We went in January when around 5-10 inches of snow was falling, adding to my picturesque Sound of Music image of the country and really making the experience all the more perfect.
For a capital city, Vienna is the absolute perfect blend of hustle and bustle and quaint and cute. Stand in the centre of Hofburg palace and you'll feel like you're in the 1800s but walk 5 minutes down the road and you're on a street of Haute Couture shops that wouldn't be out of place in New York.
In a different strand to my usual blog style I'm not going to list out an actual itinerary but rather things that you can mix and match to make up your perfect 24 hour period in Vienna.
My favourite activity in Vienna involves taking the train out to Schonbrunn Palace grounds. From the centre, the train takes about 25 minutes and doesnt cost much. The grounds themselves, once the imperial palace, are very impressive both inside and out. The main house is huge and ornate and beautiful and there are guided tours of the palace instead but if you are tight for time, wander around the grounds. The back of the palace looks on to a not so steep hill leading to the gloriette, make your way up it to reach the gloriette (equipped with a cafe to treat yourself to something sweet for your troubles) and a breathtaking view of the city. Surrounded by the trees and greenery of the Schonbrunn grounds it's hard to believe you're standing in a Euopean capital city- it's any Maria fan's dream come true. Walking along from the hill you arrive past the maze ( a hilarious activity only in the summer time when the trees are lush; if you're visiting in winter you can spot the exit through the trees, not exactly a challenge!) and arrive at another one of my favourite Viennese hotspots- Tiergarten Zoo. 
I know, I know, as a vegetarian and someone who is famously anti pet, by all intents and purposes I shouldn't like zoos but I love them (probably because they involve no actual animal interaction). Tiergarten is the oldest zoo in the world and it does not disappoint, from Giraffes and Polar bears to lazy free roaming sloths (true story) there's a little bit of everything. You can even go pet some farmyard animals in a farm like setting and take a tree top walk over the zoo and see all the animals from the heights. Normally a zoo visit as part of your trip would break the bank but not here, you can even buy combo tickets and double up on sights- like the Ferris Wheel! I would reccomend spending 2-3 hours in the zoo, with all the animals and the treetop walkway, thats more than enough time!
Speaking of the Combo ticket, I would more than reccomend buying the combo with the ferris wheel and heading over to there. Get the line to Praterstern, in the Leopoldstadt distrcit and walk over to the wheel. The wheel itself is located in the wierdest little, pseudo-Disney type area, with Madame Tussauds, indoor rollercoasters, funhouse and other carnival type things. If those types of thing are your jam then definitely spend the rest of your day, but in my opinion, there's stuff like there everywhere and if you're on a short trip then stick to strictly Viennese activities. The Ferris Wheel or Reisenrad, is one of the oldest in the world and you can definitely tell. The carriages, fitting 8 people in, are wooden and the whole thing looks ecaxtly like it's straight out of a postcard from the 1900s.
I would reccomend following suit from our trip and heading for a spin around sunset. Not only can you actually hire out a 'dinner' carriage for a romantic meal for two but during the 15 minute rotation, you can watch the sun set over all the different parts of Vienna which is somehting really magical. It is from the Reisenrad that you will really understand what I mean about the perfect blend of quaint and modern, from the very shaky top (not for those with a nervous stomach or afrad of heights!) you can spot tiny wooden houses slotted in between tall skyscrapers. Although the ride only takes less than half an hour, I'd reccomend an hour for the whole experience and to let yourself get educated in the little museum at the base of the wheel.
Heading back into the centre of Vienna, there is the Belvedere palace, home of Gustav Klimt's 'The Kiss'. I will warn you that unlike many muesums in cities throughout Europe, those in Vienna are not free and also not very cheap. For students, those who purchase the Vienna card (definitely reccomend if you plan on using the public transport-and trust me, you will!) and those over 60, there are a number of deals going but generally they are not budget-friendly. Despite all of this, the Belvedere is worth a visit. The grounds are absolutely stunning, filled with beautiful statues and sculptures (a running theme throughout Vienna!) and even without going into the museums, the gardens and botanical gardens that border the grounds are very easy to get lost in (in a good way not in a panic way!). We were lucky enough to be there when the snow was freshly fallen and it was gorgeous!
From the Belvedere it is very easy to get into the town centre and visit many of the other museums, such as the Natural History Museum, Kunsthistoriche and the Jewish Museum. There is something for everyone but if you are tight for time I would pick two maximum in order to do them well. The Kunsthistoriche alone took us 2 hours to walk around and I STILL think there are parts we didn't see! The Jewish museum on the other hand, is pretty small but very very interesting. The Holocaust memorial outside is easily identified as it is in the shape of stacks of books, representing all the books burnt in the war. The museum is split into two buildings about a 10 minute walk apart and are a must see in my opinion for anyone who is interested in WW2, poignant and sad but fascinating.
In the very centre of the city is St. Stephans Cathedral , which is definitely more ornate outside than inside but worth taking a walk around, though be careful of your timing as entrance is very limited during hours of mass/service. A noticable trait of the cathedral is its magestic tower whichh you can climb for 5 euro. All 420 steps. I don't think I was fully aware of how unfit I was until I climbed up but from the top looking down it's so worth it! You can peek out over the city from between the gargoyles and pretend you're in an Austrian version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and stand in the spot where the old bell was rung every day for mass. In typical ancient church fashion, the steps are very very old and worn and there's only a tiny passageway for both incoming and outgoing foot traffic so if you're in Vienna when its very rainy, maybe give it a miss! Depending on how fit you are/ how long you are enraptured by the views, I would say no more than 2 hours for this sight. 
Coming into maybe the biggest (both in reputation and size) sight in the city: The Hofburg. Personally, I don't think you can even really class this as ONE thing becuase you could easily spend 24 hours exploring all the different parts. From the gardens to the chapel, the library and the treasury, there are hundreds of things to do within the complex. One thing though, that you can't miss is the Spanish Riding School. I have to confess, despite what I said earlier about not liking pets I LOVE horses and the ones at the Spanish Riding School are absolutely fantastic. With the Vienna card you get a discount on both the morning performance and the tour and though both are great, the morning performance is what you need to see. The level of training of both the horses and riders 
is incredible and even the venue will wow you. It's so crazy to think the commitment these men and women put into becoming riders in show for the stallions, they need to start at maximum 16 as a groomsmen and only can ride in show after 10 years of training minimum!!! The horses themselves don't have it much easier, they are all selected and bred very very carefully and have to have a certain look and most importantly, only the best behaved stallions make it into the ring. Though not necessarily a budget activity, the Spanish Riding School is a Viennese institution and you would be a fool to go to Vienna and not at least check it out.Food and drink wise: Schnitzel and austrian sausage are everwhere but the best ones are usually in little cafes or in the stalls on the street. Buy 10000 pastries for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the Anker shops dotted about the city or in Aida. Anker is famous for its savoury treats whereas Aida is 100% the place for a a slice of Apfelstrudel or two. Beside Belvedere palace, there is an amazing (albeit slightly expensive) coffee shop which has amaretto coffee to warm you up after a cold mornings sightseeing and delicious ginger biscuits to dunk in.
Night time in Vienna can get quite expensive but we discovered a really cool little venue called Tunnel, not for from Rathausplatz which has a mix of traditional Austrian food mixed with other types, cheap beer and live music. It's definitely not touristy though, noone speaks English! There are also lots of amazing places for pizza and pasta throughout the city, evidently cuisine that's been brought back from when Italy was under Austrian rule and let me say, they do it well.
So there you go, enough spots to visit to keep you occupied in 24 hours. It was so hard for me to choose specific things for an itinerary but im sure I'll be back to my usual format for the next blog. Aufwiedersein!
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