- Feb 19, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 25, 2025
This weekend, we popped to Vienna. I know, so bloody chic. What else should you do in your mid-thirties when your husband is stationed in Munich and suggests a rendezvous halfway? You say yes; you pack a bag, and you board the plane feeling impossibly cosmopolitan.
It sounds wildly romantic. A grand gesture plucked from the pages of some louche, pre-war novel. In reality, it was a weekend city break: a very good one, but still a city break, no waltzing, no fur-trimmed intrigue. Just two slightly tired people drinking coffee and battling the cold. But Vienna is one of those places that demands very little of you. All you need is a few bookings and, in between those, a healthy appetite for art and desserts.
I've always wanted to visit Vienna, for the cafés, the Secession Movement, the strudel. We didn't manage to tick everything off the list, but what madman would? Here, I offer only a few suggestions for those on a time-limited basis; I will also add the restaurants and museums I didn't manage to get to see. So this is 24 hrs in Vienna.
Where We Stayed
Hotel Motto. Not, as I had initially hoped, the Hotel Sacher. That particular dream was swiftly scuppered by the price tag. But having walked past its grand façade, I realised that dodging it might have been a stroke of luck. The queue of tourists outside was enough to kill any lingering romance, turning the place into something more of a back drop for instagram than my romantic ideal.
So, back to where we did stay. Hotel Motto: an excellently located bolthole with interiors that sit firmly in the new school of design, where nothing is allowed to match, because that, apparently, would be gauche. I believe they call it ‘eccentric eclecticism.’ To some, it’s a dream; to me, it felt a little like an expensive furniture showroom assembled by committee. But, credit where it’s due, the room was a generous size, the bed supremely comfortable, and as a base for Vienna, it was ideal.
The hotel boasts a buzzy restaurant on the seventh floor, the sort of place people describe as ‘a scene.’ We, however, opted out. If you’re in a city crammed with cafés, the least you can do is eat in them.
Friday Afternoon
3:30 PM – The Leopold Museum
A brisk 15-minute walk from the hotel, the Leopold Museum is a sanctuary of 20th-century European art, you have some extraordinary moving pieces from Egon Schiele to excellent examples of furniture from the Vienna Secession movement.
And then, there’s the café. An unexpected left turn into Asian cuisine, which, after a few hours of artistic intensity, felt like a small act of divine intervention. Hugely welcome for two slightly peckish wanderers, because nothing says ‘Vienna’ quite like a cup of miso soup.
6 PM – Stella Marina
Our first evening in Vienna, and we found ourselves at Stella Marina. Restaurants where very hard to book, Valentine’s Day wreaking its usual havoc. Thankfully, the hotel managed to secure us a table at this rather exceptional little spot.
We arrived promptly at 6 PM to find the place completely empty. The door was locked. A knock summoned a man who, we soon realised, was not just the chef but also the maître d’, the waiter, and quite possibly the busboy, sommelier, and general custodian of the entire enterprise. He looked at us, slightly weary, slightly put-upon, and unlocked the door. Inside, every table was reserved, a promising sign, though I did feel a twinge of concern for the sheer amount of work awaiting him.
Wine? White or red. No list, no ceremony. Just a choice. Efficient, and, frankly, quite refreshing. The menu was spoken, a test of our patchy Italian, though enough words landed for us to order with enthusiasm.
What followed was an evening of gentle eccentricities, the sort of night that feels like stepping into a well-kept secret. Every person who came through the door knew the place, and it was clear they loved it. That warmth spread across the tables, the kind of effortless goodwill that makes a meal feel like a moment in time. The chef-slash-waiter-slash-hero of the evening carried it all with the resigned competence of a man who has seen it all before and will see it all again tomorrow. Rarely do you stumble upon a place where everything unfolds so perfectly—laughter, good food, and a lingering sense that you’ve just experienced something quietly brilliant.
Saturday
8 AM – The Flea Market at Naschmarkt
We woke, having had a stupendous night’s sleep and made a beeline for the flea market at Naschmarkt. A jolly good thing for all to enjoy, as long as you have a tolerance for the occasional sharp elbow. I walked away with a few treasures tucked under my arm, but even if I hadn’t, it would still have been a fine way to start the day. Next door, a farmers’ market provided the necessary sustenance, pastries and (good) coffee within arm’s reach, ensuring the morning unfolded exactly as it should.
9:30 AM – Café Sperl
From the market, we trod what I imagine is a well-worn path straight to Café Sperl. And here, dear reader, I fell in love. I could spend my life here—every meal and every hour in between. It was so perfect that even as I write this, my heart has quickened. This is the sort of café that, in any other country, would be overrun by the worst kind of tourists. But in a miraculous turn of fate, it seemed that my husband and I were the only ones filling that role.
The waiter, poor man, endured my love-struck grinning as I tried desperately to communicate my sheer, overwhelming delight at being there. If I can offer you just one piece of advice: go to Café Sperl. Order a basket of baked goods and a coffee. Bask in the perfection of it all.
10:45 AM(ish) – The Secession Building
The Secession Building had made it onto our itinerary for reasons I couldn’t quite remember, though something about the name had given me the impression it was a no-brainer. Upon arrival, we found ourselves staring at a rather gangly contemporary art exhibition, which my husband, in an admirable display of goodwill, declared was worth the €20 entry fee.
But the real reason to be here, what drew the slow-moving hordes down the stairs, was in the basement. Gustav Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze, a 30-meter-long hymn to music, pattern, and sheer decorative genius.
12 pm - Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
First things first: outside the museum, there’s a little kiosk selling tickets. When we visited, it was -2°C. We queued for ten minutes, which felt considerably longer when factoring in the loss of sensation in our fingers. Then, upon finally stepping inside, we spotted two unattended ticket machines. So, a word of advice, perhaps check indoors before subjecting yourself to an impromptu endurance test.
Now, onto the museum itself. A marvel. Room after room of sheer delight. I beamed my way through ancient Egypt, then Rome, then climbed the grand staircase to find the Old Masters waiting, Bruegel, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Holbein, Lotto—one thrilling encounter after another. And then, the interiors. The Kunsthistorisches is not just a museum; it’s an argument for how galleries should be. The paintings are beautifully hung, the frames chosen with precision, the walls coloured to perfection. And, most importantly, there are sofas. More galleries should have sofas.
2 PM – Lunch at Rosi
We decided to walk to Rosi. I say decided, but really, it was my attempt at feeling like a vaguely responsible mother-to-be, five months pregnant and convinced that every small bout of exercise offsets my general lack of discipline. The reality? The walk was dull, and it was freezing. Rosi is a little further out of the centre, and while I strongly recommend a visit, I would also strongly recommend taking a tram or taxi.
Once inside, though, all was forgiven. Rosi is exactly what you want it to be: a weekend eatery full of fashionable, radiant people eating a mix of breakfast indulgences and Austrian staples. By this point in the day, we were flagging, and when a homemade lemonade materialised in front of me, it was as thirst-quenching as it was aesthetically pleasing.
4pm Hotel
Here we decided to take a little pit stop. Baths and naps were needed to ready ourselves for the evening ahead.
6.45 PM – Loos American Bar
Adolf Loos is something of a figurehead in Vienna, his name is scattered across the city like confetti. If we were only discussing the work and not the man, he would be an undisputed genius. However, his history is controversial, to put it lightly. This isn’t the place to tackle the full weight of that discussion, but it’s worth knowing before you raise a glass in his bar.
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, though, the Loos American Bar is exceptional.
7.45 PM - St. Stephen's Cathedral
On our way to dinner, we passed an extraordinary building, so striking that it felt churlish not to step inside. And aren’t we pleased we did? Flickering candlelight revealed A medieval masterpiece, casting long shadows over intricate stonework.
8.15pm Fabios
So, Fabio’s. Exactly what you imagine dining in Mayfair to be if, like me, you haven’t done it in a while because, well, who’s got the cash? But as with most of Europe, it’s oddly cheaper than what’s currently being charged for the privilege of sitting in a UK restaurant. It’s all very snazzy, the kind of place where the ice cubes are probably filtered through a glacier, the service is immaculate, and the food is unbearably chic but with actual substance. But by far, the main event is the people-watching.
A room full of rich people, plus a few like us who had somehow washed up there on Valentine’s Day. And if I may be so bold, the rich aren’t dressing particularly well these days. The women, especially those dining together, were a pleasure: dressed to the nines, fully aware of the performance. But the men? A sea of baffling choices. An assortment of suede loafers, aggressively tight trousers, and jackets that looked like they had something to prove. But then, men’s fashion is generally a sad affair. They simply don’t get to have as much fun as we do.
Anyway, below are a few other restaurants I earmarked, ones we didn’t try but might be a little more Tat friendly.
Restaurants -
Edlingers Tempel, O boufes, MAST Weinbistro, Stomach en Detail, Kim Kocht, Glacis Beisl, Cafe Landtmann, Cafe Pruckel, Cafe Museum, Drechsler Wienzeile.
Other Things To Do
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