‘Prost’, Vienna, I’m glad I gave you a whirl

(That’s how Austrians say “cheers”, to clear up any confusion)

Boarding the train from Budapest for the two-plus hours journey to nearby Vienna, I was still fresh from having spent New Year in the Hungarian metropolis. Unfortunately, time was of the essence as I had only two whole days in the Austrian capital. Is writing a feature about such a short visit even fair? I mean, how much can you really fall in love with a place within these limited timescales?

Quite a lot, as it turns out. With Vienna having recently been voted the most livable city in the world for the second year in a row, it’s a heavyweight contender that punches way above the proverbial. So here we go with that place some bloke called Mozart used to call home.

First, let’s get the one big disappointment out of the way. I was promised spectacular scenery during this train ride. The only problem was it was dark so I couldn’t see a thing. Okay, nothing Vienna could do about that, so yeah, you got me, I’m nitpicking for the sake of it. But that’s the first and last time, promise! Speaking of disappointments, certain internet sources would have you believe that the locals are an unfriendly bunch. This was totally unfounded as far as my trip went. A little reserved maybe, but in no way unfriendly – and why would they be living here?

The locals love their coffee as much as any other city, so much so that it’s become a lifestyle. The only problem is that the best cafés are full throughout the day, to the point where you may have to queue outside. If coffee doesn’t mean that much to you then there’s plenty of less popular outlets, but do try some while you’re in Vienna; it’s seriously good. In fact a lot of the food and drink are way above par, particularly the bratwurst sausages, which are served up as street food all over the place. There are plenty of cracking restaurants serving up traditional Austrian cuisine at reasonable prices, and, much like Budapest, more Italian joints than you can shake a plate of spaghetti at.

If your tooth is on the sweet side, then you’re in luck. King of Austrian desserts is the sachertorte, a decadent dark chocolate sponge cake with apricot jam in the middle; a deluxe version of the jaffa cake, you might say. Personally I found it a little on the dry side, so I’d have to give the award to apfelstrudel, but this is all subjective stuff. Strangely enough, there were no sightings of Viennese whirls – has Mr Kipling been lying to me all these years?

Some words of warning to the unaccustomed: cash is king. In fact many outlets will have ‘cash only’ displayed on their door. This applies mainly to bars and cafés, as restaurants are a good bet for cards. Whilst it’s the norm in many big European cities, don’t expect English to be spoken here, there and everywhere. A lot of tours are in German only, and whilst you’ll be able to get by without it, it’s best to be armed with a little of the lingo (not to mention appreciated).

To say Vienna is pleasing on the eye is an understatement, and your head will be spinning with spectacular buildings at every turn. A lot of the streets seem like they’ve come straight out of a chocolate box in wintertime, and yet despite looking a lot like Christmas, it’s never a sickly chocolate box, just a bunch of magical, fairytale settings. There’s not enough room to do all of Vienna’s numerous tourist attractions justice here – plus they’ve been covered countless times before- but it is worth pointing out that if you’re a budget traveller, there’s plenty of freebies. A stroll around Lichtenstein Park and its jaw-dropping palace is ideal for starters.

All of this and poor old Mozart’s only had a quick name check! You can get your fix of the most famous Austrian of all-time with a classical concert at the Mozarthaus, or, for something more leftfield, the ‘Mythos Mozart Multimedia Experience‘. And finally, do open up to the present-day inhabitants; they’re better company than Google would have you believe. “Prost” to that, Vienna.