VIENNA

Vienna is known for its beautiful palaces and for being a monumental city. Everything in the city is great and its parks and gardens are wonderful.

We've wanted to visit Vienna for a long time, but we've always been putting it off, maybe because it's said that the city is very expensive and very touristic. But we can say that prices are very similar to those charged, for example, in Portugal.

Vienna can be seen in 2 days, but you can also stay for example a week, it depends on what you want to visit, if you are a fan of museums and want to get into all of them, yes you have to stay at least a week. The city is very big and has a lot to see and do. We stayed 4 nights and got to know the city.

The city has a climate very similar to Berlin, both day and night, where there is no shortage of bars, clubs and parties to go to.

The capital city of Austria oozes LGBT+ culture and is a noticeably laid back and relaxing .

We arrived at Vienda from Bratislava. We came by private transfer (you can see getyourguide here) for convenience and because the trip is short, about 1 hour.

As we were 4 people with suitcases, going by transfer was cheaper than using public transport, the best thing is to do all the calculations! ;)

If you want, you have the options of going by train, bus and even by boat. All take about 1 hour.

When deciding where to stay, we chose to stay in the area where the Naschmarkt is located, in the Margareten district, as this is the area where most of the LGBT bars are concentrated.

We loved staying in this area as it is close to the historic center (just a short walk), but it is far enough away from the tourist activity of the historic center. It's a more residential area, but it has all the services you might need and if you're a fan of cafes, it's here in this area where we find the best and most relaxe

Since we arrived in Vienna before lunchtime, we still got to know the area where we were staying, and we went to the Naschmarkt area for lunch.

This is considered the central market of Vienna and the flea market. It is an interesting place, where a little bit of everything is sold, with restaurants, street food and kiosks that sell the most varied types of spices, dried fruits, gifts etc... The food price here is not high.

Walk along the Naschmarkt area and at the end of the boulevard towards the historic center you'll find the giant baroque church of Karlskirche, where you can also watch regular Mozart's Requiem and Vivaldi's Four Seasons concerts.

We have the habit of, in the first hours we arrive at a new destination, staying in the area where we are staying in order to get to know everything around us. We also go during the day to see where the LGBT night is located. As we still had time on the first day we arrived in Vienna, we went to Café Rifugio which is open in the afternoon.

We also went to visit and shop at the Gayt store, which we recommend. Vienna's largest gay lifestyle store. It has a series of erotic, fetish and themed articles, and clothing for the LGBT public from a variety of brands, such as Barcode Berlin, Ajaxxx, Leader, Andrew Christian, among others. It was here that we also acquired our tickets for the Replay Party, which would take place over the weekend. Check the tab Vienna by Night!

When organizing the itinerary, as it is a very big city, we decided to start our tour at Stephansplatz.

We used the metro for travel and it was very easy to use. Just buy the ticket on the various machines, before going down to the platform. There are no gates to get down to the metro, so don't forget to validate your ticket before going down.

The metro map is very easy and has information in English and all stations are well signposted.

When you start your tour via Stephansplatz, you are starting in the center of Vienna. The square itself is one of Vienna's attractions. As we went at the beginning of the Christmas season, we were lucky to find a small Christmas Market right away, which we love.

On Stephansplatz you will also find the majestic St. Stephen's Cathedral, which is the most important religious site in Vienna. There is no entry fee.

Next to the Cathedral you have Graben Street, which is one of the most famous streets in Vienna, full of commerce and movement of people, right in the middle of the street you will find the Plague Column (or Trinity Column).

If it's Christmas time, this is the famous street where the giant chandeliers are lit for Christmas: it's beautiful and yes, it deserves to be seen.

Next to Graben is Kohlmarkt, a street with many luxury stores and shops dedicated to tourists and you are sure to stop by. This is the street that leads to the Famous Sisi Museum on Michael Platz.

Michael Platz is a square in front of the Hofburg Imperial Palace. At the center of the square there is a viewing spot for an excavation of a Roman encampment. There are also some old Medieval foundation walls to be seen, plus the remnants of the old Burg Theater.

Here you will still find St Michael's church, which we highlight the visit to its altar.

Before departing for your next spot, head to Ferstel Passage, built in 1860, this regal arcade with a fountain & courtyard offers upscale boutiques, bars & cafes.

We then recommend the following locations, which are all followed:

- Volksgarten (People's Garden)

- Burgtheater

- Rathaus - On Rathausplatz is where the biggest Christmas market in Vienna takes place, and yes it is really big. It has about 150 stands offering a lot of food and products related to Christmas. The market is set against the backdrop of the giant building in the square and is surrounded by the square's gardens. If you go from mid-November onwards, you can't miss it!

- Justizpalast

- Parliament Building

Also don't miss Maria-Theresien-Platz which is the large public square, which joins the Ringstraße with the MuseumsQuartier, and the streets surrounding the square, the Albertina Museum, the Hofburg and Burggarten, which was the royal private garden of the royal family.

In this garden is the famous Mozart Memorial, with the musical key formed by flowers in front of it. In the northern part of the garden, close to the Albertina Museum, you will find the famous Schmetterlinghaus (Palm House or Butterfly House), with its structure made of iron and glass and inside a cafe and a tropical garden.

Also visit Mariahilfer straße, is a great pedestrian mall, ideal for shoppers or those who just like to walk around without the fear of getting run over by a car. This street is right next to MuseumsQuartier, with its numerous museums and is one of the largest arts and culture complexes in the world.

Among the many attractions in Vienna we must also highlight the following:

- Outer Castle Gate

- Heldenplatz

- Neue Burg

- Ankeruhr (Anker Clock), historic clock in Vienna, not as impressive as the one in Prague, but worth a visit.

- The Opera House (Staatsoper)

- Franz-Josefs-Kai

- Hundertwasser House

- Schönbrunn Palace and its gardens. To visit the magnificent and gigantic gardens there is no admission fee. If you want to visit the entire interior, the price is €22.

- Belvedere Palace and its gardens. Admission is free to visit the gardens.

In our opinion, the best is to visit the most important tourist spots in the city and then walk aimlessly through the streets. There you'll find small historic streets, super picturesque squares and discover fantastic cafes in Vienna.

If you like it, you can't miss the Vienna tea or hot chocolate (if you go in winter) and taste their delicious cakes.

In conclusion, we loved getting to know Vienna. It has a super positive, relaxed vibe and we really want to get to know it with the sun. It is a graceful metropolis with luxurious palaces, Renaissance, Baroque and neo-Gothic buildings and a historical and cultural heritage unique on the European continent.

Vienna is one of the cities that is also in our heart. If you can, visit Vienna and don't miss out on the opportunity to get to know it at night, where LGBT bars abound, mixing different styles for all tastes and ages.