In the summer of 2024, you could find ads on bus stops across the Upper West Side with the tagline, “Warning: Vienna’s Opulence Can Cause Post-Vienna Blues.” The ad campaign had an edgy appeal and described the “Post-Vienna Blues” as a “deep sense of melancholy, acute nostalgia and emotional turmoil” after having experienced the capital’s rich culture, beauty and history. My own thoughts after visiting? “Wow, that was a very clean and orderly city.”
Long, tree-shaded walking and biking paths line streets throughout the “Innere Stadt”–Vienna’s central district. At the center of Old Town Square is St. Stephen’s Cathedral, with its unmistakable roof, ornately tiled and complete with two giant eagles. Despite the district being easily walkable, it never feels overly dense. The buildings are grand and quiet, with shops ocasionally interspersed.
Vienna may feel like the ideal city–it has been ranked the world’s most liveable city more than once. Walkable, clean, and with space to breathe, you can take it slow, as you visit art museums and uncover the Austro-Hungarian collection of art from the region and the world. See the Habsburg’s art collections at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, appreciate the beauty of the famed Lipizzaner horses (the tickets are expensive and must be purchased well in advance), or visit the largest of the Habsburg residential palaces—the Albertina.
For me (and likely for many visitors), Vienna brings to mind the image of intellectuals, or more specifically—men in suits wearing pince-nezes, sipping little coffees, and not looking up from their newspapers. Happily, choosing which one of the city’s many cafes to visit may be the most difficult decision to make when planning a trip to Vienna. Consider a long morning in Cafe Sperl, its decor and lack of air conditioning transporting us back in time. A Viennese iced coffee (coffee with ice cream, topped with whipped cream) will cool you off, but don’t let the indulgence of it prevent you from also ordering a slice of cake to enjoy with your reading material.
For more ideas on cafes and dessert, comb through Rick Steves’ travel forums, where you’ll find a helpful and disdainful contributor named Emily, who frequently notes that she will privately message individuals her personal suggestions. Best of all is when the individuals she messages publicly post her recs. Fantastic.
So, having visited Vienna and thought back happily to the sweet indulgence of the Viennese coffees or the beauty of Klimt’s paintings, I think it’s fair to say that I did have some post-Vienna blues after all.
TO LEARN:
- Belvedere: My favorite (and I almost didn’t even go because I didn’t think I’d be that impressed…)!!
- Upper Belvedere is the must-see attraction, though the Lower Belvedere is perfect for those obsessed with the Church, and Belvedere 21 has a great little cafe.
- Wien Museum: A fantastic free museum, all about the history of the city! Make this your first stop.
- Kunsthistorisches Museum: Talk about opulence! The first floor is filled with treasures that the Habsburgs collected—from Ancient Egyptian artifacts to fancy bowls; the Picture Gallery on the second floor exhibits paintings from masters like Rembrandt and Vermeer
- Sigmund Freud Museum: More interested in history or psychology than art? Here is a smaller museum with artifacts and lots of reading
TO EAT:
- Cafe Sperl: Originally opened in 1880, expect wood paneling, glass, and mirrors
- Restaurant Griechenbeisl: Most people here will be tourists, but the food is fantastic (try the pork knuckle for two!) and it is the oldest inn in town—opening in 1447!
- Weibel’s Wirtshaus: Another traditional Viennese restaurant right in the heart of the city
- Joseph Brot: For fresh bread and a more modern setting, this is a popular small, local bakery chain
- Pfudl: What a name! What a schnitzel!
- Brasserie Palmenhaus Wien: This is an ambience selection; I’d stop here to read a book with a bier overlooking the park
- Markets: The best-known of the city’s 120 markets—Naschmarkt—but can feel very touristy; I’d recommend visiting Kutschkermarkt on a Saturday morning instead
- Lukas Bar: A good, no-frills spot for drinking shnapps
- Wunder-Bar: Student-ey bar with only a few options, but just the right vibe
TRANSPORTATION:
- A train from the airport is the quickest, cheapest way to get to the center of town. Once there, walk or use the city’s excellent public transit system (metro, buses, and trams).
TO GET YOU IN THE MOOD:
- Before Sunset (film)
- Amadeus (film)
- The Empress (series on Netflix)
- The World of Yesterday (book)