10 Viennese Coffee Houses you have to visit

Viennese Coffee Houses are some of the most famous establishments in the city, just think of Sacher or Demel. To experience the lifestyle of real Viennese and sample Vienna’s typical atmosphere, it is essential to visit a traditional Coffee House in Vienna at least once during your stay. The special flair and old-fashioned furniture of a classical Coffee House will sweep you away not only because of their historical significance, but also because of their delicious specialities on offer.

Historical value

Inhabitants know that when we speak of traditional Viennese Coffee Houses, we don’t think of simple restaurants or bars, but of locations with their very own character. Therefore, visitors often stay long after finishing their coffee or meal, as it is typical to take your time while enjoying the calm atmosphere or to meet with friends. This tradition goes back to the time when Coffee Houses in Vienna were numerous and considered very modern. Their popularity reached a peak at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

This era even has its own designation: the Wiener Kaffeehauskultur. These cultural aspects ensure the secure existence of these old Coffee Houses, as they weren’t only used for eating and drinking, but also as places to write, compose, or to experience creative inspiration in general. Numerous artists, musicians, poets and writers visited their favourite Coffee Houses on a regularl basis.

Fort instance, the famous writers Arthur Schnitzler, Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Stefan Zweig all relaxed or worked in Viennese Coffee Houses (some of them are now called Literarenkaffees) while the writers are called Kaffeehausliteraren. Artists such as Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele also enjoyed the Coffee Houses’ atmosphere. In addition, these places were also used for creative and philosophical exchanges amongst the artists.

As you can see, art and culture were strongly connected with Coffee Houses at this time, as they were places where one could forget about the outside world, along with their worries and duties.

Unfortunately, Kaffeehauskultur was replaced with modern bars and Coffee House chains. The Kaffeehaussterben (coffehouse-dying) started in the 1950s and left the Ringstraße with only 4 Coffee Houses instead of 15. Now,  the remaining ones have an exceptional value and are still well attended – likely because you can easily imagine the old, relaxed Vienna instead of today’s bustling metropolis.

Now, have a look at these 10 Coffee Houses that you can visit when you are in Vienna.

1.   Cafe Hawelka

The Cafe Hawelka in the first district was one of the most famous Künstlerkaffees in Vienna. Once visited by Helmut Qualtinger and Oskar Werner, this place is characterized not only by its comfortable and cosy atmosphere, but because of its legendary Buchteln – typical bohemain sweet delicacies. They were once made by Josefine Hawelka herself and should not be missed.

Information: www.hawelka.at
Where: Dorotheergasse 6 , 1010 Wien
Opening Hours:
Mo – Th, 08:00 – 00:00
Fr – Sa, 08:00 – 01:00
Su, 10:00 – 00:00
on holidays, 10:00 – 00:00

2. Cafe Central

Especially around 1900, the elegant Cafe Central was regularly visited by intellectuals as the architect Adolf Loos and the psychologist Sigmund Freud. It is also in the first district, and has an impressive effect on visitors because of its noble design and huge portico. You can taste the original Patisserie Cafe Central Torte or classics like Marillenpalatschinken or Apfelstrudel. A rather unusual peculiarity is the Patisserie Sisi Punschkrapfen – like the empress’ favourite flower lavender, the cake is lilac in colour.

Information: www.cafecentral.wien
Where: Herrengasse/Strauchgasse, 1010 Wien
Opening Hours:
Mo – Sa, 07:30 – 22:00
Su, 10:00 – 22:00
on holidays, 10:00 – 22:00
Piano music: daily from 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm

3. Hotel Sacher

In the past, Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Sisi were delivered with the most delicious sweets from selected bakeries and confectioneries. One of them was the Hotel Sacher, which is especially known because of its Sachertorte – a chocolate cake with an unmistakable taste, and certainly one of the most famous chocolate cakes in the world. Tourists love them as well as locals, and a visit at Hotel Sacher to taste the original Sachertorte with a Viennese coffee is a must when in Vienna.

Information: Cafe Sacher
Where: Philharmonikerstrasse 4, 1010 Wien
Opening Hours: daily, 8:00 – 24:00

4. Zuckerbäckerei Demel

A second bakery favoured by the emperor was the Zuckerbäckerei Demel, which has existed since 1786 at the Michaelerplatz. Even as a child, Emperor Franz was thrilled by their refined prepared sweets, and he favoured Demel his whole life. It was also a meeting place for the Viennese nobility in general, and was famous enough to remain popular even today. Although every offering at this bakery is surely delicious and the cakes lovely decorated, their hot drinks are beloved. Beside the typical Austrian Heferlkaffee or the Kleiner Brauner, you can also choose coffee with alcohol, like the Anna Demel Kaffee, made with fine orange liqueur, or the Fiaker (made with cherry booze). If you prefer hot chocolate or tea, you will also find an impressive selection.

Information: www.demel.at
Where: Kohlmarkt 14 , 1010 Wien
Opening Hours: daily, 09:00 – 19:00

5. Cafe Landtmann

The Cafe Landtmann is one of the last remaining Kaffeehäuser at the Ringstraße, and is still very popular. It advertises the typical Kaffehauskultur from long ago, as it has existed since 1873 and has been managed by the same family for the past 40 years. You really are encouraged to take your time and stay long after you finished your coffee, admiring the furniture and interior design, and the mirrors and walls from the golden 1920s. The noble benches are even protected as a historic monument! Furthermore, celebrities like Paul McCartney and Hillary Clinton have dined at the Cafe Landmann, which is regularly visited by Austrian politicians celebrities.

The food is excellent – you can start with breakfast at 7:30 and order dinner until 23:30. Whether you desire snacks, soup, a main meal or cake, baked goods, drinks and coffee – you could stay the whole day eating traditional Austrian food such as Schnitzel, Gulasch, Backhendl or Tafelspitz.

Information: www.landtmann.at
Where: Universitätsring 4, 1010 Wien
Opening Hours: Mo – Su, 07:30 – 00:00
Piano music: Su, Mo, Tu 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm (summer: only Mo, Tu)

6. Cafe Imperial

Information: www.cafe-imperial.at
Where: Kärntner Ring 16, 1010 Wien
Opening Hours: daily, 07:00 – 23:00
Piano music: Sa, Su 3:30 pm -7:30 pm

7. Cafe Museum

Information: www.cafemuseum.at
Where: Operngasse 7, 1010 Wien
Opening Hours: daily, 08:00 – 00:00
Piano music: Fr – Su 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

8. Cafe Prückel

Information: www.pruekel.at
Where: Stubenring 24 (Luegerplatz), 1010 Wien
Opening Hours: daily, 8:30-22:00

9. Cafe Schwarzenberg

Information: www.cafe-schwarzenberg.at
Where: Kärntner Ring 17, 1010 Wien
Opening Hours:
Mo – Fr, 07:30 – 00:00
Sa – Su, 08:30 – 00:00
Piano music: Th, Fr 7:30 pm – 11:00 pm, Sa, Su 5:00 pm – 8:30 pm

10. Cafe Hofburg

Information: www.cafe-hofburg.at
Where: Hofburg, Innerer Burghof, 1010 Wien
Opening Hours: daily, 10:00 – 18:00
Piano music: Su 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Have fun while filling your belly with Vienna’s most delicious delicacies in these typical Viennese coffeehouses!

One day, countless possibilities

New Year’s Eve is a great spectacle to which some are looking forward to the whole year. While New Year’s Day, the first day of the New Year, is originally a well-known holiday, the night before is the one people are excited about. This night involves marvelous fireworks and parades, countless parties to celebrate the New Year and the holding of beloved traditions. Austria’s capital of Vienna provides really special peculiarities this day: enjoying the city’s possibilities of entertainment on New Year’s Eve is a great adventure for everyone.

New Year’s Day is one of the oldest holidays, although the exact date has changed over thousands of years. The German’s designation Silvester comes from an ancient pope named Sylvester I. While this holiday actually arises from religious purposes, nowadays, the meaning is a wholly different one. Nonetheless, countless cultures have their own reference concerning typical traditions, culinary arts and  drinks as well as personal ideas of how to spend the evening. In Austria, primarily the old customs to receive happiness and luck in the upcoming year guide this night. Below, you can learn a few Austrian ways to start the New Year while staying in Vienna!

Austrian customs on New Year’s Eve

Bleigießen

One of Austria’s most common customs on New Year’s Eve is called Bleigießen. It means you melt a piece of lead, normally shaped as a lucky charm, and pour it into cold water. It becomes a new, totally different shape and by the shadow, you can predict the future concerning the following year. In fact, this tradition goes back to times of the ancient Romans. In the past, people thought lead was magical. Based on this oracle, they believed they could see their future concerning health, battles and the coming harvest. Nowadays, a figure made of lead is a great memory that may guide some people through the year. Besides, it is a lot of fun to analyze each other’s eye-catching figures on New Year’s Eve.

Numerous New Year’s Eve markets

You can get the equipment everywhere these days in Vienna, along with lucky charms in every shape and colour. Markets are set up at many key points of the city only for the sake of celebrating the beginning of the New Year. It is common among Austrians to buy lucky charms as a gift for family and friends. So, the markets offer a wide range of horseshoes, shamrocks, sheep, agarics and ladybugs but also coins made of chocolate or pigs made of marzipan. They are supposed to bring luck, health, success and wealth in the upcoming year. 

Typical Austrian drinks and food

Consuming biscuits in the shape of fish at midnight has an auspicious meaning, but only when you start with the tail fin! If you bite into the head first, it means bad luck for the following year! So be careful!
In general, the culinary options on New Year’s Eve are extremely important in Austria. Families prepare fondue, raclette, goulash, pork roast, carp or finger food all day to have a great feast with their loved ones.
Another important tradition is to drink a toast to the New Year right after midnight! The one and only beverage for Austrians in this case is Champagne. Everyone wishes Prosit Neujahr, which means Happy New Year! If you have never celebrated an Austrian New Year’s Eve, it is essential to know that you should not confound the terms Prosit Neujahr and Guter Rutsch! You use Prosit Neujahr after the start of the year, while you use Guten Rutsch as a wish to slip well into the next year. So, it means I wish you good luck while slipping into the next year!

Events and possibilities in Vienna

Vienna’s incredible Silvesterpfad

A real highlight at this day is the popular Silvesterpfad in Vienna’s inner city. Numerous attractions, eleven stages and a wide-range program of stunning musical performances and shows promise an unforgettable spectacle for every tourist from Vienna Residence. In addition, you have the possibility to take a ride on Vienna’s Riesenrad (Ferris wheel) in which you can see thousands of people, countless fireworks and the whole city in general. You will soon learn that fireworks are one of Vienna’s most important spectacles on New Year’s Eve, and this provides an incredible view. While you can see breathtaking fireworks nearly everywhere, the ones at Rathausplatz and Prater are quite special.

You can have a look at the detailed program here –  the attractions occur on December 31 from 2pm to January 1st until 2am.

Special shipping-route at the Danube

Vienna offers another rarity this night: the Donaurundfahrt, where you take a tour along the Danube on one of three ships. This unique experience includes a delicious gala buffet, live music, lovely decorations on ships, raffles and more. The three ships have different themes, so you can choose which atmosphere you prefer most. The first (named MS Dürnstein) is a quite exclusive one; the second (named MS Vindobona) is rather casual, and the third (named MS Wien) has a festive character. So if you are interested in experiencing the city in a whole different way, this extraordinary offer is the right one for you! Save your tickets here.

A must have at midnight

Regardless of where you will spend the evening, if you party the whole night, if you take the chance to see cultural aspects of Vienna or if you have a cosy evening with homemade food at your Viennese apartment, right after midnight, you have to dance Vienna’s most important dance: the waltz. This is the one and only must-do while staying in Vienna on New Year’s Eve. During the first seconds of the New Year, nearly every radio station plays the Donauwalzer (Danube waltz). It was written in 1867 by Johann Strauss, who was a famous composer born in today’s seventh district of Vienna.

So, if you still don’t know how to dance the waltz, I would recommend taking some dancing lessons or ask an Austrian friend to teach you the basics. After that, you are going to feel like a real Viennese!

Neujahrskonzert on New Year’s Day

On New Year’s Day, enjoy yourselves while watching the world-famous Neujahrskonzert from the Wiener Philharmoniker. This concert is one of the most popular. Up to 90 TV channels show it on January 1. An even greater particularity than watching it at home is to see a huge transmission on Rathausplatz or on the square in front of the Wiener Staatsoper. The tickets for the real concert are extremely hard to save and sell out quickly, but you can find information concerning transmissions, the program and the background here.

Have a special New Year’s Eve in Vienna!