Gothic Drama - St. Stephen's Cathedral

Have you entered to win this 7-day paid trip to Austria yet? Here are my five favorites for first time visitors to Vienna, Austria:

Stephansdom – St Stephen’s Cathedral is dramatic, gothic and impressive with its dark stone and colorful tiled roof. Originally a Romanesque church was built here in 1147 before that was destroyed by fire and a gothic cathedral was begun in 1359. The church was reconstructed after severe war damage during WWII. Be sure to check out “Old Steve” its 450-foot north tower. And while you are there, over at the south tower and a small fee, you can climb 343 spiral steps for a killer view of the city from the top.

Spanish Riding School – Vienna’s Spanish Riding School is the world’s oldest and only riding school that cultivates classical horsemanship and horse riding. It owes its name to the Spanish horses – the world famous highly trained Lipizzan stallions! One of the most fun things to do, especially if you are traveling with children is to book tickets to watch the riders take their stallions through their morning exercises.

Everyday at 10:00 am, except for Mondays, their riders put the white Lipizzan stallions through their paces, with music in the background. The primary objective is to maintain the horses’ health, as well as to build up various muscle groups that are necessary for performing the exercises of this elite school. You can book your tickets online.

Café Central – This is the perfect place to put down your guide and pick up a hot cup of coffee. Café Central is famous for being the meeting place for social commentary and heated political discussions. Sigmund Freud, Lenin, and Leon Trotsky were regulars at this café, spending so much time here that they got their mail delivered here. Considering some of the regulars I see at my local Starbucks, I should ask if they offer this service too.

This is my favorite since the staff definitely doesn’t seem like they will blink an eye if you raise your voice, which I’ve been known to do while arguing over the latest headlines coming from Fox and CNN.

Karlskirche – Completed in 1737 St. Charles’s Church is my favorite in Vienna, next to St. Stephen’s. This baroque church is simply awesome. I sat and stared at it for a full ten minutes when I saw it the first time on Karlsplatz (“Charles’ Square”). You can’t miss the dome and twin pillars. The architecture of this Catholic Church fits in so perfectly with its surroundings and since the renovation of Charles Square, this is a nice place to stop while out sightseeing. It is on the way to the Museum of Art History.

St. Charles's Church in Vienna, Austria

Kunsthistorisches Museum – With breathtaking collections this Museum of Art History is on par with the Louvre in Paris. You can see masterpieces from Rubens, Rembrandt, Raphael and Vermeer. A great gift shop for postcards and you are walking distance to the Museum of Natural History, where the cutest elephant statue currently welcomes you out front while inside in the Dinosaur-Hall you can see a Tyrannosaurus Rex head.

Photos by Sharon Castellanos