Right inside the heart of Vienna’s inner city there’s a calm hidden spot, perfect for having a short break between two sightseeing checks on your Vienna-to-do list, just waiting for you. Despite of its central position this place remains a peaceful one and I’d highly recommend you stop by here for having an urban picnic or just to round up your Albertina visit with some moments of admiring the city panorama from the inside.

Also if you’re just about to end a classy evening in Vienna’s opera house this place represents a good destination of a short late night stroll, as when it’s dark already, you can see the opera building itself in its, in my opinion, most beautiful appearance: illuminated by dozens of dimmed lights.

The way to get there is also kind of interesting: instead of taking the elevator or escalator that leads you right up to the place itself you shouldn’t be too lazy to climb up the big steps leading to the museum. Changing from time to time, their design is dedicated to one of the exhibition’s artists, so maybe you’ll happen to walk upon one of many artists’ masterpieces such as Magritte, Kandinsky or Monet…but don’t step on the water lilies!

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Albertina Terrace | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Albertina | Old city/center
24 hours daily

Do you consider yourself a vintage fashionista? Do you also feel the need of conserving the charm of old times by spicing up your outfit with bowler hats and patterned bow ties? Or maybe you’re looking for some super authentic 60′s sunglasses? Then I’m telling you, this is the place to go.

Freistil has always impressed its customers with its widely spread collection of habiliments, old fashioned accessories and souvenirs, both fancy and student budget suitable ones. For those that are excitedly preparing for either going to a classic Viennese ball or want to be top-styled for an elegant opera, visiting this shop offers some real treasures.

Aside from topper hats, flannel vests to colorful umbrellas and oddities such as walking sticks and mustache brushes I’m sure you won’t have any trouble finding items you never wished for but need to buy right now.

Of course, in case you’re searching for something special or just need some stylistic advice, there’s always the possibility to ask the nice shop owner who will be happy to provide you with some guidance through the shop and all the background information on the articles there are to share.

But be aware of not losing track of time while exploring!

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Freistil | Shopping | Sunglasses € 30
Judengasse 4 | Danube Canal Area | +4315359477
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 18:00

Situated in one of Vienna’s many beautiful and remarkable Art Nouveau buildings (already 110 years old!) this place combines great coffee with a special nostalgic atmosphere. Once you’ve entered the place you’ll recognize the many things that are to explore inside, from the many medal coffee badges and old fashioned lamps promoting Fanta lemonade, to that one of a kind cushioned telephone booth (maybe not suitable for claustrophobics).

This place represents one of Vienna’s traditional coffee houses, which means that there were already many generations spending time in here having a chat about life, discussing the latest urban news or reading one or another tome. Besides coffee and tea they offer a selection of Viennese pastries and cakes. Around lunchtime there’s also the possibility to enjoy an easily-affordable menu, maybe one of the reasons many students come here.

And when it’s getting warm outside you should definitely explore the Café’s terrace from which one can enjoy a view on the Wienfluss flowing by. Last but not least one should mention that the Café is open until 02:00 which makes it a great place to either start your night or get a caffeinated energy boost in between two club visits.

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Café Rüdiger Hof | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Viennese) | Strudel € 3.00
Hamburgerstraße 20 | Inner districts | +4315863138
09:00 – 02:00 daily

Ever felt the wish to abandon fork, knife and spoon for one evening? I for my part wish this quite often, so when I came to eat here the first time I was amazed see that I finally was allowed to do so.

After a long time, when there were not a lot of authentic African restaurants to be found in the city, this place turned out to be a culinary hot spot within the last few years. Situated in a former classic Viennese coffee house, this restaurant surprises with a little weird but enchanting Caféhaus meets Africa atmosphere.

Let’s get straight to business, the food itself! Most dishes are a combination of various appetizers, served on a big round Ethiopian bread that looks a little bit like a huge pancake and tastes rather like classic Austrian rye bread. And the fun’s already about to begin! After some moments of cluelessness how to fit any of these pastes and salads into your piece of bread without messing up the table, your hands and even your outfit completely, you’ll figure out quickly how to get these delicacies into your mouth.

And if you’re still a little bit hungry (unlikely because these dishes come in great portions), there’s also a coffee and popcorn tradition processed as a treat of the house, served by waitresses wearing traditional wardrobes, rounding up this extraordinary food experience completely.

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Ethiopian restaurant | Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Ethiopian) | Main meal € 7.50
Währingerstraße 15 | Inner districts | +4314020726
Tue – Thu 11:00 – 23:00, Fri – Sat 11:00 – 01:00, Sun 11:00 – 00:00

Feeling like having exquisite lunch or dinner in combination with a glass of fine wine these days? Flein’s situated right next to the beautiful Institut Francais building, Vienna’s French Cultural Institute, so there’s the great possibility to combine your meal with a little bit of rummaging around in French books, comics and music records or taking a walk in the spot’s beautiful garden.

Flein’s offering various dainties from all over, some endued with a little touch of French cuisine. So besides French classics such as Crème Brulée you should also give the international delicacies a chance, some of them will blow your mind.

One thing I really love about this spot is its cosy garden, hidden by many trees and offering a view direct into the Institute’s enchanting yard. Especially on a mild summer evening when crickets are chirping, the sun disappears slowly and the chains of lights hanging from tree to tree light this place up, it turns out to be a very nice place to spend your time at.

Of course, also in winter time Flein provides its guests with a cosy interior where you can warm yourself up with some tea or wine, watching snowflakes passing by outside the window panes…C’est si bon!

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Flein | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (French/Intern.) | Main Meal € 8.50
Boltzmanngasse 2 | Inner districts | +4313197689
Mon – Fri 11:30 – 15:00 & 17:30 – 23:00

Some like it hot. Those, and also the other ones of course, love to go to Maschu Maschu.

For those who are familiar with the town’s international cuisine scene one things is clear: Maschu Maschu is one great insider tip when it comes to foreign lunch and snacks. So what’s this spot about? Falafel and a variety of Israeli kitchen, quite simply.

The best things come in small packages, and so does Masch Maschu. The place itself is a real cosy one, outfitted with oriental pictures and collages. If this place happens to be full, there’s also the possibility to visit the other Maschu Maschu in Neubaugasse which is, of course, just as nice!

In the menu you’ll find various Israeli “Health Food” dishes, so besides Falafel you can also get to know Pita, Hummus or Nana Mint tea. Of course there’s also the possibility to round up your meal (and, in case, ease your taste buds) with a sweet and smooth Mango Lassi. Actually there are loads of exotic things to taste and smell, I’m quite sure movie hero Zohan would have liked to stop by and have a bite here.

By the way, on every table you’ll find a choice of Israeli sauces you can spice up your meal with. But caution, some of them are real hotties!

Freely translated from Hebrew “Maschu Maschu” means “Wow, that’s something!” and believe me, you should really trust in the name.

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Maschu Maschu | Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | Falafel from € 3.80
Rabensteig 8 | Danube Canal Area | +4315332904
Sun – Wed 11:30 – 00:00 Thu – Sat 11:30 – 04:00

Nomen est Omen. So, as the name (Donau = Danube) suggests, be prepared to have the feeling of diving into a world of lights, music and sombre colors when entering the place.

This is a great place to start your evening at. Maybe you’re just done enjoying contemporary art in Museumsquartier (check Museumsquartier article) or need a chill out after an exciting shopping expedition on Mariahilferstraße, so much the better coming here as it’s right next to a couple of urban hot spots!

Donau shows itself as a wicked combination of a place where you can have a beer or two, get to know the newest tunes and still are able to have a conversation, as the music’s volume is not beyond the convenient. There’s also quite stylish snack bar and some really comfortable original cinema armchairs giving the place a certain old school Viennese character.

And – I love this interior’s element – don’t miss catching a glimpse of the ceiling and the remarkable art installation giving you the feeling of actually floating lazily along the blue river…

Plus; if you already feel like gaining an impression of what your evening might be like or if you just want to see whether you like the music or not, there is also an online radio station you should check out!

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Das Donau | Bars, Music, Snacks | Beer € 3.00
Karl Schweighofer Gasse 10 | Inner districts | +4315238105
Open from 18:00 daily

If you ever feel the need of escaping a grey and rainy day in Vienna you’ll be happy to enter this place, where cocktails are still prepared with fresh fruits all year long, delicious spirits tempt your taste buds and a cigar still gives you the feeling of sitting just outside on the veranda of a Cuban hacienda, enjoying the mild and warm wind tumbling your hair and watching the waves roll in.

For a long long time now this has been one of my favourite cocktail bars in Vienna. When I was 16, my friends and I came here quite often, sipping sweet delights (not too strong ones of course) together, surrounded by great Latin rhythms and the spot’s warm and cosy atmosphere.

But don’t worry, coming here you won’t stumble upon loads of youngsters being excited about trying their first Mojitos and Margaritas. Actually there are all kinds of people coming here, from students and night owls up to those that like to suit up every once in a while. Plus, the music’s not too loud, so, not as in many other cocktail bars where there’s the need of using pantomime or sign language, you can easily have a relaxed chat over your cocktails.

So, if you ever feel like having a summery shortbreak, come in here and get drawn into the world of guitar vibes, lime juice dashes and heavenly Daiquiris!

PS: Ladies Night every Tuesday – Thursday!

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Ron Con Soda | Bars, Music | Cocktail from € 7.00
Seitenstettengasse 5 | Danube Canal Area | +436503192184
19:00 – 04:00 daily

While taking a slow walk through the city this place was discovered by incident. Being attracted to its colorful and creative appearance we crossed the street, trying to figure out what kind of place we were just about to explore.

Not really daring to enter right away we kept looking through a great window pane, behind which we could see a big room filled with colorful items we could not really classify in the first place.

Lucky us, we were quickly welcomed by a lively guy that turned out to be Viennese architect and local creative all-rounder Heidulf Gerngross.

So, still getting over the first flood of colors and impressions filling the place, we were introduced to its actual purpose: representing the editorial office of ST/A/R architecture magazine.

When you’ll be visiting the place you won’t be able to help recognizing a certain shape re-occurring all over the place, the Archiquant. Archi-what? Don’t worry, I wasn’t less clueless. It represents the main element of the architect’s latest work and I wouldn’t wanna miss getting Gerngross to share his enthrallment for the Archiquant and, besides that, Austrian Architecture with you, he really manages to carry you away with his enthusiasm.

So, if you consider yourself an architecture enthusiast or just feel like getting to know Vienna’s current artistic scene from a real authentic point of view, I’d highly suggest you to walk by this place!

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ST/A/R | Art & culture | Free
Gumpendorferstraße 42 | Inner districts | +436645213307
Tue – Thu 12:00 – 17:00

The first address after arriving in Vienna by train (if you arrive at the West-railway station and didn’t have coffee already at one of the modern cafés at the Bahnhofcity Wien West, check the article.) is this old traditional café.

Dark furniture, comfortable benches, and perfectly dressed waiters, that’s the Westend. Don’t expect to be warmly welcomed. The waiters, most of them as old as the place itself, are unfriendly and moody (they are getting more friendly recently!).

Yummy cakes, good coffee and the warm atmosphere let you forget about them immediately. Actually these moody characters make it a typical café in Vienna.

The location of the café invites all kind of types of people stopping by for a coffee and makes it also interesting to watch people. Somehow you have the feeling that many people have this hobby here – having a coffee and observing the situation.

There is a separated smoking area.

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Café Westend | Coffee & tea | Espresso € 2.20
Mariahilfer Straße 128 | Inner districts | +4315233183
07:00 – 00:00 daily