Austria's capital is not only popular with travelers from all over the world but also with the Viennese themselves. Time and again, Vienna has been voted the city with the best quality of life.
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00:00 What's it like to spend a day in the most liveable city in the world?
00:04 Let's find out!
00:06 I'm in Vienna, the Austrian capital.
00:09 This amazing city is full of incredible buildings.
00:12 My day is going to be filled with architectural highlights,
00:16 local cuisine and the world's oldest Ferris wheel.
00:21 I'll also be meeting a local to find out why Vienna has been voted
00:26 the most liveable city in the world by The Economist.
00:30 I'm starting my morning at the Stephansdom, or St. Stephen's Cathedral.
00:35 It's a major landmark in the city and isn't it gorgeous?
00:39 The Gothic Cathedral sits in the heart of the inner city
00:44 and is the tallest church in Austria.
00:46 I basically have to crane my neck to see the spires.
00:50 Let's continue with a little bit of a walking tour of the city
00:57 to take in some more of the amazing architectural highlights here.
01:01 Like the huge opera house in the city centre.
01:07 And multiple palaces.
01:12 The Hofburg is just a few minutes away.
01:15 It's the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty.
01:18 You can also visit Schönbrunn Palace,
01:21 the main summer residence of the Habsburg family.
01:25 This crazy looking house is an absolute must visit.
01:29 Covered head to toe in greenery and shrubbery,
01:32 it's a little oasis in the middle of the city.
01:34 The Hundertwasserhaus. Let's go check it out.
01:37 The Hundertwasserhaus is an apartment complex completed in 1985
01:46 after the idea of Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
01:51 I've worked up quite an appetite after all that walking around,
01:55 so I'm heading to the Naschmarkt for lunch.
01:57 This market has around 120 stalls with all kinds of food.
02:02 Okay, there's so many different types of food here.
02:07 Austrian, Italian, Israeli.
02:11 But I'm searching for a proper Viennese schnitzel.
02:20 Oh, here it is.
02:22 Wiener schnitzel is a thin breaded and pan fried cutlet,
02:27 traditionally with veal.
02:29 Let's see if the Viennese schnitzel tastes better in Austria
02:37 than it does anywhere else.
02:39 Now I'm meeting Lennart Pichler, a local who grew up here,
02:49 to find out why Vienna is the most liveable city in the world.
02:53 For example, the public transport system in Vienna.
02:56 It's a blast. It's especially appealing to younger people.
02:59 Every single spot you can reach with public transport in like 40 to 60 minutes.
03:04 And what are your favourite things about the city?
03:07 Not only you can go to a park or enjoy the nature in summer times like this,
03:12 but there are also so many cultural things,
03:15 like visiting museums or an art exhibition or something like that.
03:19 Vienna is one of the top cities.
03:21 In Vienna there's a coffee specialty which is called Wiener Melange.
03:25 It's a little bit like a cappuccino.
03:28 Wiener Melange means like a mix of Viennese and the city.
03:32 Vienna is just a mix of different areas, different people from all over the place.
03:36 And these differences are what makes the city so enjoyable and so exciting for me.
03:43 It's a good metaphor.
03:45 It's early afternoon now, which means it's the perfect time
03:49 to visit one of Vienna's cultural institutions, the coffee house.
03:53 Although the most traditional ones are also pretty busy,
03:57 so you might stand in a queue for a bit.
03:59 Café de Mel has been around since 1786.
04:04 It's elaborate, it's traditional and, to be honest, it's pretty expensive.
04:09 It is amazing to see, but there are also many other wonderful cafés
04:13 that aren't quite as busy or pricey.
04:16 I try the Wiener Melange that Leonard recommended
04:19 and get some Kaiserschmarrn too.
04:21 Scrambled pancake. Delicious.
04:23 Now for my final stop of the day, Prater,
04:28 a huge public park that used to be where royalty went to hunt.
04:32 Now one corner of it has been turned into an amusement park.
04:37 Did you know that this is the oldest ferris wheel in the world?
04:41 Seems like the perfect end to a wonderful day.
04:44 Let's go.
04:48 This is so worth a trip. You can see the whole city from up here.
04:54 Oh, it's just such a beautiful city.
05:02 I can 100% see why Vienna is so livable.
05:06 You can spend days just hopping from coffeehouse to coffeehouse,
05:10 walking through the streets, admiring the architecture.
05:13 Perfect.
05:14 (upbeat music)