Here’s why I fell in love with Vienna 

Let’s forget about travelling for a second: if you had to move to a new city, what factors would you look at? Safety? Population density? Restaurants? Since my job has started taking me to more and more European capitals, I have found myself trying to answer this question. No matter where I go, I am left amazed: Rome, Madrid, Ljubljana, Lisbon… And the list goes on. But of course, being a tourist in a city is very different from actually living there (even though many forget about this). There is one thing in particular that I have started noticing: the amount and variety of events happening in the city. In fact, after going to the same place over and over again, monuments and tourist attractions tend to run out… And in most places, unless you go there specifically for that festival / celebration, you will be left with nothing interesting to do. 

I have started to believe that events are what keeps a city alive… And what actually makes it interesting to live there. Vienna shocked me: I went there with zero expectations, not thinking much of it and it quickly became the city I was looking forward to the most. I have been there 6 times and I have managed to always have a great time, without ever visiting the Belvedere or the Hofburg complex! With all sorts of festivals, from music to coffee and beer, as well as local neighborhood parties, I have never felt bored in Vienna. They have a website where you can filter among hundreds of events happening in the city, by date and by interest: this has turned out to be one of the most powerful tools ever. Other cities have similar websites, but to be honest they aren’t as efficient.

Don’t get me wrong though: events aren’t the only positive thing about Vienna. It is also an extremely safe city, very liveable, with tons of history and an incredibly beautiful city center. It has parks, affordable public transport and an amusement park, just 15 minutes away from St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The food doesn’t compare to Italy’s… but a good schnitzel and a stein of beer never got any complaints! 

What do you think? Are events as important in your perspective? Or do you have a better criteria to judge by? In any case, you should text me to start planning your trip to Vienna.