in a butter sauce – so good, I am still dreaming about them! We washed down our meal down with a glass of house red which was delicious (Vienna is known for their local wine) then headed back out to check out the city and do a little shopping. I popped into a super chic boutique called CLOSED and ended up snagging a new beanie that I got a ton of use out of the rest of the trip. Besides the shopping, Matt and I explored all around the main square, visited the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and enjoyed our time spent outdoors. We then stopped at the Cafe Mozart near our hotel for to try the apple strudel, also delicious!

For dinner, Matt had made reservations at the cutest restaurant for our anniversary, The White Chimney Sweeper. While it was a bit on the pricier side (comparable to eating out in NYC), it was such an adorable spot with yummy food. We then grabbed a nightcap at the Onyx Bar which is a fun bar located on the 6th floor of the Do&Co hotel right in the middle of the main square, giving you the most gorgeous view of the famous Cathedral.

Day 2:

We started our day early, grabbing a latte on the go and heading out to Schönbrunn Palace.  This is located about 2-3 miles right outside of the city and totally worth checking out. We toured the inside of the Palace and then spent a good bit of time walking around the beautiful grounds (the first zoo in the world is also located on the grounds).

We then left the palace and headed to the cutest restaurant for lunch called Motto am Fluss. The restaurant is on a boat, has the cutest decor, and delicious food.  After lunch we walked around the the outer tram line and took in some more sites, including walking through Stradtpark (the main city park) and checking out City Hall.

Later in the day, Matt and I had heard a lot about one of Vienna’s wine villages Grinzing, which is located about 6 miles outside of the city. Such a cute, picturesque town where you can roam around and pop in and out of different restaurants while you sip on the local wine. Definitely worth checking out if you have more than one night in Vienna! We spent about 3 hours in the wine village and then headed back to the city-center. Matt wanted one last schnitzel meal before heading out, so we headed to Gasthaus Poschil, which was a really cute/quaint restaurant in the middle of town.

Outfit One:

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