Vienna, Austria | Accidentally Wes Anderson

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It’s no mystery why Vienna is voted the most livable city in the world. There is a charm about this city that is undeniable. Best known for its imperial architecture, world renown museums, and a long lasting tradition of musical arts, Vienna has something for everyone. Our only regret is not staying longer.

Hotel Sacher

This five-star hotel experienced highs and lows over its 144-year history, but the one constant has been its signature Sacher-Torte cake.

Few hotels are as renowned for their amenities as they are for a single desert. The trifecta of chocolate, apricot jam, and whipped cream known as the Original Sacher-Torte has become synonymous with Vienna’s culinary culture, and made the Hotel Sacher a global institution.

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Philharmoniker Str. 4, 1010 Wien, Austria

Albertina Museum

Former palace that houses one of the largest print collections in the world.

A residence of the royal Hapsburgs for about 100 years, the Albertina Museum derives its name from Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen, who lived there sometime in the late 1700s and founded the graphic art collection between 1770 and 1822. His heirs expanded the collection until the demise of the monarchy, at which time the museum passed into state control. The museum houses approximately 65,000 drawings and 1 million master prints, as well as modern graphic works, photographs, and architectural drawings, including works by Monet, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, Dürer, Rembrandt, and more.

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Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Wien, Austria

Vienna Clock Museum

Inside one of the oldest houses in Vienna, about 700 clocks tell the story of over 500 years of clockmaking in Vienna and around the world.The museum’s collection includes several unique pieces, including a clock the size of a thimble and the original clock mechanism of St. Stephen’s cathedral, dated from 1699 and weighing nearly a ton. Of particular note is an astronomical clock made by a monk in the 18th century, which tells not only the time but planetary orbits and solar and lunar eclipses. Every hour on the hour, all 3 floors of the museum resound with the sound of hundreds of clocks chiming.

Schulhof 2, 1010 Wien, Austria

Kunsthistorisches Museum

Largest art museum in the country, built to help house the Hapsburgs enormous art collection.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum, often referred to as the “Museum of Fine Arts,” is the largest art museum in Austria. It was also subject to a round of confiscations following the end of World War I, and the largest art theft in the country’s history.

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Maria-Theresien-Platz, 1010 Wien, Austria

Spanish Riding School

A traditional Austrian riding school for Lipizzan horses that dates back to the 1500s.

The Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria, is a traditional riding school for Lipizzan horses, which perform in the Winter Riding School in the Hofburg. It is a center for classical dressage and is the oldest of its kind in the world. The headquarters is a tourist attraction in Vienna that offers public performances and they also allow public viewing of some training sessions.

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Michaelerplatz 1, 1010 Wien, Austria

Prater Amusement Park

Welcome to the second oldest amusement park in the world. Though historic Prater still exists, today it is now a modern amusement park, with over 250 attractions, including roller coasters and a virtual reality horror train. Entrance to the park is free – visitors pay per ride, with prices varying per attraction.

1020 Vienna, Austria

Wiener Riesenrad

The iconic Giant Ferris Wheel aka the Riesenrad, built in 1897 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Emperor Franz Josef I, is a symbol of the city and one of its most popular attractions. One of the oldest working Ferris wheels in the world, a ride on this wheel offers views across Vienna from within a piece of its history.

1020 Vienna, Austria

Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station

This Otto Wagner-designed former station of the Viennese Stadtbahn was saved from demolition by public outcry.

A Monument to both an artistic movement and the man who promoted it, the Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station is a work of art. The above ground structures are well-known examples of Jugendstil architecture, the artistic style of the Vienna Secession movement of the late 19th and early 20th century.

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Karlsplatz, 1040 Wien, Austria

Vienna State Opera

Austrians took pride in this opera house. After a bombing in 1945, the building was reconstructed, and performances were broadcast on national television.

Preserved since its 1869 inauguration, the Renaissance-style arches of the facade overlook Ring Road with the statues of the two riders on horseback: Erato’s two winged horses led by Harmony and the Muse of Poetry. Transverse wings perpendicular to the main opera house were originally used as driveways for spectators’ horse-drawn carriages.

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Opernring 2, 1010 Wien, Austria

Naschmarkt

The roots of the Naschmarkt go back to at least the 18th century, when it was a farmers market consisting mostly of milk and produce. By the 18th century, any produce arriving in Vienna by cart had to be sold here, though things arriving by boat could be sold on the docks. Goods from around the globe poured into the market with the official name “Naschmarkt,” meaning “munch market” appearing in 1905. Today, the market has multiple restaurants and a flea market on the weekends, and is a popular place to people watch.

1060 Vienna, Austria

Palmenhaus Schonbrunn

This Victorian-era palm house is home to over 4,500 plant species cultivated from all over the world.

Measuring in at over 109 meters long, 29 meters wide, and 25 meters high, the Palmenhaus is a massive marvel of architecture composed of steel and glass. Made up of three sections, the central pavilion contains a temperate Mediterranean climate where the palms are planted. The right annex is a hothouse, home to tropical plants, and the left annex contains a “cold” section.

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Burggarten 1, 1010 Wien, Austria

Österreichische Galerie Belvedere

Formerly the summer residence of an Austrian prince, this Baroque palace was one of the first public museums in the world when it began displaying artwork in 1781.

The museum’s vast collection gives an insight into the country’s long art history. Housing the world’s largest collection of Gustav Klimt’s paintings, it includes such prominent works as The Kiss (1908/9) and Judith (1901). Key works of French impressionism and Viennese Biedermeier art are also exhibited.

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Prinz Eugen-Straße 27, 1030 Wien, Austria

Josefsplatz

This public square in Vienna features a monument to Emperor Joseph II and is surrounded on all sides by historic buildings.

Considered one of the finest courtyards in Vienna, Josefsplatz (English: Joseph’s Square) is centered on a full-sized equestrian statue and monument of Emperor Joseph II, erected by sculptor Franz Anton von Zauner between 1795 and 1807. Modeled on the statue of Marcus Aurelius on Capitoline Hill in Rome, the statue was commissioned by Emperor Francis II who, from the age of 16, had been raised under the supervision of his uncle, Joseph II. The depiction of Joseph II as a Roman conqueror, dressed in a toga and a laurel wreath, reflects the Habsburg belief that they were descendants of the ancient Roman emperors.The square is surrounded by beautiful and historic buildings on all sides, including the National Library, the Augustinian Church, and the former Imperial stables.

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Josefsplatz 2, 1010 Wien, Austria

Austrian National Library

The State Hall of the Austrian National Library was built from 1723-1726 to house the ever-expanding and impressive collection of the Habsburg empire. Designed by the same architect who built Schonbrunn Palace, the impressive baroque hall is crowned by a dome and decorated in intricate frescoes and ornate wooden scrolling. Venetian globes and statuary dot the halls, whose core collection is the comprehensive library of Prince Eugene of Savoy. Be on the lookout for secret doors in bookshelves!

Josefsplatz 1, 1015 Wien, Austria

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