What started out as Brian’s serendipitous discovery of the US Medical Soccer Team turned into us jetting off to Austria for the World Medical Football Championship ’23 and falling in love with a city we never knew was on our list. Here’s a look at the weekend and what we loved about the our time in Austria:

What we loved

Accommodations & Getting Around:

• We stayed in Vienna’s 10th district, right near Belvedere. It was a spacious place (included a small kitchen and laundry), with easy access to the public transportation and a quick 7-ish minute walk to Belvedere Palace. We loved venturing over for a morning walk or run when it opened at 6:30 am – we had it all to ourselves!
• IF we were going back just the two of us and not with a group, we would probably try to find accommodations either in the Neubau area (7th district) or Leopoldstadt (2nd district). The Innere Stadt (or City Center, 1st district) was pretty touristy and hectic, so we would avoid that area if we were to go back.
• Public transit was super easy to navigate once you understood that there were a few different systems. We made our way through the city mostly using the Trams, U-Bahn (underground rail system), and buses – feeling lazy with just one Uber ride. Before we arrived, we downloaded the WeinMobil app to buy a 7 day transportation pass, but honestly ended up primarily relying on good ol’ Google maps to find the best mode of transportation and route.

Food:

• Cafés & Brunch
  • Alderhof: One day we café hopped around Neubau – our only criteria was to find cutecutecute little cafés that were outdoor. This place had great chai and matcha lattes (love), cocktails, and little cakes to snack on.
  • Erich: More outdoor VIBES (indoor vibes weren’t bad either)! Such a cute cobblestone corner and equally great food – we loved the French Toast, Benedict, and fresh juices.
  • Ramasuri: We loved this whole street and ended up going back later in the week for more. Again – yes with the cobblestones. This place had great healthy options (a nice schnitzel break). The Thai Mango Papaya Salad and BBQ Pulled Chicken were YUM. The gnocchi also looked incredible.
  • Feierabend: This was another place that we stumbled upon after first breakfast. It featured a cute indoor seating area and a handful of pre-made sandwiches and pastries.

• Dinner
  • Motto am Fluss: We love a good rooftop…and this one just happened to be right along the canals (insert heart eye emoji). We went there for dinner one night and drinks another night, and loved both. We signed on for the summer bowl, vegan burger, and a few fun cocktails. We also heard the brunch was amazing, and would definitely go back.
  • Makka: When in doubt, find Sushi! We mostly avoided the city center while we were there BUT we did venture to Makka, which was just north of the madness and surrounded by a few other great outdoor options. The menu wasn’t huge, but we had some fun and colorful insta-worthy rolls.
  • Spelunke: We couldn’t resist a good hearty pasta and burger type of meal, and that’s exactly what we got out of this spot. Along the canals, it had both indoor and outdoor seating and SURPRISE turned into a vibey disco DJ dinner as the night went on.
  • Mochi: This was the perfect last night dinner for us. Sushi again, because how could we not and got a ton of appetizers and shared sushi roles for the table. And of course, we couldn’t wrap up the night at Mochi without some delicious Mochi desserts.

Activities:

• Naschmarkt: The market that never ended! Seriously, this may have been one of the largest outdoor markets we’ve ever been to. Whether you’re on the lookout for endless baklava treats, fresh fruits, creamy artisanal cheeses or just want to have a good café sit and people watch, this was a great activity to add to any day.
• Nussberg Wineries: Anna talked everyone’s ear off about spending a day at the wineries in Nussbert, and on our last day IT FINALLY HAPPENED. The area is ~40 minute train ride from Vienna or ~20 minute Uber and may or may not require a little bit of walking to actually get to the winers (depending on your drop off point). We started out at the top of the hill at Mayer am Nussberg for some snacks and wine, then ventured down the road stopping at a few others along the way, like Wieninger am Nussbert. The last one we passed must have been THE CUTEST little spot, with only a few patrons and some live music we wished we would have spent more time here. Could not tell you the official name of this one, but took a picture of a sign that read Verein zur Föderung des historischen Weinbaues in Österreich – if you google it it looks like you can search for directions to it.
• Palace + Church Selfie Tour: We stumbled upon a lot of Palaces and Churches as we were exploring different parts of the city, but you could definitely explore several of these in one day and make into a selfie walking or bike tour. We thought Belvedere Palace had the most beautiful architecture, but also loved the gardens at the Schönbrunn Palace.
• Day Trip! We ventured to Salzburg, but honestly there are so many great day trip options that you could put on your list. Salzburg was about a 3 hour train ride from Vienna, and we primarily stayed in the city, ventured to Mozart’s home, and checked out the city from above at the Fortress Hohensalzburg. If we had more time, we would have loved to explore Untersberg (you can take the cable car up for some great views of the mountains, ~20 minutes from the city center) or Hallstatt (really cute village on the lake with 16th-century Alpine houses, ~1 hour from Salzburg).
• One thing to keep in mind when you’re planning is that Vienna wasn’t the necessarily an early rising city. With the jet lag we were usually up and adam around 6 am, just to find the city still sleeping and shops still closed. It seemed like most things opened around 9 / 9:30 am on the weekends, and some shops and restaurants were closed all together.

Other day trips we considered: Prague, Czech Republic (~4 hour train from Vienna), Budapest, Hungary (~3 hour train from Vienna), Bratislava, Slovakia (~1 hour train from Vienna)… I guess we’ll have to go back!