Viennese waltz: top travel tips for a spin around Austria’s capital

For a Freudian view

Walk some of the city’s 23 districts, each one with its own distinct identity and history. The 9th district is a great place to start. Elegant and rich in art nouveau and art deco architecture, it was also home to Beethoven, Schubert and Freud. Visit one of the most famous addresses in psychoanalytic history, Wien IX, Berggasse 19, Sigmund Freud’s apartment before he fled the Nazis for London in 1938; and the Narrenturm (Fool’s Tower), the first hospital for the mentally ill in Europe, where Freud would have gained first-hand experience. Nearby is the French Quarter: the bakery La Mercerie on Berggasse 25 has the best croissants in Vienna, while Servitengasse is lined with pretty shops and restaurants – a neighbourhood favourite for pasta is La Scala. Try walking guide Alessandra Brucchietti at viennaviral.com .

For film noir thrills

The Third Man , one of the best thrillers ever made (no arguments, please), premiered 75 years ago this month and offers a fascinating history of postwar Vienna – one the Viennese aren’t keen on, says Gerhard Strassgschwandtner, founder of the Dritte Mann Museum . “It brings up too many painful memories of the war and a Vienna crushed.” An enduring reminder, the 3,000 artefacts displayed in more than a dozen rooms show Vienna carved up by the allies. Highlights include Trevor Howard’s original script, the sewer grill that Harry Lime wraps his fingers around in a final bid for freedom and the zither on which Anton Karas played the film’s famous theme tune. Gerhard’s insightful reflections make it worth a detour and if you’re inspired to visit one other landmark in the film, make it the ferris wheel at Prater amusement park.

For the best interactive museum

The imaginative refurbishment of the Wien Museum brings the city’s history to life through interactive exhibits and more than 50,000 artefacts from the Middle Ages to the present day. Its restaurant-café, Trude , is a design-forward affair serving modern Austrian cuisine; its sleek café-bar, Töchter, has a rooftop terrace and there’s a DJ on the terrace in the warmer months.

For the perfect coffee

At the heart of Vienna’s coffee-house culture is Café Sperl , an old-school institution close to Naschmarkt (the lively foodie market, Mon-Sat, 6am to 7.30pm), where you can play billiards or enjoy their coffee and whipped cream with a slice of Sachertorte. Demel , a Rococo fantasia of a coffee house, is behind Stephansdom and its unmissable Gothic flourishes, but skip the tourist-magnet café upstairs. Instead, admire the glass cabinets of doughnuts and towering cakes in the palm tree-filled salons – and treat yourself to a takeaway slice of Fächertorte. Hipsters will prefer the Viennese retro granny vibe at Karlslatz’s Vollpension on Schleifmühlgasse 16, also close to the Naschmarkt. Here, older bakers entice a young crowd with Formica tables, retro chairs and Grandma’s breakfast specials, fresh cakes (with vegan options) and evening cocktails. Cute.

For a charming terrace café…

And a collection of 140 works by Dürer, including the exquisite Praying Hands, hung upstairs in the gilded state rooms of the Albertina , a former Habsburg palace. Downstairs, feast on big hitters from Monet to Warhol, then repair to the charming terrace café Do & Co for modern Austrian cuisine.

For the biggest collection of Klimts

The magnificent baroque Schloss Belvedere complex is divided between Lower (the residential palace) and Upper (the painting gallery). The Upper Belvedere’s heart-stopping art collection begins in the Middle Ages and moves through Austrian expressionism (including Oskar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele) to 20th-century realism and impressionism to the present day, plus the world’s biggest collection of Klimts. Fans will swoon at The Kiss (1908), so much more beguiling in real life. Wind down with a stroll through the formal gardens or the peaceful botanical gardens.
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For a taste of the old masters

Immerse yourself in the baroque golden splendour of the Kunsthistorisches Museum , a neoclassical building rich in Velázquez, Vermeer and Bruegel.

For a fin de siècle culture fix

Explore the lovely courtyards and cafés of the MuseumsQuartier , which hosts cultural events and is home to, among others, the Leopold Museum’ s modern Austrian art collection, including the world’s largest collection of Schieles, Mumok – Austria’s Museum of Modern Art , and Zoom children’s museum.

For a classical evening

A Vienna Mozart Orchestra concert in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein Wien is a cinematic experience straight out of Amadeus . It’s a gilt extravaganza with renowned musicians decked out in historical costumes and wigs playing Mozart highlights – and a rousing finale of the Blue Danube. Wunderbar!

For a cool cocktail

Head to the Needle Vinyl Bar in the Inner Stadt, a squintingly low-lit cocktail bar where the music is as important as the mixers. In between changing vinyl records on turntables, bartenders recommend signature recipes (try “Penicillin”) off a menu where each spirit is an artist with an album of cocktails to choose from.

For a thirst-quenching view of the Danube

You’ll get glitz aplenty at the 18th-floor Loft Bar , which overlooks the Danube in crowd-pleasing Leopoldstadt. Huge windows, an illuminated ceiling and a DJ on Saturdays.

For vegans

Tian Bistro is the low-key offspring of Michelin-starred Tian vegetarian restaurant in lively, creative Neubau, home to design spaces, galleries and boutiques. The seven-dish Sharing Chef’s Garden is €57. There’s fancy fine dining at Jola or, for fast food, pick up a vegan club sandwich at Veggiez followed by a feelgood ice-cream at a Veganista pop-up.

For a stylish budget stayover

Across the Danube lies the 22nd district, Donaustadt, home to the United Nations quarter and now Citadines Danube , an apart’hotel concept that launched eight months ago (from £80 a night). These contemporary one- and two-bed apartments offer spacious open-plan dining and living areas and swish new designer bathrooms with white fluffy towels. With a comfy sofa bed in the sitting room, there’s space for a family of four to stay. It may not be the most central location in town, but that brings its own benefits – a rooftop bar with panoramic views of Vienna and the hills beyond. The closest metro station, Kagran, is one minute’s walk away and will whiz you into town in less than 15 minutes.

For the coolest rooftop bar

The Hoxton Vienna ’s Cayo Coco, the lush rooftop bar of this recently opened midcentury London outpost, is the hottest ticket in town. Grab a caipirinha and a Cuban sandwich and check the almost 360-degree view from the sun loungers by the bijou-chic swimming pool (for hotel guests only; bag an understatedly chic room from €149 for a double room per night), the balcony bar or the fabulous open terrace.

For a bumper breakfast

The Hotel Grand Ferdinand , situated within walking distance of all the key attractions, has boutique-chic slate-grey bedrooms and serves a sumptuous buffet breakfast up on the Grand Étage (from €169). Bloody Mary kits, sparkling wine, eggs Benedict, waffles, Viennese cakes, pastries, hot water from a gold samovar… It’s all waiting for you. Enjoy city views, red and white candy-striped seating, the mini swimming pool and attentive service.

• This article was amended on 2 September 2024 to remove an incorrect reference to the Wien Museum as the the world’s first Jewish museum.