Head over early to the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, one of the crown jewels of Vienna’s stellar architecture. (The cathedral opens at 6 am.) to beat the throng and psyche yourself up for the 343 steps to the viewing platform at the top. Reward yourself with coffee at Cafe Landtmann (pictured above). This landmark cafe, founded in 1873, can count Sigmund Freud, Gustav Mahler and Marlene Dietrich as former clientele.
Don’t miss spending time in a Heuriger which is a uniquely Austrian establishment that showcases Austrian wines and food. Heurig means this year’s (as an adjective) in Swiss German and Austrian German; thus, a Heuriger is a serving of this year’s wine. Until the 20th century, it was customary for guests to bring along their own food to go with the wine they drank at the Heuriger, but now, most will offer small snacks (cold meats etc.) They are, traditionallly, about the wine, vs. the food. You’ll never hear recorded music at a Heurige: music is live, usually played by two Heurigensänger accompanying themselves on (often double-necked) guitar and accordion respectively. These are the best places to taste this year’s wine in a unique cultural atmosphere that provides fun along with a close-up of the year’s vintage.