Daily Daydream: Vienna's Crown Jewel

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's traveled to all seven continents, jumped out of planes, and bungeed off bridges in the pursuit of a good story. She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and all things adventure.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Boston.com, TripAdvisor, Buzzfeed, Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog, and others.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "Earplugs. A good pair has saved my sleep and sanity many times!"

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro.

Travel Motto: "Don't be boring."

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle (when the first class private suite isn't available)."

E-mail her at cteel@smartertravel.com.

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The Hofburg Imperial Residence and Palace of the Arts is Vienna’s crown jewel. Housing everything from literal crown jewels to world-famous horses, you can’t miss this massive complex.

The most famous residents of the Hofburg are the Lipizzaner stallions. These pure-bred horses are trained here at the Spanish Riding School, and you can watch their exercise sessions for a fraction of what it costs to see them perform. (The stallions tour around the world doing dressage and other skills.)

Inside the Hofburg you can see the world’s largest papyrus museum, the imperial treasury, and even an art nouveau butterfly house.

Where is it? Vienna, Austria. Fly to Vienna International Airport (check prices).

Where to Stay? In the boutique design hotel Bali House that was built in the 19th century and has just 25 rooms.

What Else Should I Know?If you want to see the horses, don’t come on Mondays or anytime July through August, when the horses are away.

Who’s it For? Anyone who visits Vienna—it’s practically a mandatory stop!

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