Vienna is legendary for its excellent coffee and cafés. Austrian coffee houses are something of an institution and a traditional meeting place. A café or Kaffeehaus is the best place to relax, read the newspaper, and enjoy the good things in life. Here you are alone with your thoughts and you can watch Vienna pass you by. Some people will spend all day in a café socializing and reading their way through a weekend newspaper. Soak it in—relax like a Wiener!
Here are five of our favorite cafés in Vienna:
Café Demel, Kohlmarkt 14
Vienna’s most refined retreat for cake-lovers. Opened in 1786, by the mid 19th century it had become a hotspot for Viennese upper classes and the royal confectioner for the Habsburgs.
Café Hawelka, Dorotheergasse 6
The bustling Hawelka, opened in the 1930s, offers old-world charm. The owners often took paintings from artists in exchange for food…as a result the walls are covered with works of art.
Café Landtmann, Dr. Karl-Lueger-Ring 4
The Landtmann dates back to 1873. Sigmund Freud used to have his morning coffee here. It bustles with activity day and night, and the four rooms are elegantly decorated with velvet upholstery, crystal light fixtures and mirrors with inlaid wood.
Café Central, Herrengasse 14
One of the city’s best-known cafés, the Central was the meeting place for Vienna’s intellectuals at the turn of the 19th century. Trotsky was one of the regulars during his exile prior to World War I.
Café Sacher, Philharmonikerstrasse 4
Located in Hotel Sacher, the café is a glamorous meeting point for tourists and lovers of Austrian pastries alike. It is also home to the famous chocolate cake, the Sacher-Torte.
Enjoy your time in Vienna with an Untour apartment stay, or let locals show you around and learn more about Viennese art, history, and culture on a Vienna Uncovered trip.