Spittelberg was our "go to" area for many dinners, as our apartment was relatively close by. It's a…read moresmall district, maybe 4-5 blocks total - located right behind the Museumsquartier and entirely pedestrianized. Back in the day, this was the "red light" district for the soldiers serving the Hofburg palace. Most of the buildings are original, dating from the 18th and early 19th century - so you really get a feel for "old Vienna" here. The streets are cobbled and quiet so you don't feel like you're in the middle of a major city. During the day, there are cute (and pricey) boutiques, shops and art galleries. At night, there are a good number of restaurants and gasthauses to explore. We especially liked Boheme and Witwe Bolt but there are many more to pick from. If you're visiting during the Christmas season, the neighborhood hosts a popular Christmas market in the "village square" area.

Graben is a wide pedestrian street lined with stores and restaurants in the heart of Vienna. It's…read moreclosed to traffic so you can stroll through blocks and enjoy some great shopping, restaurants, cafes and architecture. . Just steps from the landmark, St. Stephen's Cathedral it has been a central street since Roman times. Here you will find beautiful 17th & 18th century buildings and A mix of high-end international brands like Prada, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, and some nice Viennese boutiques. Stop at Zum Schwarzen Kameel a landmark cafe, and if you can sit outside you'll be in for some great people watching.

This is a shopping street of about 4.5 blocks located in the historic city center of Vienna. Lots…read moreof international high end stores line the plaza, which contains a three notable monuments. These are: - Josefsbrunnen (Joseph's Fountain) - Wiener Pestsäule (Vienna Column of Pest) - Leopoldsbrunnen (Leopoldo's Fountain) The first and third stand on either side (to the east and west) of the second one, all designed in the Baroque style, and are respectively dedicated to St. Joseph, and Saint Leopold III. These two fountains were initially constructed in the late 17th century though the original bronze sculptures in 1803-04 were replaced with lead ones and remain so to this day. The composition of each fountains--a figure of Joseph leaning towards a boy holding a scroll showing his genealogy, with reliefs around the fountain depicting Joseph's flight into Egypt and dream with an angel;--a figure of Leopold holding a flag, dressed in armor and a crown, with relief panels showing discovery of Margravine's veil* and laying of the foundation stone for Klosterneuburg Abbey. The Column of Pest, or Plague Column, came about from the Plague which afflicted Vienna in 1679. King Leopold vowed to raise a pillar--a commemorative shrine of sorts symbolizing the mercy of God on Vienna--if the epidemic would end. In 1683, Leopold commissioned Matthias Rauchmiller to design this but he died in 1686, leaving his basic plans and three of his angel figures that are incorporated on the monument. New designs followed with several different designers and project managers, finally concluding with theatre engineer Lodovico Burnacini's idea of a Trinity being overhead a cloud pyramid with angel sculptures and kneeling emperor Leopold praying to a sculpture of faith. The sculpture was completed in 1694 and surprisingly looked pretty cohesive given the amount of change it had gone through. *according to Google: " "Margravine's Veil" is a legend associated with Stift Klosterneuburg, a monastery near Vienna. According to the tale, the veil of Margravine Agnes was blown by a gust of wind from the Leopoldsberg hill and landed on the site where the monastery was later built. This legend highlights the site's historical importance and is a key part of the monastery's identity."

This was the closest station to our hotel so we became familiar with it over the course of a week…read more It is much larger (underground) than I initially realized. One arm extends away from the main terminal to the west for a few blocks. This is a good option to avoid having to cross multiple surface streets or avoid inclement weather. The furthest exit comes out near the Succession art museum. Another arm extends north a few blocks to the State Opera House. This is again convenient for avoiding street traffic, but this arm also has a number of shops and small eateries as well. The central nexus (where you change subway lines) has a number of food options as well. If you are going to be in this area much, it is worth exploring this station as a means of saving yourself transit time on the streets.

This is a beautiful church. There is a small admission fee. The exterior is pretty to explore and…read morethere's a great Christmas market out front. It has only handmade items, Art Advent.

Yelp Review 2023 #270:…read more Hochstralbrunnen is a small part of a park (Schwartzenbergplatz). It's looks nothing special in the winter months for a reason. They drain the water and turn off the pipelines. The fountain is only operating in the spring, summer, and beginning of fall. It's a powerful fountain that shoots up water like a jet and sprays people - you wouldn't want to get sprayed with water in the winter, would you? However, you can still make this fountain look more interesting and worthy of a visit during the winter. Do a light show...something! So, this fountain's pipelines are connected to the Central Eastern Alps so the water is supposedly potable. I'm not about to get pelted by water to test that. I ended up here while I was at the Karlskirche and trying to get to Belvedere. It wasn't part of my itinerary at all. I watched YouTube videos of what it looks like in the summer - and it's quite nice. So, go in the summer!

Beautiful and meaningful! We stopped by as we meandered through the city. Read about it online.read more