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 Vienna Hotels
The Austrian capital has always been dignified, but there's a thick layer of whipped cream around almost every corner. Its baroque architecture, art galleries and museums, rich musical heritage and café's and cakes have been magnets for tourists since the days of the Grand Tour. Its popularity has continued to grow and now, with one budget airline flying directly to the city, and another to nearby Bratislava, Vienna has never been cheaper or easier to get to. The Christkindlmärkte always draw crowds when, from the end of November to Christmas, little huts spring up on streets throughout the city, selling presents, food and warming Glühwein.
Part of Vienna's appeal is its compact centre ('innere stadt'), which forms the 1st District. All the sights, hotels, restaurants and cafés are within an easy walk. The medieval city is contained by a broad horseshoe-shaped road of 19th-century palaces, the Ringstrasse, where all the grand old hotels are found. Although a 1st District address is plum, the neighbouring districts, such as 4th, 7th and 8th, are still convenient and the hotels often better value. Viennese hotels are, almost without exception, well-run and pristine (even the most modest pension has good quality linen), but many are decorated in an oppressive Biedermeier style. We have tried to ferret out the elegant ones, as well as recommending a number of fresh, contemporary boutique hotels. The hotels are listed by price category, and their order bears no reflection on our preference.
 Reviews by Fiona Duncan and Leonie Glass |
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| Luxury: Stately palace, opened as a hotel in 1873 and still in superb condition |
| Location: On Ringstrasse, adjacent to the Musikverein and two blocks from the Opera House |
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| The Grande Dame of Vienna’s hotels and the venue for state visits (the Queen and Prince Philip have stayed in the fabulous Royal Suite), the sepulchral, palatial Imperial was built for the Duke of Wurtemburg in 1863 and became a hotel ten years later, with a private entrance to the adjacent Musikverein concert hall. Its rooms (half are suites, with private butler, some with roof terraces) are in superb condition and the last word in traditional Viennese elegance. |
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| Luxury: Chic contemporary hotel with an unbeatable location |
| Location: In Stephansplatz, opposite the Cathedral |
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| No other hotel in Vienna can match Do&Co for location. Walk into the sixth-floor Onyx Bar, a buzzing, sophisticated meeting place, and the sight of St Stephen’s Cathedral – only feet away through floor-to-ceiling windows – is simply breathtaking. Spread over three floors of a cylindrical glass-clad building, the hotel has an elegant modern design, including bedrooms in teak with suede details and glassed-in bathrooms. Some have window seats so you can drink in the view. The food in the ever popular restaurant is excellent, and staff both charming and attentive. |
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| Luxury: Old world charm and modern luxury in the heart of Vienna |
| Location: In the city centre, between the State Opera and Kartnerstrasse |
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| The torte was invented first and the hotel followed in 1876, famously run for many years by Anna Maria Sacher (it was she, beloved of cigars and little dogs, who instituted the wonderful collection of guests’ photographs on display) until a second family, Gurtler, still in charge, took over. It’s private status, and rich sense of the past shine out, sensitively mixed with modern luxury, including a spa (signature hot chocolate treatment) and two top floors of more contemporary rooms. Superb service, excellent food, shedloads of character, and that Sacher-Torte. A gem, worth the money. |
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| Luxury: A Viennese hub since the turn of the 20th century |
| Location: on Ringstrasse, a block from the State Opera |
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| This dignified yet animated hotel would particularly suit visitors on a mix of business and pleasure, its welcoming ground floor Rosengarten Café making a great place to meet or sit quietly and work, and three other eateries (including Japanese and French) from which to choose. The illustrious 19th century society hotel rose once more to prominence in the early 1990s, its splendid balconied hall faithfully restored, with dignified bedrooms on five floors above and a useful adjoining shopping mall. |
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| Luxury: Conran-designed boutique hotel, haunt of the glitterati |
| Location: In Wiedner Hauptstrasse, a short walk south of Karlsplatz |
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| The city’s first boutique hotel bears the stamp of British designer Terence Conran who transformed it in 1996. Its particular brand of laid-back luxury makes it a particular favourite with pop stars. Perhaps they relish the high-backed leather seats in the award-winning Silver Bar, where you can chat undisturbed. There’s also first-class Northern Italian cuisine in the restaurant, Collio, a serene courtyard garden, and state-of-the-art bedrooms with furniture by Minotti and Philippe Starck among others. |
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| Mid Price: 16th-century building transformed into a classical hotel with a charming atrium |
| Location: in a quiet street just SE of St Stephen's Cathedral |
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| There are few more alluring places to sit and relax with a newspaper and coffee than the atrium of the ‘King of Hungary’. The house dates from the 16th century, and the atrium formed when a glass roof was built over the internal courtyard. It is now filled with tables, comfortable chairs, plants, even trees, overlooked by the building’s original windows. The style is traditional throughout – chandeliers, upright, upholstered chairs, period furniture – though decoration and colour schemes vary from one comfortable bedroom to the next. |
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| Mid Price: Stylish hotel housing a stunning art collection |
| Location: in the artists' quarter, just west of Museumplatz |
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| The genesis of this stylish hotel dates back to 1991 when owner Otto E. Wiesenthal was looking for somewhere to showcase his art collection. He chose a stately house with fine proportions and many of its period details intact, appropriately in the artists’ quarter. The airy interior is a happy mixture of styles from classic to avant-garde. In 2006 Matteo Thun revamped nine of the 42 bedrooms, giving them a stunning, belle époque-inspired look. But don’t dismiss the handsome older rooms, which have the best paintings. |
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| Mid Price: Stylish modern hotel with seven airy bedrooms and a congenial sitting room |
| Location: In a small street parallel with Rotenturmstrasse, NE of Stephansplatz |
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| With barely a sign to announce it, this hotel is difficult to find. But persevere, it’s worth it. A youthful contemporary conversion of a 19th-century first-floor apartment, it has an attractive sitting room, with bookcases, sofas, standard lamps and an ultra-modern fireplace. It is painted white throughout, with splashes of orange and brown leather furniture. The seven light, wood-floored bedrooms have ‘open’ bathrooms, usually hidden behind the bed. |
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| Inexpensive: Family-run pension with character and traditional charm |
| Location: in Graben, near the junction with Habsburgergasse, minutes from Stephansplatz |
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| This traditional family-run pension has been popular for decades. So much so that it’s a good idea to book your room months ahead. It occupies three floors of a 19th-century apartment building in one of Vienna’s broad, dignified shopping streets, pedestrian-only so blissfully quiet. The decoration is endearingly old-fashioned: faded chintzes and solid wood furniture in the bedrooms; parquet floor and starched white linen in the breakfast room. Cosy, friendly and unbeatable value. |
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