After visiting the most famous and important attractions, it is time to discover some hidden gems in Vienna. To be honest, the capital of Austria is so well-kept, that it’s easy to discover amazing places off the beaten path.
We planned a clever path through the city, to visit new places and just pass by the classic sights that we already knew: from the Belvedere down to the Ring, strolling along towards the left by the Hofburg, the Parliament, and the Rathaus, until the Votive Church; then back through the Jewish streets to St. Stephen’s Church, getting lost in the streets, and finally dinner around Schwedenplatz.
Continue your trip with our 5-day itinerary by car through Austria: there is so much more to discover!
St Charles Church
Our first stop was St Charles Church, one of the masterpieces of the Austrian Baroque style (entrance 8 euros).
Our first comment was: they squeezed the dome! Indeed, it is oval-shaped. The second comment was: cool, a lift to the top! Indeed, it looks like there are restorations going on, but it is just a horrible elevator in the middle of the church. But it is absolutely worth it: it’s just amazing to have a close up with the celestial paintings on the dome, and to take in every single tiny brush that composes that masterpiece.
If you’re in Vienna in November or December, make sure check out the Christmas Market in front of Karlskirche! Read more about the Vienna Christmas Markets here.
Austrian National Library
Our next stop was the Austrian National Library (7 euros each).
Its State Hall was absolutely magnificent. Remember the library from Disney’s “The beauty and the Beast”? Well, put Baroque glowing frescoes on the ceiling, an unbelievable collection of books from the 1500s to the 1800s, a hidden passage, and four enormous historical-geographical globes.
I was literally jumping from one side to the other (luckily the ropes kept me away from the actual books), trying to read the titles, imagining scholars during the past centuries coming in with candles and poring over books written centuries before by monks and philosophers… Absolutely marvellous.
The Ring Avenue on foot
Even though we already knew the Ring Avenue, our stroll along it was much more interesting with a book guiding you through the centuries. We left the very imperial Hofburg, a wide and imposing statement of Baroque power; we passed in front of the twin museums, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Science Museum, with their neo-Renaissance squared sturdiness surrounding the statue of Maria Theresia; further on, the Parliament boasts a Neo-Ellenistic style complete with an Athena statue in front of it; close by, the Rathaus is a Neo-Gothic marvel of acute arches and windows reaching up to the central tower. And all of them were built in the same period, between 1770 and 1790! We finally went inside the Neo-Gothic Votive Church, still quite dark and dusty outside, but very vertical and neat inside, illuminated through vivid stained glass windows.
Upper Belvedere Museum
Cultural Sunday morning at the Upper Belvedere Museum, which houses a collection of Austrian painters. The palace was built by/for the Prince Eugene of Savoy.
For 13 euros, you will travel through a fascinating exhibition in a gorgeous Neo-Baroque building, ranging from incredibly realistic Medieval religious altarpieces to incredibly detailed natural paintings, until quite recent masterpieces from the 19th Century in Biedermeier, Romanticism and Impressionist style. The contrast between the baroque period and the early 1900s is striking: the first boasts the tiniest details of clothes texture, waterfall foam, rays of light, while the latter is upsetting, broken and confused.
My favourite was the visionary Klimt: “Lovers” occupied a whole wall, in its majestic, bright and glittering details, and next to it there is “Judith”, desirable, inviting and slightly scary.
Hauptbahnhof Main Train Station
The Hauptbahnhof Main Train station is relatively new, especially compared to the rest of Vienna’s city centre.
The white geometric roof resembling a cardboard cloud was a great first impression of modern architecture in the imperial city par excellence (return tickets from Budapest: 29 euros each).
Vienna off the beaten path
There is so much more to discover in Vienna! For example, these wonderful rooftop bars. They’re on the bucket-list for our next trip to Vienna!
What surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments!