Somehow, I’m having a hard time finding words to describe my time in Vienna. Yes, it was pretty. Yes, the architecture was amazing. Yes, the Stephansdom cathedral and the Kunsthistorisches Museum brought me to tears. But other than that — Vienna and I didn’t really click.

First glimpse of Vienna

There are cities you love at first sight: Lisbon was such a city for me. And Hamburg. And Dublin, Berlin, London, Prague and Budapest are cities that I’d travel or even move to in a heartbeat.

It took me a while to understand what makes me love a city: A mixture of old and new, ugly and beautiful. A city I fall for needs water close by, hills for spectacular views, and gritty neighborhoods with funky independent shops and graffiti. I like a city that is a bit rough around the edges and I like falling in love at second (or even third) sight sometimes.

One of Vienna’s most famous churches – the Karlskirche 

Vienna however is flat — and not only literally. For me, Vienna felt like it lacked a little spice. Yes, it was super pretty. But I longed for the city to have a little more street art and a few more buskers.

Maybe I wasn’t in the right neighborhoods, maybe not every city has to become my favorite place in the world — and that’s okay.

Because one thing I can say about Vienna that it is extremely photogenic. Late August light and impressive imperial architecture are certainly an easy motif.

Schönbrunn Palace — the home of my childhood princess dreams

The imperial Schönbrunn Gardens 

Vienna from (slightly) above at the Gloriette

Town hall towers

Inside St. Stephen’s Cathedral

Inside the Kunsthistorisches Museum — the reason I came to Vienna in the first place

Golden Hour at the Karlsplatz

The arches of Vienna town hall 

#fromwhereIstand fancy-town-hall-lamp shadow edition

Belvedere Palace

Belvedere mirror selfie 

Have you been to Vienna?
How did you feel about the Austrian capital?