Look around
I’m an art historian and always on the prowl for treasures from the past, meaning that my lovely apartment often stands empty. Located between the Votiv Cathedral and the old general hospital, now a university campus, the neighborhood provides me with everything I need to rest assured that Vienna is indeed one of the most beautiful cities in the world, including the interaction between historic architecture and modern use.
You can see the main university and the Votiv Cathedral and park from my doorstep. The old general hospital campus is only a 5-minute-walk away, and its expansive courtyard with numerous in- and outdoor restaurants makes it a true oasis in the middle of the city. The impressive old town district can be reached in only a 10-minute walk.
from € 209,- * per night
* Prices include 10 % VAT and exclude 3,2 % municipal tax.
My heart beats for old and beautiful things. I love rambling around art sales, antique stores, forgotten attics, and old archives, passionately collecting strange objects, unique knickknacks, photographs, etchings, and or even just special publications from bygone centuries.
Leporello is the tried and trusty bookstore of my choice. I can’t stand the globalized homogenization of big book chains, and I love being recognized and getting personalized service when I visit my favorite bookstore. Rotraut Schöberl, the owner, always gives me just what I need to satisfy my passion for reading.
www.leporello.atOne of the true artist and intellectual cafés still left, the Kleines Café has been around since I can remember. This is the right place to get a real Vienna coffeehouse experience at its most bohemian. A little beer, a slice of bread with chives, and joining in on the conversation of the table next to you: priceless.
I love this slightly rumpled little café! On weekends they serve a fantastic brunch buffet here from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the best crêpes and galettes this side of France… and everything is made with organic ingredients.
www.cafederprovinz.atThe Albertina is a renowned art and culture institution that has won over an increasingly young audience in recent years. And why do I like that? It’s simple: because of the large exhibitions of classical and modern art that are presented up to current international standards. I like the worldly touch and the museum shop has an absolutely charming selection.
www.albertina.atThis coffeehouse is an institution and a place to personally experience Vienna’s bohemian identity. What more is there to say about it?
www.cafesperl.atGalleries and the young hot shots of the Vienna art scene have created their own little art world along this street. The area is worth a visit anytime, and the regularly held gallery nights are particularly exciting, with exhibition openings held in all the galleries. This is the right place to see the protagonists of Vienna’s artistic side in their natural habitat.
Fashion from 1880 to 1980. Heavenly.
www.vintageflo.comAn authentic Viennese “Beisl” (restaurant & bar), comfortable atmosphere, good service, reasonable prices, and close to the Sigmund Freud Museum. Good for the mind and body.
www.rebhuhn.atWander through the living quarters of the nobility, delve into the Liechtenstein family’s palace (dispossessed and put in the care of the state long ago, of course) – this garden city residential palace is a perfect example of Austrian Baroque architecture. The regal family’s architectural jewel has recently been fully renovated and, since 2013, it can be seen once again in its full glory. Baroque stuccoed ceilings and decadent Neo-rococo interiors provide an impression of foregone eras in the city center – this is the way to live!
www.palaisliechtenstein.comThe Vienna Schauspielhaus theater was kissed awake from its fairy tale slumber a good ten years ago by star director Barry Kosky. Now, audiences are delighted by plays directed by Andreas Beck.
www.schauspielhaus.atThis building has an unbelievable exciting history behind it. Part of an old monastery, it was turned into an underground amusement park with wildly varied entertainment by a Vienna coffeehouse owner. The address then became home to various ambitious attempts at starting a theater, all of which ended in bankruptcy, until the City of Vienna began operating a cinema in it 100 years later. Today, the Metro Kino cinema – operated by the Austrian Film Archives – dedicates itself with passion to its leading role in the film culture of Vienna.
filmarchiv.atA befriended family trades here in old books, manuscripts, and art heirlooms, and the shop has recently established itself as Austria’s most important antique shop.
www.inlibris.at