Indulging Your Inner Princess in Vienna

Scene on the Graben

Blue Bar at Hotel Sacher

Horse-drawn carriage

People-watching at Café Oper Wien

Cake display at Demel

Hotel Pertschy

The nice thing about repeat visits to a travel destination is you feel less obligated to do all the touristy things like attend the symphony or visit museums. You've done most of it already, so you can move at a more leisurely place and get a better feel for living and lounging like a local.

In April I took my fourth trip to see in-laws in Vienna. I enjoy Vienna's charms more with each visit. I'm not sure if it's the type of city you appreciate more as you age, or if the city itself has become more tourist-friendly and ravishing to look at, or a combination. I did, however, find myself wandering the streets and sitting at cafés for hours in a sort of dreamy glow. I finally figured out it's because Vienna, for a tourist like myself, is like living in a fairytale. It's the kind of place you imagine existed long ago and far away in a charmed kingdom where horse-drawn carriages clip-clop down cobblestone streets and there is no end to the marzipan delights. Vienna has been voted one of the world's best places to live, and it's obvious why.

Again, this is my simple viewpoint as a Californian who didn't grow up among palazzos and towns boasting a proud history going back hundreds of years. So, for an Americana, Vienna is the place to go to indulge your inner princess. I spent a week sipping champagne in plush rooms lit by chandelier, nibbling whipped-cream covered concoctions in stately cafés, people watching at cozy coffeehouses and admiring beautiful things at every turn. It seemed like every other shop in the city center offered chocolates, gourmet treats, shoes or lingerie. And, Vienna loves dogs, so your precious pup is welcome almost anywhere, even restaurants. But if you become oversatiated by all this opulence and indulgence, there are countless intellectual inticements in this city of high culture: just choose your preference of gallery hopping, book browsing, museum gazing or opera.

We stayed at the Hotel Pertschy, an elegant, inviting bed and breakfast converted from an old baroque palace. It's located in the center of town, tucked away on a peaceful side street, just a stroll from Stephansplatz. Through your window, you could hear the horses clopping along the street below. I loved waking in that room each morning to see the pink ceiling overhead, the chandelier catching the light, feeling like royalty, wondering if it would be too gauche to have cake for breakfast.

There was no need to go out for breakfast because the surprisingly reasonable price of the room came with a delectable buffet that had me rising at uncharacteristically early hours. I've never had bread, cake and other baked treats like I've enjoyed in Vienna. Fresh rolls, grainy brown bread, fresh-baked semmeln, chewy pretzels, strudels and tortes, cake like we can only dream about here. Nobody does cake like they do in Vienna. We had a few memorable dessert moments, but our experience at the renown Demel was the pinnacle. An absolute must for cake lovers.

Other musts:

• Brezel-Gwolb for casual traditional dining in a quirky, gemütlich wine cellar (Rick Steves describes it as Tolkienesque)
  
• The Stadtpark (City Park) for afternoon strolling with the locals
• Historic Hotel Sacher's Blue Bar for cocktails and top-notch service in an all-blue salon
• Do & Co's Onyx Bar for drinks in a hip lounge with a stunning view of the awe-inspiring Stephansdom
• Dorotheum auction house for art and antique shopping (or to just browse)
• The Secession to view Klimt's magnificent Beethoven Frieze, with the Naschmarkt just a block over for fresh produce, ethnic foods, or a relaxed lunch
  
• Café Hawelka for coffee with the bohemian crowd
• Kunst Haus Wien to ogle Hundertwasser's eye-popping, ecologically-minded creations (there was also a fabulous Picasso exhibit when I visited)
  
• The Prater for old-fashioned amusement park fun, where you can ride the Ferris wheel made famous by The Third Man, visit the haunted house, or picnic on green meadows
  
• Julis Meinl for high-end gourmet gifts like designer water, 400 cheeses, fruit-shaped marzipan or imported sardines
• American Bar designed by Adolf Loos for martinis in moody surroundings done in luxe marble and onyx
  
• and pretty much any sausage stand for a quick beer and taste of local street food.

Whatever you do, don't forget your walking shoes. The best way to get the feel for any European city is to spend time roaming and getting lost.