I’ve been in Vienna few times already, but my last trip truly inspired me. Maybe because I found many cool spots, which I would like to share with you in this post, or maybe because it’s time for changes and Vienna just showed me some new possibilities?
During my weekend trip, I stayed in the II district, which was really good choice due to numerous of great shops, little bars and overall really calm atmosphere. It’s just a stone’s throw away from core city center (Stephansplatz) yet not so touristic and noisy.
On Friday, I celebrated my birthday in one of the nearby bars – Hammond. Relaxed vibe, great ambiance and perfect cocktails, that’s how I can describe this place in three words. Cozy interiors and super friendly bartenders and you do not need anything else to enjoy your evening (still wish to have this type of service in Budapest, maybe one day before my death). You can smoke inside (like in majority of places in Austria, actually) but it was not really disturbing. You should definitely check out this place, once you will be in II district (Taborstraße 33//Ecke Große Pfarrgasse).
On Saturday morning I was dying to get a strong coffee though. Instead of drinking famous Vienna cappuccino, I went to ultra cute Italian coffee/gourmet food store, where I did not only get delicious blend but my eyes witnessed perfect interior. Monte Ofelio shop offers many great Italian vines, cheese and many types of ham. So basically being in cold Vienna you can feel a bit of Italian sun. And those two guys who work there? Super nice and very talkative! (Obere Augartenstraße 70).
Another great place which I found in this district was Strictly Herrmann (Taborstraße 5) – which operates as a concept store with many type of products only for men. This place looks like a dream, so many cool things which guys can buy, starting from various design clothes, books, posters, home decor, perfumes and any other products you can imagine. This place offers only high quality items, so guys won’t be disappointed.
You can also grab free magazine, purely devoted to men – Vangardist. Of course as a girl I read it from cover to cover. Many interesting articles, some pages devoted to fashion, lifestyle and design. Strongly recommend to check it online.
If you are there, you should pop up to another place (just next door), which offers furniture and home decor items. Wohndesign Maierhofer has a lot of high quality pieces in its portfolio. I felt in love with their velour armchairs! Such a crazy color palette. Not to mention lamps (since I am searching the perfect one nearly 3 years..). Worth to check it, you never know when you might need a new couch!
From II district we moved to Naschmarkt, located at district VI, where the real fun begun. This place is a great food market, where you can buy fresh fruits and veggie along with fish, cheese, you name it. Market is surrounded by many little bars and restaurants, so nobody will leave this place with empty stomach. Beautiful buildings are just in front of you (I kind of found my dream apartment near this place).
When you go a bit further, you will reach VII district, which is in my view the best part of Vienna. So many great bars/coffee shops/designer boutiques, that it was quite hard for me to leave this area.
Once again, I visited one of my favorite bar there – Liebling. Industrial interiors, great electronic music and delicious food, was pretty much all what I needed. Sometimes, you need to wait quite a bit for your order, as staff there is not the most organized though. Still very creative atmosphere and music make me coming back to this place (Zollergasse 6).
You will find another lovely spot in this area: Espresso (Burggasse 57). This coffee/breakfast/lunch place has great decor too and delicious food! Their omelette tastes like heaven! You can read some good magazines and enjoy the laid-back atmosphere.
I think that 7 years of living in one place (Budapest) it’s quite a lot, especially for people like me. Maybe its high time to look for another destination?
“Doesn’t matter where we’re headed because some of us were built to roam”
