Image by Sabrina Grohsebner

Once you’ve entered the place you’ll be diving quickly into that lively and yet cosy hustle and bustle inside the place. Waiters suit up and tend to behave, just like in old times, a little bit snotty – not forgetting about spicing up that attitude with a hint of authentic “Wiener Schmäh” (Viennese Charm). So don’t be shy about talking to them when they’re not too busy .

For more than a 100 years now (!) Café Museum has been a part of Vienna’s Coffeehouse Culture. Local creative souls such as Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele or Otto Wagner came in here all through the years, so this Café distinguishes itself with a certain Viennese authenticity.

Café Museum is located nearby cultural hot spots such as the Vienna Secession and the Albertina, so, also the name is suggesting that, visiting the place goes along great with a museum visit.

There are comfy, red sofa-booths (offering a great opportunity to bounce up and down just like a child, by the way) right next to the window, so you can easily spend one rainy afternoon drinking tea, watching the busy city life passing by and indulge your sweet tooth with one of those many mouth-watering cakes.

Almost forgot about mentioning my favourite detail! If you’re visiting don’t miss looking up at the ceiling. There are some huge Christmas bauble-alike lamps hanging down, and I for my part love them!

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Café Museum | Art & culture, Coffee & tea | Piece of Cake € 4.00
Operngasse 7 | Inner districts | +43124100620
08:00 – 00:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Sabrina Grohsebner

Situated near the very core of Vienna’s inner city this cinema is easy to find and offers makes it easy to round up your visit with a leisurely evening walk through Burggarten, which is right next to it.

Burgkino has been enchanting me from the very beginning with its decent, authentic and a little bit old fashioned in- and exterior. The big red letters above the entry promoting tonight’s shows, the small theatre café and those real cosy armchairs inside the auditorium make it feel very special watching a movie there.

All movies are shown in their original version, sometimes including English subtitles, and even on Sundays ticket prices stay fair. There’s always one of their “special performances” such as an independent documentary or a rather unknown road-movie. And let’s not forget about its participation in movie festivals!

And here’s the cherry on the cake! Burgkino regularly shows “The Third Man” which is, as you’ll read in your travel guide in case you have one, one of the few popular movies being filmed completely in and..well…partly under Vienna. A real authentic Vienna experience, you see?

But just as a warning, after watching don’t bother getting the movie’s catchy soundtrack out of your mind for the rest of your visit, you won’t succeed.

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Burgkino | Art & culture, Cinemas | Ticket from € 5.00
Opernring 19 | Inner districts | +4315878406
16:00 – 22:55 daily (showtimes)

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Diana Pereira

Quite unusual that the incinerator of the city can be a nice thing to look at, but in fact the incinerator building and tower are one of the city landmarks. When you first look at it you will probably think you are looking at an art gallery or a museum due to its colorful appearance but it is an operating incinerator and heating plant.

The building has a very funny outlook something like in between a building and a living sculpture with golden balls on every corner! It has some small windows encircled by bright colors. Irregularly you can see also some openings (kind of balconies) from where trees grow out of the building and the huge chimney tower which culminates with an enormous shiny golden ball. The explanation is that the architect and artist who designed the external facade was the famous painter and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The building reflects his concerns for life and his attempts for a waste-free society as well as for architecture in harmony with the nature.

It is located near the Danube channel (Donaukanal) and quite near the city centre. Just out of the Metro station Spittelau lines U4 and U6. You can also walk along the channel and do all way around the building, following one of the many bridges of this area. If you have interest in architecture you will also see the Zaha Hadid building about 100 meters away.

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Fernwärme | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Spittelauer Lände 45 | Danube Canal Area
24 hours daily (inside by appointment)

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Wolfgang Körbitz

For the ones who appreciate healthy food I suggest a bio restaurant located on a side street just a minute away from the Votiv church.

They offer a wide selection of dishes for a healthy lifestyle as well also 2 daily menus (a fish/meat and a vegetarian). Menus include also a base soup and a delicious salad from the buffet (beetroot, chickpeas, lentils or even millet are some of the many salad ingredients)! There is also a student menu version- a little smaller and cheaper. You can also taste there yummy home-made desserts! Menus are just in German language but friendly staff will help you out! The food there is really tasty. I love the vegetarian and vegan dishes. The food is fresh … no frozen stuff or microwaves

To complete this home flavour, the interior is very cosy. It’s a small place in the “basement” of a house – its windows are tiny, wooden furniture in old style gives a character to the place! There isn’t one eating room but a divided space in 2 levels! It’s a calm and relaxed place where besides eating you can also find some books on a shelf and read just like in your living room!

In the same street a few meters away there is a shop from the same owner selling ayurvedish and bio products. You find there from food stuff to hygienic products (also cosmetics). And also a bar with some food and snacks!

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Regenbogen Stube | Shopping, Restaurants (Vegetarian) | Menu € 7.80
Schwarzspanierstraße 18 | Inner districts | +439617168
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 21:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Cristian Bortes

Vienna is the city of music. Once you are in Vienna a visit to the State Opera is mandatory!

When the State Opera (Staatsoper) was built, it was severely criticized by the people due to its simplicity for the mid-nineteenth century, it was said it was an ugly building to represent the so dignified art. Nowadays the Vienna State Opera is one of the symbols of the city and is one of the best addresses in the world where you can enjoy an opera or a ballet from great names such as Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss and others… performances are daily (except for the summer break).

The building is fabulous and the main room is simply unique. It is magical to watch a performance there. If you are traveling on a low budget it is no more an excuse to not go to the opera. The Vienna state Opera offers the possibility of buying tickets at a very low price (between 3 and 6 Euros) for the performance at a side entrance of the building. These are called “Stehplatz” and are sold about 2 hours before the beginning of the performance. Basically you get a ticket to attend the act standing. It’s a good deal as long as you don’t mind standing the whole time!

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Opera | Art & culture
Opernring 2 | Inner districts
Daily – depending on show

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Diana Pereira

Kandisky is an unusual kind of place suitable for bohemians, romantic and mystic people. It’s a small cozy artistic coffee place located in one of the very beautiful passages in the heart of the 8th district not far from the Museums Quartier. The waiter is a special character that will be happy to have a chat with you and tell you stories about Vienna or have a discussion about your home country. Don’t be in a hurry, because the service can be a little slow.

This place is connected with the art gallery besides it. You can expect a very relaxed and quiet atmosphere, nice homemade cakes, a large selection of good teas served with honey in colorful mugs and homemade soups and toasts. As well as an amazing choice of jams that you get in proper large jam jars. Breakfast is served all day long!

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Café Kandinsky | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks
Lerchenfelderstrasse 13 | Inner districts | +4319694001
Tue – Fri 09:00 – 19:00, Sat – Sun 09:00 – 16:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Diana Pereira

Located in the inner districts, it can be a good choice if you don’t want to meet (other) tourists on the neighbor table. Wratschko is a local old style pub/restaurant where you can have a plate of good tasty food.

It is quite traditional and probably not appealing if you look for something hip or trendy! The inside is rather simple but very nice and cozy. The worn wooden tables, the low ceilings, the lamps, the white translucent glass panels and the simple decoration makes you believe that you are in the countryside in the 50′s! Menus are written by hand which I think is also pretty charming and fits the picture of being a traditional and a unique place.

The dishes are of course also traditional. They are cooked with local and fresh bio products. It can take a little longer to be served but you can be sure it is all carefully prepared. The Wratschko is a proper Wiener pub, the way you can imagine it!

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Clemens Wratschko | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Austrian)
Neustiftgasse 51 | Inner districts | +4315237161
Mon – Fri 17:00 – 01:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by WUK Vienna (by: Diana Pereira)

The WUK is an alternative space for culture and workshops, one of the biggest in Europe in the leftish/arty style. There you’ll find a cafe, restaurant, art rooms, concerts, workshops, even bike repairs, and more than anything a meeting point for everyone!

This space is in a former locomotive factory from the 19th century. It has a strong character and it is quite a unique place. Depending on the activities and on the weather, these can be organized in or outdoors, giving use to the wonderful courtyard. The outdoor space is fantastic. In the summer you can drink your coffee outside on the terrace or even have a full meal. Moreover there is wireless internet in the courtyard. The artistic atmosphere is very present with graffiti and paintings on some walls.

The list of events and activities organized there is quite extensive so the best way to be up to date is to check their website!

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WUK | Art & culture, Bars, Music
Währinger Straße 59 | Inner districts
08:00 – 02:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Nil Vienna (by: Diana Pereira)

In the heart of the 7th district there is the Nil, an Oriental cafe. It’s a pretty nice place though it is located on a busy street with a tram line! The big window glass panels on the street façade reduce the distance between interior and exterior. Plenty of light gets in as well as the liveliness of the street.

I usually go there to enjoy myself with the fantastic Arab cuisine – falafel and hummus are delicious and the salads are always fresh. Like the food, the mint tea is also amazing which is done with fresh mint like the original one from North Africa! The waitresses are relaxed too, which sometimes can lead to longer waiting times as a consequence. In those situations I end up reading one of the newspapers or a magazines that they have there!

The decoration is somehow minimalistic: simple small wooden tables in an old and clean design, and several lamps well organized all over the place. I like it!

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Nil | Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Oriental)
Siebensterngasse 39 | Inner districts
10:00 – 00:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Diana Pereira

The name says it all, experience a bit of the French flair in Vienna. In fact the concept and inspiration were based on a small cafe from Toulouse. After years of living in France the owner returned to Austria and took his favorite place with him to Vienna!

The main dish in Cafe der Provinz is undoubtedly crepes. Unlike the traditional French recipe, in this cafe the crepes are made of a mixture of 2 different flours (Spelt and Buckwheat) which makes a darker and healthier version as it contains higher protein and nutrition substances. The same dough is used for the sweet and the savory crepes! So it is the filling what gives the sweet or savory “character” to them!

Saturdays and Sundays there is a brunch where you can eat as much as you want while you watch your crepes being prepared. The down side of it is that the place gets crowded quickly. I advise you to reserve a table as the place is quite small. Otherwise you might be waiting a long time!

Most of the time, outside of the weekends busy brunch hours, you can sit there enjoying a book. In the summer they also have outside seats which are very nice as it is a quiet area. In the back of the store books, teas and other small products can be found for sale.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Cafe der Provinz | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (French) | Brunch € 11.50
Maria-Treu-Gasse 3 | Inner districts | +4319442272
08:00 – 23:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna