2023 Mini-Retirement Update: Vienna II

Good morning!

I hope this finds you well.

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As I write this, I am sitting in an Airbnb in a quiet neighborhood of Budapest.

It's gloomy and raining outside, but the Airbnb is well-lit with plenty of natural light.

While I didn't come to Budapest to sit in an Airbnb for most of the day, I am comfortable and happy to be somewhere other than New York City.

Budapest is an exciting city and we had a great time when our friends from Scotland joined us for several days.

But in today's newsletter, I want to focus on Vienna.

I spent 2 weeks in Vienna, and after the first few days, it slowly became one of my Top 3 Favorite European cities to visit.

To give you some perspective:

Unlike the overstimulation of NYC, Vienna is a relatively quiet place.

You don't hear sirens, construction, or any of its public transportation.

The city is clean and not overly crowded with tourists.

It's an extremely chill city I could easily spend a month in (next summer, I just might).

If there's one city I encourage you to visit, it's Vienna.

Here are 9 reasons why:

1) Wine hikes

You can take several different wine-walking (more like hiking) tours.

The one we took involved a rigorous 1 - 1.5 hour walk (hike) up a hill/mountain.

Once on top, there were 3-4 wineries to sit, relax, and enjoy a glass of wine with spectacular views.

Our favorite was: Sirbu am Nussberg.

Pro-tip: take a taxi to the top of the mountain and work your way down.

2) Dining in biergartens

There are plenty of parks throughout Vienna.

Many have biergartens where you can sit, relax, and have a coffee, a drink, and food.

Explore the city to find your favorite.

Our favorites were: Café Resselpark & Stöckl im Park.

3) Classical music concerts

What better place to see a classical music concert than Vienna?

Vienna is the birthplace of legendary composers including, but not limited to:

• Mozart

• Strauss

• Schubert

There were several performances, and the one we attended was surprisingly good.

(Thanks for the recommendation Ahad!)

4) Schnitzel is served everywhere

Vienna is the city to be in if you're looking for schnitzel.

Almost every restaurant throughout Vienna serves schnitzel (a breaded cutlet of veal, pork, or chicken).

Seriously, you can throw a rock in any direction and hit a restaurant that serves schnitzel.

We ate schnitzel at least three times.

Tourists will flock to Figlmuller for schnitzel (which is good); however, our favorite was served at Café Resselpark (one of the best restaurants we ate at).

If you’re looking for something other than schnitzel try The District Kebab or Pinsatore (a phenomenal pizzeria).

5) Dessert at Schloss Belvedere

Vienna is famous for its Sachertorte: a chocolate cake with a dash of apricot jam.

The café at Schloss Belvedere not only serves Sachertorte but other delicious desserts as well.

Pair your dessert of choice with a coffee or espresso, and your sweet tooth will be satisfied.

6) Save money by not eating out every meal

Grocery stores in Vienna are relatively inexpensive and provide various breakfast options.

Go shopping, stock up on food, and enjoy coffee & breakfast in your hotel or Airbnb (hopefully on a balcony).

Do go out for dinner every night.

7) The trams will take you (almost) everywhere

We explored the city by walking from our studio apartment in the morning and then took the tram back in the evening.

The tram stop was around the corner from our apartment.

For destinations a bit further away, jump on a tram.

Download the tram system map on your phone so you know how to go from Point A to Point B.

Pro-tip: you can buy tram tickets on the tram.

8) You & your SO don't have to do everything together

I don't typically travel to Europe to sightsee.

My SO, on the other hand, loves sightseeing.

Pro Tip: go your separate ways for a few hours.

9) Search: "best Vienna cafés to study in" on Google maps

This is one of the best things I did!

I tried this as we walked out of our apartment one morning because I was looking for a café to sit in, relax, and read a bit (plus, most cafés serve beer).

I found a heavy concentration of cafés in a part of the city we had yet to explore.

That was our destination for the day, and exploring that part of the city was great.

Why?

Very few tourists in an area well worth spending time in.

Plus, I found a café where I could sit and read for hours: Das Café.

This is a strategy I'll apply to every European city I visit in the future for not only finding cool places and neighborhoods to hang out in but also for accommodations.

That's it for now.

I have a little under 2 weeks left to explore Budapest.

I'll report back next Tuesday.

Until then, I hope you're enjoying your summer as much as possible.

Interesting read:

San Francisco was too expensive so they moved to Spain and bought a beautiful house for $50,000.

Thanks for reading!

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