Austria

Vienna

At this point we’ve been to a lot of European cities and didn’t know how different Vienna would be from the rest.  But when we got here we were blown away by how unique it was from the other cities we’ve been to. The cream colored buildings, classical baroque and Art Nouveau architecture makes the city feel classy and elegant. We are so happy we made a stop here!

The city itself is pretty big, so we decided to rent a scooter to explore it a little faster and find the areas we want to get back to later. We couldn’t get far before we had to stop and take pictures of the beautiful architecture (which is EVERYWHERE). Once we went around the city, one of the locals told us we had to go up to Kahlenberg for the best view of the city, and well, listening to the locals is a must.  We stopped by a cute little village for some coffee on our way up called Salmannsdorf, which could be a destination of its own.  The colorful streets are lined with cafes and boutique shops bustling with locals and tourists. When we finally got to the top of the mountain (our destination) we realized why we were told we HAD to come here. From up here you can see the city, the beautiful rolling hills and and vineyards below. There is a cafe, gelato shop, and a pretty nice restaurant at the top too.

We spent the rest of our time in Vienna wandering the streets, admiring the architecture, eating delicious food, lounging at the classy cafes, people watching and enjoying every second of it.  

We celebrated our 5 year anniversary on this trip and we wanted to make it special, so one of the days we did a photo shoot with Aschaaa Photography. We mostly wanted to capture the beauty of the city so we decided to do it in the city center. Agata was so sweet and knew exactly where to take the photos, which turned out perfectly.  

What to do:

• Parliament building
• St. Stephen’s Cathedral
• Rent a moped and visit Kahlenburg- viewpoint of Vienna
• Maria Treu Church
• Do a photo shoot with Aschaaa Photography!
• Schobrunn Palace
• Belvedere Palace
• Ride bikes down to Donaulsle
• Kunsthistorisches Museum
• Walk through Old Town
• Mariahilfer Strasse- longest shopping street
• Vienna State Opera
• Hofburg imperial Palace
• Michaelerplatz- beautiful plaza

Where to eat:

• Leones- best gelato
• Central Cafe- really cool experience
• POC
• Sussmund Kaffe
• Jonas Reindal
• Le Mercerie
• Le Bol
• Nashmarkt- delicious falafel sandwiches

Where to stay:

• Le Meridian or anywhere on Karntner Ring
• Close to Old Town (Innere Stadt)

Presegersee

Like we do in most countries, we went to the countryside to relax a bit after exploring a large city which is fun but pretty draining. Alex found a cute one bedroom aparthotel right on the lake, with incredible views! Included in our stay, we had access to a spa that was nestled by the in the mountainside about 2 miles away from where we were staying. We definitely made good use of it, just know the people here are pretty serious about their saunas and well, not wearing anything when in them (and they will let you know!). The owner of the aparthotel was very nice and came down to introduce himself. He also said there was a sauna on the top floor that we could use. At first we were hesitant but when Alex went up to see it, he said we will definitely be using it, with amazing views of the lake and the mountains, we were there every evening.

After a few days of relaxing we decided to explore the region a bit more.  We found a road that led us up a mountainside with a lot of hairpin turns that eventually brought us to tiny summer villages, used by farmers who heard their cattle. Once we got past any any sign of civilization we were greeted by wild horses, a sight we never expected or thought we would ever see! There were so many horses everywhere, Alex and I were mesmerized. There were horses grazing, some were galloping through the water, and others were tending to their colts. We will never forget that experience. We continued past the horses and made it to the very top of the mountain to a small village that has one little cafe (only open during the summer months). 

The weather was on and off during our stay here but one day in particular it was pouring rain for most of the day. Right before sunset, the rain stopped and the most beautiful sunset was being projected over the lake, double rainbow and all.  It was something out of a fairytale. We quickly grabbed our cameras and ran out, along with the other guests of course.

We had such a great experience in Austria, we will definitely be back to explore more of this beautiful country in the future.

Where to stay:

• Schluga Hotel

What to do:

• Hike near Hermagor
• Go to the Alpine Spa on the Shluga grounds
• Drive up the Austrian Alps

Where to eat:

• We had a full kitchen and were so excited to cook a homemade meal so we barely went out.
• There is a restaurant owned by the Schluga Hotel that serves pretty good food

To learn more about the travelers, click here.