‘Wien’ read the road sign as we whizzed past it on our way from Budapest. We were inching closer to our final destination, UK, and deeper into Central Europe. It took me a second to realise we were now close to Vienna. The City of Music, and one of the richest and most beautiful cities in Europe. Awaiting us was Vienna’s ornate architecture, ballrooms in all their grandeur, cosy cafes and the never-ending wealth of things to do and see.

When we drove into Vienna city, we were immediately struck by how regal everything around us looked. Perfectly mowed gardens, perfectly growing trees – which is beyond me, broad roads – lanes for cars, buses, cyclists, trams and also a pedestrian walkway. It was perfection.

Here is a quick round up of the wonderful sights we saw during our day spent in Vienna.

Hofburg Neueburg

Hofburg – the Imperial Palace – was at the centre of the Habsburg empire until 1918.Today it is the official seat of the Austrian President. Neueburg is the newest wing in the palace, completed in 1913, and is house to the twin museums, Kunsthistorisches Museum – the Museum of Art History and Naturhistorisches Museum – the Museum of Natural History.

Hofburg Neueburg in all its grandeur

Hofburg – Imperial Palace

The mighty and majestic Hofburg Palace sits in the heart of Vienna, with sprawling manicured gardens around it.

There is so much to see inside the Palace, the many state rooms especially the Kaiser Apartments, the silverware collection is amazing and the collection of the royal crown and jewels.

If there is time for only a few places you can see in Vienna, Hofburg should be right at the top of your list.

Historic Centre of Vienna and Kaerntner strasse

Walking along the cobbled streets of Vienna, alongside the horse carriages trotting about makes you feel like you have gone back in time.

Cosy cafes sit alongside hip restaurants, shops selling curious and the ultra chic boutiques and designer labels in the Golden Quater, the Viennese jewelers sitting pretty in the Kohlmarkt area, everything looks picture perfect.

Kaerntner strasse is the perfect street for shopping.

It is easy to walk around in this area as it is pedestrian zone.

In the backdrop of the shopping street is St Peters Church – a baroque Roman Catholic parish church. It has a very bright and ornate dome which is unmissable.

St Stephens Cathedral

This cathedral is the symbol of Vienna and is one of the most popular attractions in Vienna. It stands at 138 meters tall and has a ornately patterned tile roof.

The magnificent towers of the cathedral have long dominated the skyline of Vienna and are one of the many highlights of the cathedral.

On the north side, is the coat of arms of the City of Vienna and Country of Austria, while the south side has symbol of the double headed eagle from the Austrian Empire. We didnt go up the steps but when you do, you get expansive views of the city of Vienna

Stephensplatz

Opposite St Stephens Cathedral is Stephenplatz, a shoppers paradise with all the high end fashion brands alongside Viennese cafes and the famous Hotel Sacher. We walked in the direction of the Vienna Opera House, another impressive building with its history set back in the mid 19th century.

After all the walking done, we were seriously in need of some sugar. When in Vienna you cannot be too far from an patisserie or chocolate shop. Gerstner wowed us by their display window with the famous Sacher Torte – a chocolate sponge cake with a layer of apricot jam all topped up by rich chocolate icing.

And to add to it, we then ended up sampling some truffles too – just to be sure we have had our dose of chocolate for the day.

We ended our short pit stop in Vienna on that very sweet note promising to return to the City of Music soon.

Next stop was Salzburg and awaiting us was the rich Austrian countryside and a sneak peak at the Alps.