Vienna is such a wonderful city, with such a vast history and so much to see. If you only have one day, however, a visit in Vienna is still worthwhile.
My friend and I just had about a day in Vienna when we were there a few weeks ago. The activities I mention below I found to be the perfect mix for every visitor no matter if you have never been there, been there a couple of times (like myself) or even lived there (like my friend).
A place to wander…
First of all, I want to encourage anybody visiting Vienna to take the time to wander and let yourself get lost (especially in the 1st Quarter). Vienna is such a city, where you can keep wandering around town for ages and see something else marvelous around almost every corner.
The great thing in Vienna is, that you can see most of the major attractions by foot without covering great distances. If your legs get tired though, they have a great public transport system there. The latter is super efficient and quite cheap comparable.
If you do, however, are looking for some cornerstones for your (one-day)trip to Vienna, I recommend the following.
Naschmarkt
The first day on your trip should be the Naschmarkt. The Naschmarkt is named after the word “naschen”, which means nibble. When visiting the Naschmarkt you get to try all sorts of different food from the different booths. This can even make up for a proper breakfast.
The food and drink are fresh and smells delicious. We had some freshly squeezed pomegranate juice and it was not only healthy, but absolutely tasty.
Also, the atmosphere is very special there in the morning. There are not too many people around, you can watch the merchants get ready for the day, and the light is absolutely amazing.
View from St. Stephen’s Cathedral
When visiting a new place, I always look for a place with a view to get a good overview. This way you can see what else you may want to take a closer look at and what to keep in mind for the next visit 
In Vienna the best place to do that is to go up the tower of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. From the top you have a wonderful view over Vienna in all directions. To top it of: its 343 steps make for a nice holiday-workout.
The tower is open daily all year round. With 5 Euros (6 Dollar US), entrance is really affordable. For more information just click here.
Museumsquartier
Next you can go the Museums Quarter. Here you can have lunch at this lovely wee bistro called CORBACI for example. It serves great food with a great view in a great atmosphere.
They focus on serving fresh regional produce, which is always important for me since it is more sustainable that way both by avoiding long transportation and therewith CO2 and it supports the local economy.
After lunch, you can have a siesta on one of those very comfortable green benches and decide which of the great museums in this quarter you want to visit or just watch the world go by.
This quarter offers something for every era and taste. There’s even a museum just for children. Check this site if you need some inspiration. We decided to visit the Leopold Museum since it exhibits a lot of Austrian classics like Klimt and Egon Schiele. Also they had a special exhibition with the Heidi Horton collection, which was absolutely amazing!
Walk through the Hofburg
Right next to the Museums’ Quarter is the majestic Hofburg. Built in the 13th century, this massive palace was the seat of power of Austria’s Habsburg dynasty. Nowadays, it hosts several museums and exhibitions, as well as being the official workplace and residence of the president of Austria.
If you are in Vienna just for a day it may be enough to stroll through its courtyards and gardens and take in the atmosphere of different times. It is such an impressive complex, you can imagine yourself in Sissi’s time only by looking at it from the outside.
Dinner at the….
If you do wander around a bit rather than just staying on the tourist trail you can find loads of great wee Restaurants and Bars all over the place. There is such a vast selection of great Restaurants offering regional specialities, go on and have a try!
We ended up the Melker Stiftskeller and I can tell you, I never had such a great “Zwiebelrostbraten mit Erdäpfelspalten” (steak with onions and potatoes) in my entire life. True, I was a vegetarian for almost half of it. However, this means I only eat meat when I can be sure it is absolutely worthwhile. And this was!
Keep wandering!
Vienna is a place where you can wander without worry of safety or actually getting lost. So that´s just what I love to do. What are your favourite things to do in Vienna?
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