The perfect way to settle into Vienna is to set out on foot to explore the city. It will help you get your bearings, check out the architecture, and identify some eateries to return to when you have more time. The perfect introductory walk for your first day in Austria’s capital is to walk through the stately streets and winding alleys of Vienna Old Town. You don’t need a guide for this, although taking a guided walk might be useful for another time on your visit. I’ve written this to be timed alongside the Vienna Christmas Market period.
The historic centre of Vienna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which includes the Innere Stadt (1st district) or Vienna Old Town, the Ringstrasse and its grand buildings, and the Belvedere Palace. If you take this self-guided walk through Vienna Old Town, you will therefore see a large amount of the UNESCO site, as well as the winter decorations and Christmas Markets spread through the city.
This is a gentle walk around the Vienna Old Town or Innere Stadt (1st district) of Vienna to help you settle in. The total mileage of this walk is only 3 km, so whilst you could complete the walk at speed in 45 minutes, that is not the aim of the exercise. Take your time, enjoy the festive street decorations, people watch in one of the classic Viennese cafes, grab a mulled wine from a street vendor at a Christmas market as you’re passing, pop into a museum. Do as much or as little as you like along the way.
On arrival in Vienna, once you’ve checked in to your accommodation and dropped your bags off, then head to the Vienna State Opera House to begin your self-guided tour of Vienna Old Town. The Opera House is very central and located on the metro line.
If you stand looking at the Vienna State Opera House from the Metro Station outside, then Hotel Sacher is to your right-hand side, just over the road.
Café Sacher Wien is the home to the original Sacher Torte, a rich chocolate sponge cake with a layer of apricot jam, coated in a smooth dark chocolate glaze, best served with whipped cream. Sacher Torte was invented in 1832 by a 16-year-old apprentice chef called Franz Sacher, and was later perfected by his son, Eduard, whilst he was working at the Hotel Sacher.
This is one of the most popular cafes in Vienna Old Town and so queues are very common. If you are committed to trying Sacher Torte at Café Sacher Wien, then I would advise that you book a table in advance. Otherwise, you can take your chances in the queue.
Sacher Torte is not exclusive to Café Sacher Wien and so you will be able to try it elsewhere. If I’m completely honest, I enjoyed some of the other cakes and pastries (Apple Strudel) sampled elsewhere more than Sacher Torte, but you'll have to make your own mind up!
From Cafe Sacher Wein, walk right along Philharmonika Strasse to Albertinaplatz. Note the statue of Archduke Albrecht on horseback in the middle of the platz. Behind the statue is the Albertina Museum, an impressive art museum housed in a converted Imperial palace.
You need a couple of hours to do the Albertina Museum justice, so if you don’t have much time, save this museum for a future visit. You’re just passing today on this self-guided walking tour of Vienna Old Town.
From Albertinaplatz, pick up Fuhrichgasse and walk right for a minute.
Turn left onto Karntner Strasse, one of Vienna’s main shopping streets. From mid-November to the end of December, many of the shops are bedecked with wonderful festive decorations such as wreaths, Nutcracker soldiers, stars, bauble and Christmas tree designs. We even spotted an enormous bow tied around one store.
Lobmeyr is the glassware shop which used to supply items to the Imperial Habsburg court. It usually has beautiful window displays.
Turn right along Donnergasse, and then left onto Rauhenstingrasse.
Turn right when you reach Blumenstock Gasse and find yourself on a very narrow street with tall Vienna Old Town buildings that tower over you.
After a short distance, you will join up with Ballgasse, which bends around to the left and leads to Franziskaneplatz.
In this area of Vienna Old Town, are several shops selling traditional Austrian costumes with great window displays. Lederhosen anyone?
Franziskaneplatz is a very charming square and home to the Franziskanerkirche (Francisan Church and monastery), pretty houses and the iconic cafe, Kleines Cafe.
The Franciscan Church is an historic Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Jerome, with a Renaissance facade and the oldest functioning pipe organ in Vienna from 1642.
In the center of the square is the Moses Fountain (Mosesbrunnen), designed by sculptor Johann Martin Fischer and erected in 1798.
Kleines Cafe featured in the film 'Before Sunrise'(1995) featuring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy – the scene where they sit outside and talk to a fortune teller.
Just a couple of minutes’ stroll from Franziskaneplatz, brings you to Stephansplatz with St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna Old Town, one of Vienna’s most famous landmarks with foundations dating to 1147.
St Stephen’s Cathedral has foundations dating to 1147, but its earliest remaining feature is the 13th century main gate, renamed to the Giant’s Door after a mammoth bone was found on the site duringbuilding works.
Inside the Cathedral, you can admire enormous medieval stained-glass windows, tall pillars supporting an impressive, vaulted ceiling, and a Baroque high altar. As you stand inside, take a minute to imagine Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart getting married here, as well as Habsburg Emperors.
Beneath the Cathedral are the Catacombs which were built after Charles VI closed the cemetery in 1732 and a new resting place was needed for citizens. Around 11,000 people were buried here by the end of the 18th century. The internal organs of members of the Habsburg dynasty are held in urns here.
The two Romanesque towers that flank the Giant’s Door are known as the Heathen Towers.
The North Tower houses the huge Pummerin bell, weighing 21 tonnes, cast from 100 cannons seized during the failed siege of Vienna by the Turks in 1683.
You can climb the South Tower (343 steps) for great views over the 1st district of Vienna.
For more information about ascending the North and South Towers, check my blog, Vienna, Austria: Planning the perfect winter city break.
At this point on your walking tour of Old Town Vienna, try not to get distracted in the Christmas Market which surrounds St Stephen’s Cathedral - we have a bit more walking to do first, before we get started on the gluhwein.
Before leaving the St Stephen’s area, find Domgasse 5, in the streets to the west of the Cathedral. This is the apartment where Mozart lived from 1784 to 1787 and in which he composed The Marriage of Figaro (hence the house is often referred to as the Figaro House).
Return to Stephansplatz and walk up Graben Street, under some of the most impressive festive lights in the city – a row of beautiful hanging chandeliers. On this street, you can pick up a 6-footChristmas tree as you pass!
As Graben Street crosses Habsburgergasse, look right to see the beautiful Baroque church of St Peter’s Church (Peterskirche).
Turn left at the Graben Street Cartier shop, briefly onto Kohlmarkt for more festive window shopping. On Kohlmarkt, the lights change to stunning cascades of lights hanging in sheets over the road.
Turn right onto Wallnerstrasse until you reach Cafe Central on Herrengasse.
Vienna Old Town has a lot of good coffee houses, but Cafe Central is legendary. Housed in an impressive 18th century palace building (Palais Ferstel), with vaulted ceilings, columns and a courtyard. The cafe opened in 1876 and became the haunt of writers, poets and revolutionaries – names you might have heard of such as Sigmund Freud and Leon Trotsky. It is traditional as you can get in Vienna – Sacher Torte, Apfel strudel and coffee.
If you managed to get a table at Café Sacher Wien at the start of this walk, then you might not be ready for Cafe Central as well. If so, then note its location and plan to visit later during your Vienna winter break.
From Cafe Central, it’s a 10-minute walk to Weiner Christkindlmarkt (Vienna Christmas Market) outside the Rathaus (Town Hall), the largest Christmas market in the city.
Now it’s time to spend the rest of your first day soaking up the festive atmosphere, sampling regional cuisine and tasting the punsch or gluhwein.
“Prost!”
For more information, read my blog – Vienna Christmas Markets: Which To Visit And What To Expect.
If you prefer to explore with a guide, so that you are learning about the history as you walk, there are lots available on Get Your Guide:
In closing
Vienna is an extremely smart city, and during winter, the buildings look even more stunning dressed with fabulous decorations. It wasn't too cold when we visited, but it was misty but that just seemed to add to the wintery atmosphere. If the weather gets too bad, you can just dip into one of the numerous cozy cafes, shops or museums.
Despite not being a very long walk, time just seemed to evaporate as we took in the shops, sights and decorations. It was good to be able to explore at our leisure and soak in the atmosphere.
The perfect way to settle in to a winter city break in Vienna.
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