This week I welcome you to the enchanting city of Vienna, which once was the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, these days the capital of Austria and known both as the 'City of Music' and 'City of Dreams'. For anyone who loves music, architecture or history this city is an obligatory place to visit.
And, despite being the largest city in Austria with a population close to 2 million people, most of the more interesting places to visit are within walking distance. Even if you only have three days to spend, I would advise you to use them in Vienna. 
All the photos I'm showcasing in this, and also subsequent posts, were taken during last year's Easter Weekend when we visited the city for the first time. I would recommend that trip to everyone that lives around Europe, as the city is home to a very interesting Easter festival, and usually the weather is not too harsh around that time of the year. We we're lucky enough to get a couple of days with glorious sunshine, as shown in the picture above. That picture was taken at the Austrian Parliament building, which is a great building to start or end your daily walk through the Museums Quartier.

On the Museums Quartier you can also find the 'People's Theater', a citizen-founded theater staging classic works and contemporary plays. The small Volkstheater building was a great prelude to what the city had to offer in terms of classic architecture. 
On the day we arrived there was a cold grey ominous sky, that threatened rain. Thankfully we only had to contend with some drizzle and cold.

Heading towards the historic centre of town through some lovely gardens, you will come across the magnificent Hofburg Palace. Built in the 13th century, and expanded in the following centuries, this was the imperial palace, the seat of power of the Habsburg dynasty. Today it is the official residence, and workplace, of the President of Austria. 

The side facing Michaelerplatz is shown above, and this square is usually filled with tourists, with many horse carriages awaiting to take you for a tour around town. It was slightly less crowded on this day, but when the sun appeared on the next day it was full of people again.

From there it is a short walk to the heart of the city, Stephansplatz with it's impressive cathedral that dominates the entire area, the Domkirche St. Stephan. Or St. Stephen's Cathedral for the english speaking. Unfortunately there were extensive renovation works being carried out at the time, meaning that most of the external walls were covered in scaffolding. Since that is not very photogenic, I will have to come back another time.

Oddly enough for an area of such historic relevance, you can find some new buildings in Stephansplatz. The one pictured above is part commercial gallery, part hotel and also has a very good restaurant at the top. I would recommend having a meal at the DO&CO Restaurant, the food is great and the views are even better. But be prepared to pay a bit more, and dressing up is recommended but not necessary.

Vienna's subway, the U-Bahn, is the best way to get around town with regular services, stops on the most important locations and is a credit to pragmatic thinking around moving lots of people through the city. Everything is clearly marked, but expect some transfers between lines to make you walk a bit, and sometimes even come up to street level. 

On the second day, under a warm early Spring sunshine, we ventured onto another obligatory spot at Karlsplatz.

On the other side of the square stands another building that caught my attention because of the stylized howls that adorn it. This new building belongs to the Vienna Technical University, and houses it's library. It is another great example of how modern glass, stone and steel can cohexist with other buildings from older centuries.

Here you will find the iconic Karlskirche, picture below in front of a bed of flowers in bloom. This 18th century cathedral is featured in most articles about Vienna, not only because of the way it looks on the inside, but because it houses an ornately painted domed ceiling.

Also in the Karlsplatz, do take the time to find the two pavilions that once were the entrance to the former version of the metro in 1899, the Stadtbahn. Thankfully they were moved and repurposed in 1960 to their new locations, and are now used as a café and an exhibition center. 

This week I'll leave you with a photo taken on the last day of the visit on the Stadtpark, which is famous for the monuments it contains that celebrate famous musicians. I'll get to the monuments later, but wanted to show another great building. The Kursalon was built in the 19th century, in the Italian Renaissance style, and is one of the premiere location for events in Vienna.

For the next few weeks I'll carry on showing, and writing, about Vienna with some posts more dedicated to the architecture and others more to the statues. There will be one totally dedicated to the legendary opera house.
Until next week,
APN