2 Key Travelers

Our second day in Austria started bright and early with breakfast at the legendary Café Central. Even though we couldn’t snag a reservation, arriving early worked in our favor—the line moved quickly, and we were seated before the morning rush. Between the elegant atmosphere, the history dripping from the walls, and the perfect morning coffee, it felt like a very “Vienna” way to kick things off.

From there, we hopped on Vienna’s public transit for the first time. We found it incredibly easy to navigate, clean, and affordable—highly recommend getting familiar with it right away. Our destination? The stunning Schönbrunn Palace. Compared to the Sisi Museum, this was a huge step up. The audible tour made all the difference, giving us the kind of historical context that actually sticks (and doesn’t put you to sleep). The palace gardens seemed to go on forever, and tucked inside were a few labyrinths just begging for a little friendly competition. Craig proudly made it through all of them, Tazia shamelessly cheated during a maze race, and Tina? She just stood back and laughed at us running in circles like confused tourists. We wrapped up the palace visit with a low-key picnic, enjoying our Café Central leftovers while soaking up the view.

After soaking in centuries of history, we switched gears for something much more modern—and way less serious: the slide at Danube Tower. Before heading up, we stopped at Donaubräu for a quick snack. The food was decent, but the service could have used a little pep talk. Thankfully, the main event was right around the corner. At the top of the tower, the views stretched across Vienna and gave us a whole new perspective on the city. And the slide? Let’s just say some of us screamed more than others on the way down (not naming names).

Dinner was at Gasthaus Grünauer, and it ended up being one of the best meals we had in Vienna that we didn’t cook ourselves. Warm, welcoming, and downright delicious—this was comfort food at its finest. Bonus points to Tazia for going all-in on authenticity: the menu couldn’t even be translated, but that didn’t stop us from making bold (and very tasty) selections.

The night wrapped up with one of the highlights of the entire trip: the symphony at St. Peter’s Church. The setting itself was breathtaking, with music filling the historic church and echoing off the ornate walls. It was one of those “pinch me” moments where everything feels a little magical. Easily one of our top two experiences in Austria (yes, we actually debated the rankings).

It was a full day in Vienna, but that’s the magic of traveling with Tazia at the helm—every detail carefully planned, every stop thoughtfully chosen, and somehow still packed with food, sights, and plenty of laughter.

Reviews

• Café Central – 🔑🔑🔑🔑🔑
  
• Schönbrunn Palace – 🔑🔑🔑🔑🔑
  
• Donaubräu – 🔑🔑
  
• Danube Tower – 🔑🔑🔑🔑
  
• Gasthaus Grünauer – 🔑🔑🔑🔑🔑
  
• St. Peter’s Church Symphony – 🔑🔑🔑🔑🔑