Discover Vienna with me! Part 1

You should probably know that my mom lives in Vienna so I am quite familiar with the city as I spend there a few weeks every summer (since I was five!). I have a lot of useful information for you so if you are planning a visit (and you definitely should!) feel free to ask me. I really love Vienna and its atmosphere and history, there are so many wonderful places to see - historic buildings, parks, churches, castles... The best thing is that I am actually here in Vienna right now! I am really pleased with how it turned out because it seemed like this would be my first year that I wouldn´t be able to get here and even though I can´t be here a week or two as I am used to, I am happy to be here at least for extended weekend.
I don´t even know where to begin, I have so many photos for you. Today I decided to hack around the city centre.





Thinking about it, everything exciting begins with the Opera, situated at the beginning of the pedestrian zone. You really cannot miss those sight-seeing buses for tourists...

The pedestrian zone is one of my favorite places to shop - there is everything, Mango, the biggest Zara, souvenir shops... If you know where to go you will also find the most luxurious shops like Hermes or Marc Jacobs.

And first tip that I am going to give you is actually stopping by Swarovski - seriously, check it out, it is always amazingly decorated. Pity that I don´t have a picture of their representation of Swan Lake, it was beautiful.

It´s always fun to wonder around the area, there are many narrow streets so it´s up to you which one you decide to explore. I did that today and I came across this fountain and church - never saw them before!

Those streets are also perfect if you want to find small, more specialised shops.

Say hi to my new friend Pinocchio! (Obviously this picture was taken a long time ago, different clothes and hair... :D )

Shop with gorgeous hand-made jewellery. Well, you can see me here too :D I don´t know how to snap decent photos while window shopping...

Here is one representation of traditional austrian folk costume

Before we get back to the main street I would like to show you this particular picture - don´t you think that contrast between this monk and modern city is interesting? 

This is how it really looks around here with all the people. Erste bezirk (fisrt district) is always crowded, especially during weekends.

Stephansdom is a must-see for all the visitors. If you want to know more information about this most important religious buliding in Vienna, click HERE. Once inside Stephansdom be sure to take part in catacombs tour, all information needed is listed HERE. Btw, it wasn´t always this nice, it´s newly renovated. Yesterday when I was looking at it I was wondering why it looked so different - it´s the colour! It used to be so much darker, almost black. Everytime I get a chance I stop by and admire this breathtaking piece of architecture.

And now we are getting closer to Hofburg, the former imperial residence. It´s still the place where crowning jewels are deposited - you can buy a ticket and see them with your own eyes. You also get to see imperial apartments which is great because I am sure you have already heart about Sissi and Franz Joseph. Plan your visit HERE.

The first thing you see is actually this fountain:

Hofburg in its beauty.

Hofburg (and Stephansdom) is the place where you can catch your own carriage.

From the inner courtyard of Hofburg you get to see Naturhistorisches Museum (Museum of Natural History of Vienna) and the city hall.

This is already a very long post so next time I will show you where to find the most luxurious shops, where to rest (it´s important for your feet trust me :) ), where you can taste the best dessert ever, which museums to visit... and many more! 

Hope you enjoyed my pictures, have a nice day and see you soon :)

                                                                                                    xo, Aneta

P.S. All photos were taken by me and my very unprofessional digital camera :)