Vienna Travel Guide: Coffee Houses, Imperial Palaces & the Best of Austria's Capital

Vienna is one of Europe's grandest cities — a former imperial capital where monumental architecture, world-class music, legendary coffee houses and cutting-edge contemporary culture coexist effortlessly.

The Coffee House Tradition

Vienna's Kaffeehäuser are UNESCO-recognised cultural heritage. These aren't just places to drink coffee — they are institutions where you can nurse a single Melange (coffee with frothed milk) for three hours, read the newspapers, and nobody will hurry you.

Essential coffee houses:

• Café Central – Stunning high-arched hall in a former bank; once frequented by Freud, Trotsky, and Stefan Zweig. Touristy but genuinely beautiful
• Café Hawelka – The bohemian alternative. Dark, smoky atmosphere, famous Buchteln (sweet buns served after 10pm)
• Café Landtmann – Freud's actual favourite. Opposite the Burgtheater, excellent cakes
• Café Schwarzenberg – The oldest still operating on the Ringstrasse

Order: A Melange (like a cappuccino), a Verlängerter (long black), or an Einspänner (espresso in a glass with whipped cream). Always comes with a glass of water.

Imperial Vienna: The Palaces

Schönbrunn Palace – The Habsburg summer residence. The grand exterior is free to walk around; the palace tour is worth it (various price tiers). The gardens are magnificent and free. The views from the Gloriette on the hill are superb.

Hofburg Palace – The winter residence; now home to the Austrian president and several world-class museums including the Kunsthistorisches (art history) and the Schatzkammer (imperial treasury with the Habsburg crown jewels).

Belvedere – Two baroque palaces facing each other across formal gardens. The Upper Belvedere houses Klimt's The Kiss — one of the most viewed paintings in the world.

Music in Vienna

Vienna has the richest classical music heritage of any city. Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Mahler, Strauss — all lived and worked here.

• Vienna Philharmonic – One of the world's great orchestras; tickets for the Musikverein are in very high demand. Book months ahead or check for last-minute standing room
• Vienna State Opera – Standing room tickets are available cheaply (around €4) on the day at the box office — a genuine bargain
• Street performances: The city is full of music, from the Naschmarkt to the subway

Food: Beyond Wiener Schnitzel

Schnitzel is essential (Figlmüller in the 1st district is famous for enormous ones), but Vienna's food scene is more diverse.

• Würstelstand (sausage stalls) – A Viennese institution. Käsekrainer (cheese-filled sausage) after a night out
• Naschmarkt – Vienna's main market; everything from Austrian produce to Turkish and Middle Eastern food stalls
• Meissl & Schadn – Modern Austrian cuisine done brilliantly
• Viennese breakfast – Semmel (bread roll), butter, jam, and coffee; find it at any Bäckerei bakery for under €5

Getting Around

Vienna's U-Bahn (metro) is excellent, clean and on time. Trams cover every corner of the inner city. The 24/48/72-hour Vienna City Card gives unlimited public transport plus museum discounts — worth it if you're sightseeing heavily.

The historic 1st district (Innere Stadt) is very walkable. Most major sights are within a 20-minute walk of each other.

Join the Vienna Community on Parada

Travellers and expats share Vienna tips on Parada — from secret coffee houses to the best concerts this season. Search Austria on the map.