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.

This is a delightful little corner of Vienna you could easily miss even if you spent your while…read morelife in the city. But you definitely don't want to miss it! Over the years Yppenplatz has developed into a lovely place for people to come together. There are wonderful restaurants, a couple of artsy places and the classic Viennese Staud's marmelade store. You can spend an enjoyable morning or afternoon here and finish it all off with a trip next door to the Brunnenmarkt, an authentic market which, unlike many markets in Vienna, hasn't lost its ethnically diverse character. Personally, I like to treat myself to breakfast at An-Do or Rasouli, buy some fresh fruit and veg at the market and then stop by Halis Börek to pick up some sweetpotato börek for my kids. The wonderfully old-fashioned (in the experience-a-piece-of-history sense of the word) Kaffee Putz is a great place to stop in, too. Yppenplatz is an ideal example of true local character.

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