24 Hours in Vienna: Before Sunrise Film Inspired Travel
- Moe
- Mar 25
- 4 min read
I had dreamed of visiting Vienna ever since I first watched Before Sunrise. This movie didn’t just make me want to book a trip -- it made me want to get on a train and fall in love with a city (and maybe even a stranger along the way).
Before Sunrise is a film about two strangers who meet on a train. Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is an American who has been traveling Europe by train and flying home out of Vienna, and Celine (Julie Delpy) is a French graduate student who is on her way back to school in Paris. They start talking, and eventually when the train arrives in Vienna, Celine gets off with Jesse. They spend 24 hours walking around the city talking about love, dreams, memories, death, and everything in between. I describe it as if a movie were a podcast.
So, when I was studying abroad in Athens, Greece and my roommates and I had a long weekend coming up, I found myself on the cheap European airline websites looking for plane tickets! My roommates and I mapped out a trip to Vienna and Budapest, and before I knew it I was visiting the same places Jesse and Celine had been in Before Sunrise!
Transportation:
- 🛫 Athens to Vienna: I am a frequent Ryanair flyer, but the cheapest tickets for this weekend were on Aegean Airlines. This was a great cheap alternative.
- 🚆 City Airport Train (CAT) to City Center: Apple maps is my life saver when I am visiting a new place! This is how I figured out what public transportation to take to get to my hostel in the city center. The CAT is around $15 one way, and I transferred onto the subway for around $3 per ride. This was super easy to navigate.
Also, I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking for my soulmate on this train.
Café Sperl
This Viennese Coffeehouse was built in 1880 and is one of the most iconic places in Before Sunrise! Beyond the beautiful atmosphere and movie nostalgia, the food was unlike anything i've had before. I ordered the homemade beef soup with thin sliced pancakes. In German, it's called Hausgemachte Tafelspitz Bouillon. Although a conversation with a stranger never happened here, I experienced it with my best friends, which is arguably even better.
Alt & Neu Record Store
Just a short walk from Café Sperl, endless vinyl's and magazines line the walls of this record store where Jesse and Celine listened to "Come Here" by Kath Bloom in the listening booth. This scene is my favorite -- its the longest silence with the most tension over the whole movie filled with constant conversation. It's like their silence says the most words.
I, however, was not silent because I was freaking out over how many vinyl's they had and how cheap everything was too!
Belvedere Palace
The gardens, the artwork, the stained glass, THE KISS -- everything about this place felt straight out of a movie. Vienna is the birthplace of Gustav Klimpt, a painter who is most famously known for The Kiss. Belvedere has a wide range of Klimpt's work, along with Van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir. Admission into the palace costs around $20 and it is available for walk in or online reservation.
St. Stephen's Cathedral
When I tell you this church took my breath away, I am not exaggerating! If you think the inside couldn't be as gorgeous as the outside, you'll have the same reaction I did when I stepped inside. It's Gothic architecture makes it one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever seen. If you are planning on visiting Vienna, make sure to stop at St. Stephens and take a few moments inside and outside to appreciate its beauty.
As the sun went down, we decided to grab some drinks. Here's where we went:
Sky Roof Garden
If you're looking for a place to grab a fancy cocktail with a skyline view, Sky Roof Garden is your place! It is definitely on the pricier side, but well worth the experience and the view of St. Stephens Cathedral at night.
Lookbar
If you're looking for a lowkey bar with cheap drinks and a younger feel, look no further than Lookbar. This was my favorite place we stopped for drinks. My friends and I got there early and were only one of two groups. It had comfy couches and a giant projector screen playing a movie. We left at one point to grab food, and when we came back, the place was filling up. The average drink was just under €4,00 and the vibes were immaculate.
Fladerei Slazgries
We stopped into Fladerei to grab food because it was just next door to Lookbar. They serve flatbread sandwiches and their own beer. To be honest, if I were to go again I would skip the flatbread and just get two beers because it was delicious!
So, that's how I spent my one day in Vienna. I visited the most popular filming locations from Before Sunrise, saw The Kiss with my own eyes, gawked at St. Stephens from a rooftop bar while drinking a pornstar martini, met a strange character named dougie pringle (great story for another day) and laughed with my best friends and roommates from study abroad. I would rate my day a 9.7/10.
If you are planning on visiting Vienna in the future, I urge you to watch Before Sunrise. This movie and this trip filled me with so much joy.
xoxo -Moe
Comments