Vienna - Schönbrunn, apfelstrudel and schnitzel

Most people come to Vienna to shop. Or to visit the Christmas market and the museums. Whatever the reasons Vienna is full to the brim with tourists from all over the world in any given day. Are Austrians happy with it? Not so much since they are not the warmest people on the planet. Still, tourists support the economy.

Vienna has a ton of attractions. Everywhere you turn, there is a palace. The buildings in the city center are a couple of centuries old. Architecture is amazing if you stick to the center. The rest of the city is just like any other one, crowded, noisy and not so spectacular.

The city center, especially the Ring which is in fact the old city, is a very nice place to visit. You can walk from one attraction to another or take the Ring tram. Close to one another there is the Opera, Hofburg Palace, National Library, Albertina Museum, Stephansdom, Rathaus (City Hall), Parliament, National History Museum, Kunsthistorisches (Art) Museum and so many more.

But usually when people come to Vienna they have Schönbrunn in mind. You cannot blame them since it is featured in any Vienna guide you can put your hands on. Beside that it is way outside the city center, from my perspective it is overrated.  You cannot compare its architecture to Hofburg palace or Belvedere. I may be partial to Belvedere since it was near my house for a long time and a favorite walking place, but it looks really good and has splendid collections. Klimt's 'Kiss' is a constant.

Schönbrunn was designed as a summer house for the emperor since it is in the woods and its main attractions are the park and the zoo which to be fair, are rather nicely maintained. Still, to visit it, the zoo and the gardens, you need half a day. Just the trip from the city center with the metro is ~15 minutes, plus another 10-15 minutes walk from the station to the palace.  Then, to go around the park which is not small, you need to go uphill, so be careful with the weather forecast. If it is raining or windy is a rather shitty experience. Best to visit in spring or autumn since in the summer you can have  40 degrees direct sun to melt your brains and in the winter the wind freezes your bones no matter how many clothes you put on.

You can have an apfelstrudel (apple pie) there as a part of a Strudelshow and see how it is made. If you just want to have an apfelstrudel and save you the trip, there are a couple of pastry shops in the city center that used to serve the emperor in the old days, so I assume they have proper recipes and standards.

One of them is Gerstner who is in the confectionery business since 170 years. Really long time. You can find the classic recipes there: Sachertorte, Linzer torte, Klimt torte, Dobos torte, Sissi torte and a variety of strudel, cupcakes and tarts just to name a few. One of their location is just across the Opera.

The second one is Cafe Sacher Wien, the mother place of the Sacher torte. You stay in line to get a place at the table and you pay a little over 7€ for a slice of cake with a large dollop of whipped cream. Been there once, and it was enough. Maybe it is me. I have a different taste in cakes and dry cake simply does not do it for me. Or to be more precise dry, horribly sweet cake does not do it for me. I like soft cakes, with cream, mousse, whipped cream, fruits, syrup, you know, normal things.

On Sacher cake, no matter how much whipped cream I put on I still feel like I get diabetes and need half a jar of pickles just to wash the sugar off. Again, is a personal taste but Sacher cake is by definition a dense chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam, covered in chocolate glaze. Do not expect moisture and creaminess.

For lunch or dinner though, the classic schnitzel is an option. There are a lot of recommendations of where to eat on TripAdvisor. Figlmüller or Plachutta are excellent choices. Schnitzelwirth, close to Mariahilferstrasse, a hot spot for shoppers, is a trap. Oily schnitzel, rude staff, long waiting line, generally bad food and service. Still, ranked very high on Tripadvisor, God knows why.

Plachutta is a top alternative for dinner or lunch and while it may not be a cheap option, the food is amazing. Professionalism at its best and excellent recipes. One of Austrian classic foods is Tafelspitz, a favorite of Emperor Franz Joseph I. It is one of the most expensive beef cuts, boiled and served with vegetables, spinach, fried potato rosti, chive sauce and horseradish with apple sauce. Super tasty and for its price, ~ 30€, you are full. You can have schnitzel or other various Austrian cuisine, all cooked to perfection.

Just for the schnitzel experience, you can go to Figlmüller, for a higher class service, or for something more rustic, in a place a little way off the city center called Leopoldauer Alm.

At Figlmüller you get a perfectly measured 30cm schnitzel, nice and crispy.

The price is reasonable, ~15€ which is not bad considering their tradition and carefully maintained recipe.

At Leopoldauer Alm, which is an XXL restaurant they go overboard, so you go there if you are really hungry and have a healthy appetite and haven't eaten all day. There for 32€ you have schnitzel plate for two and frankly, you need four people to finish it or two very hungry men. Or, if you are really bold, you can go for their daily challenge and eat an XXL burger (1.5 kg) in max 50 minutes and get 100€ plus no charge for the food.

There are many things to see and experience in Vienna that you will not find in any travel guide. The best places do not find the need to advertise much. As a rule of thumb you should go and eat where locals go, the rest are tourist traps, overpriced and of questionable quality. Advertising is everything these days.