The Best Insider Tips for Vienna
The Danube metropolis has more to offer than Sachertorte and the Prater. We reveal the best insider tips for Vienna – from an interactive city museum to the new high-end hotel Rosewood Vienna.
Luxurious Living: Rosewood Vienna
Looking for a very special accommodation in the heart of Vienna? Then the five-star hotel Rosewood Vienna is the perfect address. Not far from the famous St. Stephen’s Cathedral, this hotel gem is located opposite the St. Peter’s Church of the same name. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Vienna’s superstar, once lived in this 19th-century neoclassical building. Today, the Rosewood Vienna offers nearly 100 spacious rooms and suites, designed by British interior architect Alexander Waterworth – we love it! The mix of imperial glamour from Vienna’s past, noble fabrics, custom-made furniture, and modern art on the walls creates a sophisticated flair and first-class comfort. Guests bathe in freestanding bathtubs and sleep on wonderfully comfortable king-size beds. Did you know: VIP guests find personalized pillowcases with their initials in their rooms!
But the Rosewood Vienna not only provides beautiful dreams thanks to the comfortable and elegant room furnishings, but also relaxation in the form of the Asaya Spa. Guests can enjoy treatments on two floors, such as a lava stone massage or a facial with skincare products from the high-end beauty brand Augustinus Bader. In addition, a sauna, steam bath, and experience shower invite you to relax. The rooftop bar of the Rosewood Vienna Hotel and the Brasserie Neue Hoheit also score with a feel-good atmosphere, featuring panoramic windows that offer views of the decorative figures and statuettes on the roofs of the surrounding historic magnificent buildings.
Conclusion: The Rosewood Vienna is probably the most elegant five-star hotel in the city, which wonderfully understands how to combine modernity and tradition.
Special Dining: Rote Bar & Tian Bistro
A restaurant as opulently furnished as an art history museum can be found in Vienna at the traditional Hotel Sacher. There, the Rote Bar focuses on the signal color in terms of ambiance, alongside large-format oil paintings on the walls and crystal chandeliers on the ceiling. It’s plush, yet not too staid. The adjoining winter garden is opened in summer – so you can enjoy your meal all year round with a view of the Vienna State Opera, where the famous Opera Ball takes place annually. The service in the Rote Bar delights with typical Viennese charm, and the dishes with fantastic taste. The menu of the kitchen, awarded two Gault Millau Toques, includes local classics such as fried chicken, Tafelspitz, and schnitzel, as well as modern creations. Our favorite: The Beef Wellington with braised leek hearts. Charming: From 7 PM daily, there is live music in the form of a pianist.
Our restaurant tip for all veggie fans is the Tian Bistro on Spittelberg. This hip district is located in Vienna’s 7th district and is the perfect setting for the contemporary vegetarian-vegan cuisine at Tian Bistro. In the evenings, guests can enjoy the “Sharing Chef’s Garden” menu with dishes like mushroom pâté or asparagus risotto. The quality of the food is top-notch, the service team is young, and the atmosphere is casual. It’s particularly pleasant to sit in the covered, green inner courtyard. Tip: For gourmets, we also recommend the sister restaurant Tian in Vienna’s 1st district. Head chef Paul Ivić also focuses on purely vegetarian-vegan dishes there – and has held a Michelin star for his creations since 2014!
Discover Art: Heidi Horten Collection
Anyone who thinks that only old masters can be seen in Vienna is mistaken. The best example: The newly opened Heidi Horten Collection in 2022. The museum for modern art consists of an impressive private collection by Viennese native Heidi Goëss-Horten, featuring original works by Picasso, Gerhard Richter, René Magritte, and Andy Warhol. Today, the Heidi Horten Collection is curated and managed by the renowned art historian Dr. Agnes Husslein-Arco. She skillfully knows how to showcase the who’s who of art history, from classical modernism to contemporary art. For example, the exhibition “We love” runs until August 25, 2024. With this innovative concept, museum visitors are at the center and can vote for their favorites from the collection on-site and on social media – thus selecting the artworks that will receive a permanent place in the museum from autumn 2024. The Heidi Horten Collection also organizes interactive workshops, concerts, and panel discussions throughout the year. This is what a museum experience 2.0 looks like!
Experience Vienna: Grätzel Tours & Time Travel Vienna
If you want to experience Vienna away from the usual tourist hotspots, book a Grätzel tour. The term refers to a city district, similar to a “Kiez” in Berlin. There’s, for example, the colorful Karmelitermarkt with its exciting Jewish past. Or Spittelberg with its uneven cobblestones right next to the cultural hot spot MuseumsQuartier. We recommend exploring a Grätzel with the young siblings Basti and Gabi from Rebel Tours Vienna. These two Austrians with Brazilian roots skillfully combine historical facts with current insider tips, making a city tour a cool experience.
An charming addition to a Grätzel tour is the interactive Time Travel Vienna. For a good hour and a half, visitors can delve deep into Vienna’s history – with all their senses thanks to 5D cinema, VR glasses, and multimedia shows.
