In the footsteps of Sisi

In love with Christmas and the atmospheres created by coloured lights and snow, we decided to set off for one of the destinations best suited to enjoying the festive season: Vienna! The city is superbly decorated as befits its "imperial" rank and any palace or monument gains charm thanks to the marvellous Christmas markets made of beautiful wooden huts, strategically placed in the points of greatest historic and tourist interest. In front of the Rathaus (City Hall) for example, there's the largest market, which drives children crazy with the "enchanted" decorations on the trees. Red little hearts, sweets, elves and so on hang from them! The pastry shops are at their most splendid, windows overflowing with sweets (sacher tortes and giant doughnuts first of all) and on every corner are the kiosks offering punch to warm up, packed with people chatting and drinking.

Besides its Christmas dress, the extraordinary beauty of the city obviously remains and its many attractions can't be seen in 2 or 3 days. You'd need to stay at least 4 full days. As a lover of the story of Sisi and Franz Joseph, I went to see the Hofburg (the winter imperial residence) and Schonbrunn (the summer one). On the Internet you'll find everything you want about it. I'll just confirm that they are pieces of history that "speak". And then at the Albertina Museum there was the Schiele exhibition (whose works aren't suited to a public that's easily scandalised). Not to be missed is the Belvedere, both for the beauty of the palaces and gardens and obviously for the artworks it holds, from Klimt to Kokoschka etc. To get a general idea of the city, it's very useful to take a ride on tram 1, which runs around the Ring.

We stayed at the Hotel Hydn, excellent value for money, located on MariaHilferStrasse, very central and near the metro. You can book without leaving a deposit, just your credit card number. I absolutely loved the baked potatoes sold in the streets for €1/1.50, ideal and cheap for filling a hole, and also the würstel cooked on the spot and sold together with rye bread. For any info just ask me but...go to Vienna!