The Habsburg capital at its most magnificent — grand imperial palaces, Klimt and Schiele at the Belvedere, Viennese coffee house culture that UNESCO has formally recognised as intangible heritage, and the Wiener Schnitzel.
Getting There
Fly into Vienna International (VIE). The City Airport Train (CAT) reaches Wien Mitte in 16 minutes. Within the city, the U-Bahn and trams cover everything; the 72-hour Vienna City Card includes unlimited public transport and museum discounts.
The Imperial City
Vienna is a city of superlatives accumulated over centuries of Habsburg rule. The Kunsthistorisches Museum (the art history museum facing the natural history museum across Maria-Theresien-Platz) has one of the finest collections of Old Master paintings in the world — Vermeer, Raphael, Rubens, Velázquez, and the world's largest Bruegel collection. Allow a full day.
The Belvedere holds Klimt's The Kiss and Judith — the originals are more vivid and more erotic than any reproduction suggests. The palace gardens are free and beautiful. Schönbrunn Palace is the summer residence — the rooms are lavish, the gardens are magnificent, and the hill above (Gloriette) has the best view of the city.
The Coffeehouses
The Viennese coffeehouse (Kaffeehaus) is a UNESCO-recognised cultural institution and it earns the designation. Café Central (in a former palace), Café Hawelka (unchanged since 1939), Café Landtmann (Freud's regular table). The ritual: sit for as long as you like, order a Melange (espresso with steamed milk) or an Einspänner (espresso with whipped cream), read the newspaper on the wooden rack, and be left entirely in peace. The price of one coffee buys hours.
Music
Vienna's classical music tradition is inescapable. The Vienna Philharmonic performs at the Musikverein — book as far in advance as possible. Standing tickets for the Vienna State Opera are available on the night for a fraction of seat prices and the acoustics are the same. St. Stephen's Cathedral has free organ recitals.
What to Eat
Wiener Schnitzel (veal, not pork, at the correct restaurants) at Figlmüller or Plachutta. Tafelspitz (boiled beef with horseradish and apple sauce — more refined than it sounds). Sachertorte at the Hotel Sacher, once, for the experience. Grüner Veltliner white wine from the Vienna Woods vineyards.
Posts from Vienna
Vienna's Coffee House Culture: More Than Just Coffee
The Viennese coffee house is a UNESCO-recognised cultural institution — part café, part living room, part private club. You can sit for hours over a single Melange and no one will disturb you.
Reviews from Vienna
Hotel Sacher Wien: Sachertorte and Old World Grandeur
The Hotel Sacher has anchored the corner of Philharmonikerstrasse and Kärntner Strasse since 1876. It occupies a position — beside the Vienna State Opera, across from the Albertina — that would be impossible to replicate. The hotel has been in the Gürtler family since 1934 and it shows, in the best sense.
Videos from Vienna
Vienna's Coffee Houses: An Institution That Refused to Modernise
Vienna's coffee houses are UNESCO-listed living heritage — places where you can sit for four hours over a single Melange and nobody minds. We visit eight of the finest and eat our body weight in Sachertorte.
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