Why Vienna is the World's Most Livable City | Must-sees in Austria's Capital

What's it like to spend a day in the most livable city in the world? Let's find out. I'm in Vienna, the Austrian capital. This amazing city is full of incredible buildings. My day is going to be filled with architectural highlights, local cuisine, and the world's oldest Ferris wheel. I'll also be meeting a local to find out why Vienna has been voted the most livable city in the world by The Economist. I'm starting my morning at the Stephansdom or St. Stephen's Cathedral. It's a major landmark in the city and isn't it gorgeous? The Gothic cathedral sits in the heart of the inner city and is the tallest church in Austria. I basically have to crane my neck to see the spires. Let's continue with a little bit of a walking tour of the city to take in some more amazing architectural highlights here. Like the huge opera house in the city center and multiple palaces, the Hofburg is just a few minutes away. It's the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty. You can also visit Schönbrunn Palace, the main summer residence of the Habsburg family. Vienna was once one of the powerhouses of European monarchy, hence why there are so many palaces in and around the city, more than 20. But they aren't the only architectural highlights. This crazy looking house is an absolute must visit. Covered head to toe in greenery and shrubbery, it's a little oasis in the middle of the city, the Hundertwasserhaus. Let's go check it out. It's one of Vienna's most visited buildings. So colorful. The Hundertwasserhaus is an apartment complex completed in 1985 after the idea of Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. People live inside this cultural landmark, so it can only be viewed from the outside. Cute little fountain, nice vibe. But it's an amazing place to walk around. I've worked up quite an appetite after all that walking around, so I'm heading to the Naschmarkt for lunch. This market has around 120 stalls with all kinds of food. Okay, there's so many different types of food here. Austrian, Italian, Israeli, but I'm searching for a proper Viennese schnitzel. Oh, here it is. Wiener schnitzel is a thin breaded and pan fried cutlet, traditionally with veal. Let's see if the Viennese schnitzel tastes better in Austria than it does anywhere else. That is very good. Now I'm meeting Lennart Pichler, a local who grew up here, to find out why Vienna is the most livable city in the world. For example, the public transport system in Vienna, it's a blast. It just makes your life easier. For example, you really don't need a car in the city. That's especially appealing to younger people, because there's no need for a car in here. Every single spot you can reach with public transport in like 40 to 60 minutes. Look at the surrounding, this is another one. You've got so many beautiful parks. The city just has so, so much to offer in so many different categories. And what are your favorite things about the city? Not only you can go to a park or enjoy the nature in summer times like this, but there are also so many things like cultural things, like museums or an art exhibition or something like that. The biggest museum is Vienna itself, in my opinion, because it's like an open air museum. If you go through and look at the architecture and stuff like that. In Vienna, there's a coffee specialty, which is called Wiener Melange. It's a little bit like a cappuccino. Wiener Melange, it means like wine yeast mix and the city Vienna is just a mix of different areas, different people from all over the place. And these differences are what makes the city so enjoyable and so exciting for me. It's a good metaphor. It's early afternoon now, which means it's the perfect time to visit one of Vienna's cultural institutions, the coffee house. Although the most traditional ones are also pretty busy, so you might stand in the queue for a bit. Café Demel has been around since 1786. It's elaborate, it's traditional, and to be honest, it's pretty expensive. It is amazing to see, but there are also many other wonderful cafes that aren't quite as busy or pricey. I try the Wiener Melange that Leonard recommended and get some Kaiserschmarrn too. Scrambled pancake. Delicious. Coffee in Vienna is like an art form and a lifestyle. You just have to buy a single cup of coffee and you can linger here the whole day in one of the city's grand old coffee houses. They're often described as public living rooms and they're the perfect place to just sit back, relax, and do a little bit of people watching. Now for my final stop of the day, Prater, a huge public park that used to be where royalty went to hunt. Now one corner of it has been turned into an amusement park. Did you know that this is the oldest Ferris wheel in the world? Seems like the perfect end to a wonderful day. Let's go. This is so worth a trip. You can see the whole city from up here. It's just such a beautiful city. I can 100% see why Vienna is so livable. I can spend days just hopping from coffee house to coffee house, walking through the streets, admiring the architecture. Perfect. Would you visit Vienna? And what other European cities do you want to see? Let us know in the comments.