We liked it so much that we purchased the sheet music, brought it home, and had it framed for his room. It's still one of my favorite souvenirs - not because it was expensive or elaborate, but because it is completely tied to a specific memory from our trip.

From there, we continued our music education at Mozarthaus Vienna, touring the apartment where Mozart lived during part of the 1780s. The exhibits moved through different pieces of his life and Vienna's musical history, giving us more context for the composer beyond simply recognizing his name and music. Classical music enthusiasts will probably appreciate the details on an entirely different level, but we still found the visit interesting and informative. There is something fascinating about standing in the home of a world-renowned composer and learning more about the city and period that influenced his work.

Our final deep dive into Vienna's history took us to Schönbrunn Palace. The palace makes an impression before you ever step inside - the massive building and grounds immediately hint at the scale of the royal family and dynasty you're about to learn about. During warmer months, visitors can explore more of the gardens and maze, but our Christmas visit looked a little different. Market stalls filled the area outside the palace, so we spent our time between the Christmas market and an indoor tour.

Going in, we knew very little about the Habsburgs or their role in Austrian history. That changed quickly. We chose an audio-guided tour that allowed us to move through the palace at our own pace, listening to the history and stories connected to each room. I found myself much more absorbed than I expected to be - learning about the royal family, studying the artwork and furnishings, and understanding why certain rooms looked the way they did. Perhaps just as impressive: we made it through with a two-year-old.

With our son strapped into his stroller, he was surprisingly cooperative while we worked our way through the palace. The entire visit took us a little over two hours, and while I certainly wouldn't claim every toddler will happily tour a royal palace, ours gave us enough time to genuinely enjoy the experience.

Vienna ended up feeling very different from Budapest despite how easily we paired the two cities. Budapest gave us river views, bridges, and a history we hadn't fully understood before arriving. In Vienna, we found ourselves learning much more about the city's royal and musical history than we expected. Add in some of our favorite Christmas markets in Europe, and it was a city that gave us far more to explore than we initially expected.