Austria Trip

For my next trip to Austria I want to see and try a few things, some new and some familiar sites I want to revisit.

Getting there: Take the City Airport Train (CAT) to Vienna city centre. Note that that train is not covered by the city app metro pass; you must buy a ticket from the machine at the airport or at the train terminal. Cost €14.90 one-way or €24.90 return in 2025. The trip takes 16 minutes. CAT schedule (every 30 minutes): From airport - first 06:08, last 23:38 From city centre - first 05:37, last 23:07

VIENNA

SITES

Must visit The Third Man museum that Nina of the Rick Steves tour told me about. Open Saturdays only 14:00-18:00. Located at Pressgasse 25, Vienna near the Naschmarkt (Ubahn stop Kettenbruckengasse, U4 line). Check if the tour of the sewers is still being done. There is a Third Man tour that runs from Thursday to Sunday, May to October. English tours start at 15:00 only. The meeting point is Karlsplatz-Girardipark (opposite the Café Museum, and which is also the location of the sewer entrance used in the movie), and the metro stop is Karlsplatz on U1, U2 & U4 lines. Be sure to book at least a week ahead because the English tour sells out fast. The Visiting Vienna website shows the various locations from the movie that can be visited such as the Westbahnhof and Harry Lime’s apartment (actually the Palais Pallavicini in Josephsplatz Square). On my 2026 trip to Vienna I missed those two, but I saw the Strauss Memorial, the Theatre of the Josefstadt, the doorway where HL was first seen (specifically, Schreyvogelgasse 8), and the sewer entrance at Girardipark. I had already been to the Weiner Riesenrad – Ferris wheel. You can even take a tour of the sewers, entering through the entrance that Harry uses in the movie.

Get the Vienna City Card to save on transportation and entrance to over 100 attractions (discounts vary). Available for 24/48/72 hour or 7 days.

Palais Liechtenstein, Fürstengasse 1 is open for a special exhibition called Dealing in Splendor from Jan 30 to Apr 6, 2026.

Jesuit Church, Albertina Museum, 1 Doktor-Ignaz-Seipel-Platz.

Austrian Parliament, 3 Dr. Karl Renner-Ring. Take a guided tour.

Take a Danube River cruise that go out of the city. Not the city cruise which I’d boring only traversing the canal. Try Get Your Guide or look at DDSG and others. Also try an historic city walk or food tour, see Tripadvisor or GYG. (There is also a regular cruise line to Bratislava.). Two cruise companies are DDSG and Vienna Sightseeing.

Palais Pallavicini

FOOD & DRINK

Demel, Kohlmarkt 14, is my favorite café – great apple strudel and Sachertorte, but next time try their Kaiserschmarrn - it looked very good. See the article on the many cafés to visit in Vienna. Café Central, Herrengasse 14, is famous for the great pastries, but I have never been there because the lines are always too long.

Stop into Haas & Haas Wien & Feinkost to get a bottle of Die Apfelkönig von Maximilian Preiss. Located at the corner of Kramergasse & Ertlgasse near Stephansplatz.

Of course, I must again stop at Buffet Trześniewski, Dorotheergasse 1, Vienna (Stephansplatz) for lunch to have their delicious open face sandwiches. Or at one of their other 13 locations in the city and one at the airport and Wien HBF.

Restaurant Bela Bela had good food and it is only about a 2-3 minute walk from Radison Blu Style.

I could try another winery tour. City & Wine offers countryside tours near Vienna that include dinner - 5 hours for €140. They also offer tours near Budapest.

I have business card from Ofenloch, a restaurant that serves classic Austrian food. Location: Kurrentgasse 8, about a 6 minute walk from Stephansplatz. Ph: 01/5338844

The Naschmarkt for multiple market stalls selling many varieties of food and drink. See my page here.

I may go back to the Julius Meinl store for more coffee and coffee cups.

A few of heurigers I didn't get to last time:

• Mayer am Nussberg, Kahlenberger Staße 213 (Take 38 tram to Grinzing stop then bus 38A to Kahlenberg stop). Noted for its Vineyards
• Zum Martin Sepp Heuriger, Cobenzlgasse 34 (Take U4 toward Heilingenstat to Heilingenstat, then 38A bus toward Kahlenberg to Oberer Reisenbergweg). Noted for its beauty
• Weingut Göbel, Stammersdorfer Kellergasse 131. Noted for its innovative cuisine and high quality white and red wines.

See my 2023 Food & Drink notes of eating places I have tried.

City & Wine Vienna

City & Wine Budapest

ACCOMMODATIONS

My preferred hotel is the Radison Blu Style, Herrengasse 12, that is in a great location next door to Café Central and a short walk to Demel, Julius Meinl and Trześniewski. If that hotel is not available check out Steigenberger Hotel Herrenhof, Herrengasse 10, which is located a few doors down, and also has hotels in Berlin, Frankfurt and Hamburg.

Hotel Post Wien, is okay, but there is no mini bar frig and no coffee or tea making setup in the rooms. I could also look at Boutique Hotel Donauwalzer, or Buxbaum Beletage Design & Boutique Hotel, Köllnerhofgasse 6, is a higher end (4☆) hotel located near Stephansplatz. It has nice large rooms.

OTHER RESOURCES

Laundomat. Use Green n Clean. Many in Vienna but I used #7 located at Althansrasse 7-9. Take the U3 to Volkstheater then the U2 to Schottentor. Take tram D to Franz Josefs Bahnhof. Walk 2 minutes. Open from 06:00-22:00. No detergent required. Pay by cash or credit card.

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OUTSIDE VIENNA

While in the Austrian Alps, try ice Q in Sölden, Tyrol — Austria's highest gourmet restaurant & lounge at 3,048m (10,000ft), perched over glaciers with a view of 250 peaks. Lunches daily, but dinner is on Wednesdays only. To get there, arrive at Ötztal Bahnhof then drive or take the 320 bus to Sölden. The nearest major city is Innsbruck, 23 minutes away by train on the REX, RJX or ICE lines. For accommodations nearby, stay at the 5-star Hotel Das Central in Sölden.

ice Q outdoor patio

ice Q restaurant

Some tasty offerings

The very picturesque town of Hallstatt looks good any time of year.

Hallstatt itinerary

The spectacular Kimml waterfall near Kimml is worth a visit. About 3hr train and bus ride from Innsbruck.

Krimml waterfall

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Weiner Riesenrad – Ferris wheel (The Third Man)

Vienna Restaurants & Cafés

Besides the coffee houses and heurigers for which Vienna is noted, they have many other excellent eating places. The Naschmarkt is one place to go as I note here.

Seen on FB and looks interesting. Zwölf Apostelkeller, Sonnenfelsgasse 3 is located in an underground cellar with vaulted ceilings. See the menu here.

Ofenloch Restaurant, Kurrentgasse 8, looks interesting. I don't remember eating there but I have their business card.

A Viennese resident I met on a walking tour in Osaka told me to go to First American Bar, Schulerstraße 16, and try the Bull Shot. They also have tasting menu packages to try a selection of various brands of drinks. You can try menus of gin, whisky, Champagne, etc. Reservations required.

Gerstner Restaurant Café has four locations in Vienna, at the State Opera House and nearby Palais Todesco. Two others are located at Schönbrunn Palace. Check out this high end café and restaurant.

Meissl & Schadn, Schubertring 10-12, get a high rating on TripAdvisor. They are noted for their schnitzel. They also have a restaurant in Salzburg.

Had a very nice meal at Entler, Schlüsselgasse 2. Starter was a ravioli with nettles and a light, smooth cheese sauce. Main was a pork loin with white asparagus and hollandaise.

On Facebook saw a reference to two good locations for brunch that might be worth a try:

1. Aurora Rooftop Bar, Arsenalstraße 10. Scandinavian vibes, signature brunch & one of the best rooftop views in Vienna.
2. Brasserie Sophie at the Palais Hansen Hotel, Schottenring 24. A French-inspired brunch, modern elegance & a must-visit for Vienna foodies.
3. For a higher end meal with "sophisticated ambience" try The Bank Brasserie Bar, Bognergasse 4. 

Haas & Haas, Ertigasse 4, for excellent Austrian sparkling ciders.

Royal Caviar Vienna, Tiefer Graben 10 (about 2 blocks from Café Central).

Buffet Trześniewski - for a large variety (29) of cheap and tasty sandwiches. A must visit for lunch in Vienna. There are three locations: Dorotheergasse 1, Mariahilfer Str. 95 & at the Westbahnhof. The Dorotheergasse location (where I usually go) is near Stephansplatz. (See menu here)

I ate lunch at Zum Schwarzen Kameel, Bognergasse 5. They have small open face sandwiches like Trześniewski have but theirs are made with slightly thicker bread but more topping. They also have a few slightly larger sandwiches: I had one with lobster spread topped with tiny shrimp which was okay. I saw a recommendation for their "finger food" schnitzel but didn’t see them on display - perhaps you have to order them. It has a more elegant atmosphere which means it is a little more expensive. They also have an extensive breakfast menu. Located a 4 minute walk from Radisson Blu Style hotel. They are also popular for dinner but require reservations. I also tried their house brand Champagne which was quite good.

I ate at Bela Bela located close to Radison Blu, and had a good meal there of asparagus soup and a main which I’ve forgotten.

Trzesniewski display case

Trześniewski menu card

Had a good lunch of fried calamari at a small restaurant called Joyce Café & Restaurant, Wipplingerstasse 11, Vienna.

From Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, he visits some of the best restaurants and pubs that locals favour. Here are a few he tried and enjoyed:

Urbanek, Naschmarkt 46, sells the best ham in Austria – "Mangalitsa ham is a whole, boneless, dry-cured ham that offers layers of clean, light and fatty tastes. It is made from the Mangalitsa (aka Mangalica) hog, a breed of Hungarian domestic pig.... Mangalitsa ham is often enjoyed with cheese and wine in Vienna." Take U3 to Stephansplatz then U1 to Karlsplatz.

Mangalitsa ham

Weingut & Heuriger Zahel, Maurer Hauptplatz 9, make a dish of roast pork made from boneless pork shoulder (or “butt”). It is often called Schopfbraten. Perhaps the most popular form is the Wiener Kümmel-Schopfbraten, or old Viennese-style caraway roast pork. Weingut & Heuriger Zahel have their own version of Schopfbraten, which they call Krampus. See their menu here. To get there take U3 to Westbahnhof then tram 60 to Maurer Hauptplatz; about 50 minutes.

Schopfbraten

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Café Kulture

I have visited Café Tirolerhof, Landtmann, Demel, Mozart, and Sperl, a few well known cafés in Vienna. Two other well known cafés are Café Sacher Wien and Café Central, but there are number of high quality cafés to consider.

On a FB video I saw recommendations for Gerstner Restaurant Café (noted above).

The Kunst Historische Museum Cafe is a great place to eat in splendid surroundings. On Saturday and Sunday they have an excellent breakfast presented on a tiered serving tray. Bookings are from 10:00 till noon. Reservations are recommended. They also have lunch and dinner every day with a special gourmet dinner every Thursday.

Visiting Vienna lists a selection of cafés in Vienna: Café Hawelka, Café Sperl, Café Goldegg, Café Prückel, Café Schwarzenberg, Café Mozart, Café Ritter, Café Jelinek, Café Schopenhauer, Café Landtmann, Café Korb, Café Museum, Café Frauenhuber, Café Diglas Wollzeile, Café Diglas im Schottenstift, Café Diglas am Fleischmarkt, Kaffee Alt Wien, and Café Westend.

Naschmarkt, Vienna

Not to be missed when visiting Vienna is the Naschmarkt which, as the name suggests, is a large market with lots of stalls selling tasty treats.

From their website:
"Naschmarkt in Vienna is always a treat to visit with the rows of open stalls selling food to take away, snacks to eat, and full sit-down meals. All under the roofs of the small stalls that have been in this place for over a 100 years."

The area also becomes a flea market on weekends. More information on the Naschmarkt here.