Where to stay in Vienna
May 8, 2023 9:58 AM Subscribe
I'm thinking about taking a trip to Vienna with my wife this autumn. Looking for recommendations for hotels mainly. I'd like to find somewhere that's got some of that traditional Viennese style and I'm happy to go upmarket if its worth it for how it looks and treats guests.
I'm also interested in restaurant recommendations and places to go - unusual galleries or museums for instance. Thanks!
I'm also interested in restaurant recommendations and places to go - unusual galleries or museums for instance. Thanks!
Best answer: If we ever get back to Vienna, we’ll definitely stay at the Hotel Beethoven again, a quirky boutique hotel. Well located, great staff, lovely breakfast, really nice rooms decorated with different themes.
posted by spikysimon at 11:25 AM on May 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by spikysimon at 11:25 AM on May 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
You gotta share a pork knuckle with all the sides and an original Czech Budweiser at the Restaurant Schweizerhaus in the Prater.
Reservation recommended.
posted by Omnomnom at 11:46 AM on May 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Reservation recommended.
posted by Omnomnom at 11:46 AM on May 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Also have sausages at the sausage stand behind the Opera (Albertinaplatz) and then finish off your meal with coffee and cakes at Café Mozart at Albertinaplatz. (Just as traditional as Café Landtmann and Café Schwarzenberg, less overcrowded snd overpriced).
Sausages: order one Käsekrainer (cheesy sausage) and one Waldviertler and argue which one is better.
posted by Omnomnom at 11:52 AM on May 8, 2023
Sausages: order one Käsekrainer (cheesy sausage) and one Waldviertler and argue which one is better.
posted by Omnomnom at 11:52 AM on May 8, 2023
I had a very pleasant tasting lunch at Steirereck im Stadtpark, although it was several years ago.
Otherwise, I did not much care for the meat preparations in Vienna and lived primarily on pastries and hot chocolate (and, in the evening, hot chocolate with booze in). Can recommend.
The Central Cemetary is a nice change of pace accessible by public transit and, if you've ever seen The Third Man, you can spot the famous final vista almost the minute you step inside. There is (or was) a famous schnitzel place nearby, but I just did not take to schnitzel.
posted by praemunire at 12:09 PM on May 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Otherwise, I did not much care for the meat preparations in Vienna and lived primarily on pastries and hot chocolate (and, in the evening, hot chocolate with booze in). Can recommend.
The Central Cemetary is a nice change of pace accessible by public transit and, if you've ever seen The Third Man, you can spot the famous final vista almost the minute you step inside. There is (or was) a famous schnitzel place nearby, but I just did not take to schnitzel.
posted by praemunire at 12:09 PM on May 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Autumn is the perfect time for a Melk to Krems cruise along the Danube.
If you’ll be there in early October, you can try a a glass of sturm at the Wiener Wiesnfest. Or attend the Long Night of the Museums. I always enjoyed the Emperor Fran’s Joseph Hat Museum and Imperial Wine Cellar. (They give you an old timey hat to wear while you walk through).
Otherwise, check out the window display (and chocolates) at Demel. Then visit the Secular and Ecclesiastical Treasury. And keep an eye out for the Klimt reliefs in the arches above the grand stairs at the Art History Museum.
posted by chrisulonic at 2:43 PM on May 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
If you’ll be there in early October, you can try a a glass of sturm at the Wiener Wiesnfest. Or attend the Long Night of the Museums. I always enjoyed the Emperor Fran’s Joseph Hat Museum and Imperial Wine Cellar. (They give you an old timey hat to wear while you walk through).
Otherwise, check out the window display (and chocolates) at Demel. Then visit the Secular and Ecclesiastical Treasury. And keep an eye out for the Klimt reliefs in the arches above the grand stairs at the Art History Museum.
posted by chrisulonic at 2:43 PM on May 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
Apologies for recommending the most expensive hotel in Vienna, but I stayed at the Hotel Sacher and goodness it was worth every penny. Just really phenomenally good. Amazing room, impeccable service, and a lot of nice amenities.
For dining, there's a reason why Figlmüller is in every tourist guidebook; they really do Wiener schnitzel better than anyone. You absolutely want a reservation, don't stand in line outside for 90 minutes for the chicken fried steak. They've opened a second location around the corner on Bäckerstraße 6 and the food is identical but the place is larger and more comfortable.
Something I wish I'd done was read up more on café culture and find places off the tourist track for a late lunch or pastry. I think the famous touristy places like Café Sacher aren't worth the trouble. But Austrians really do hang out in cafés like they were in their living room and I think with a bit of research you could find some really comfortable places.
The big museums in Vienna are all a big deal for a reason. This last trip for us was Secession-themed; worth doing a little background reading before you go. I think I liked the Leopold museum the most. The Natural History Museum is also first-rate; the archaeology room with all the Hallstat artifacts is like a complete education in bronze age Europe.
posted by Nelson at 6:45 AM on May 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
For dining, there's a reason why Figlmüller is in every tourist guidebook; they really do Wiener schnitzel better than anyone. You absolutely want a reservation, don't stand in line outside for 90 minutes for the chicken fried steak. They've opened a second location around the corner on Bäckerstraße 6 and the food is identical but the place is larger and more comfortable.
Something I wish I'd done was read up more on café culture and find places off the tourist track for a late lunch or pastry. I think the famous touristy places like Café Sacher aren't worth the trouble. But Austrians really do hang out in cafés like they were in their living room and I think with a bit of research you could find some really comfortable places.
The big museums in Vienna are all a big deal for a reason. This last trip for us was Secession-themed; worth doing a little background reading before you go. I think I liked the Leopold museum the most. The Natural History Museum is also first-rate; the archaeology room with all the Hallstat artifacts is like a complete education in bronze age Europe.
posted by Nelson at 6:45 AM on May 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
I really liked staying near the Prater at Austria Classic Hotel Wien. They have a lovely breakfast, nice employees, and a very appealing outdoor space for eating and relaxing.
Favorite food in Vienna? Toss up between Zum Weissen Rauchfangkehrer (best venison ever, Michelin star, also great asparagus soup if you need a break from the Viennese meat sweats) and Gasthaus Kopp in Brigittenau, where they will definitely be gruff to you and speak only in German and it's totally worth it for everything on the menu (fell in love with Zwiebelrostbraten here). The Naschmarkt is also fabulous.
Definitely go to the Sigmund Freud Museum and Beethoven House if you have the chance.
posted by Miss T.Horn at 1:11 PM on May 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Favorite food in Vienna? Toss up between Zum Weissen Rauchfangkehrer (best venison ever, Michelin star, also great asparagus soup if you need a break from the Viennese meat sweats) and Gasthaus Kopp in Brigittenau, where they will definitely be gruff to you and speak only in German and it's totally worth it for everything on the menu (fell in love with Zwiebelrostbraten here). The Naschmarkt is also fabulous.
Definitely go to the Sigmund Freud Museum and Beethoven House if you have the chance.
posted by Miss T.Horn at 1:11 PM on May 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
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posted by Don_K at 10:57 AM on May 8, 2023 [1 favorite]