The Kunsthistorisches Museum is Austria’s largest art museum. Its picture gallery houses the collections of the Habsburgs. There’s everything from Brueghel to Velásquez and Vermeer to Caravaggio. I especially recommend getting lost in the Egyptian and Near Eastern collection though.

One of the biggest parks in the inner city. When I was small, everyone would tell me never to go there, for it was considered the drugs-park of vienna. growing up I realised that it was mere exageration and this beautiful park became my favourite. there is the vienna river running right next to it, for sure it is not the cleanest, but for me it gives an amazing element of urbanity to the whole area. The river is loosing itself in a dark viaduct-like opening, and saga has it that in this tunnels at other times rave partys would take place. the park itself is beautiful, sourrounded by the city, with the fabulously hideous hotel intercontinental building, and the marble statues leading along the river, that changes it size seemingly daily, according to the weather, next to it you find one of vienna’s most beautiful cinemas, the gartenbaukino, as well as nice cafes, my favorite being the “das kleine cafe”. a wonderful experience is limited to summertime and made me often take the long way round when returning late night: you will find yourself in the middle of all kinds of animals lively running about, 5 hedgehogs, 7 rats, 12 ducks, one badger, mice and a heron. I love to find them there crossing the park.

There is one thing finally that is good about vienna’s small size, to reach the river danube and its two side arms in summer, when its boiling hot, takes only few minutes. All the life is transferred from the center to the river banks, swim and barbecue in summer, ice skating in winter. If you exit the subway at Neue Donau station you will see the small tower of viennas biggest mosque that is located on the danube island. You can go there and visit, if you are lucky, you will be offered dryed figues and dates and you can watch the prayers repose themselves lying on mattrasses in the cool.

Vienna’s 7th district, called Neubau, is one the city’s hippest neighborhoods. If you want to stroll along the trendy streets of Vienna, have a drink, do some shopping, grab a bite to eat than I would recommend to walk along Kirchengasse, Zollergasse, Lindengasse and Neubaugasse. Looking for some Austrian souvenirs? Here some suggestions: - Get a pack o freshly roasted coffee at the "Jonas Reindl", or "Kaffeefabrik" roasters/coffeeshop.  - Minus Plus hair salon produce their own organic hair products called „Less is more“.  - „Mühlbauer“ hat store is an over 100 years old family business, with a great choice of handmade hats and headgear.  - At „Geschirr Niessner“ you can get one of the famous pastel enamel pots from Riess, manufactured in Lower Austria. - „Sonnentor“ sell organic teas and herbs grown by Austrian farmers. You’ll find plenty of nice coffeeshops and small restaurants along the way.

The Werkbundsiedlung in Vienna is one of those places where you can study how people (aka famous architects) in the past imagined the “modern way of living”. While walking through this housing estate you can soak up the unique atmosphere of something that is both historic and thought-provoking for the future at the same time. (Photo: Bwag/Wikimedia)