My Vienna Diary: A Week of Coffeehouses, Concert Halls, and Sachertorte
I came to Vienna because I love classical music and had never seen an opera in a proper opera house. I left with a coffee addiction, strong opinions about cake, and the realization that is the most civilized city I've ever visited. For a very different Central European experience, try (2.5 hours by train) or . — and I mean that as both a compliment and a gentle criticism.
Took the S7 train from Vienna Airport to Wien Mitte (4.60 EUR, 25 minutes — the CAT train costs 12 EUR and is only 9 minutes faster). Checked into a small hotel in the Innere Stadt.
First stop: Cafe Central on Herrengasse. The ceiling is vaulted like a cathedral. The marble columns are original. Leon Trotsky played chess here before the Russian Revolution. I ordered a melange (Viennese cappuccino, 6 EUR) and an Apfelstrudel (5.50 EUR). The waiter — in a formal black waistcoat — brought them on a silver tray with a glass of water and a small spoon. Nobody rushed me. Nobody checked on me. I sat for 90 minutes reading a newspaper mounted on a wooden rod (they still do this) and felt like I'd traveled backward in time.
Vienna's coffee house culture is UNESCO-recognized Intangible Cultural Heritage. The etiquette: you must order a specific coffee type (melange, Einspanner, Brauner, Schwarzer — never just "a coffee"), you receive a free glass of water that's perpetually refilled, and you can sit for hours without anyone expecting you to leave or order more. This is not Starbucks. This is an institution.
Dinner at a Beisl (traditional Viennese pub) in the Spittelberg quarter. Wiener Schnitzel — properly made from veal, pounded thin, breaded, and fried until golden — for 16 EUR. A glass of Gruner Veltliner (Austria's signature white wine, 4 EUR). The schnitzel hung over the edge of the plate, which is the correct presentation.
Day 2: Schonbrunn and the Habsburg Excess
Schonbrunn Palace is Austria's most visited attraction — 1,441 rooms, Habsburg summer residence for 300 years. I did the Grand Tour (29 EUR, 40 rooms, 50 minutes). The rooms blur together after the twentieth — rococo excess has a ceiling — but the Hall of Mirrors (where Mozart performed at age 6) and Maria Theresa's bedroom are genuinely spectacular.
The gardens are free and enormous. I walked to the Gloriette (a triumphal arch on the hill behind the palace) for a panoramic view of Vienna. The maze (6 EUR) is fun for kids. The world's oldest zoo (Tiergarten Schonbrunn, 24 EUR) is here too — founded in 1752 and still operating.
Allow 3-4 hours total. Book online at schoenbrunn.at to skip the queue. The Imperial Tour (22 EUR, 22 rooms) is sufficient if you're short on time.
Day 3: The Opera Night
I went to the Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera). Not as a wealthy patron in a box seat — as a 4 EUR standing-room ticket holder.
Here's how it works: standing-room tickets (Stehplatz) are sold 80 minutes before curtain, cash only, one per person. I arrived 2.5 hours early for a popular performance (La Traviata) and was twentieth in line. By the time the window opened, there were 200 people behind me. I got a prime spot in the parterre — essentially behind the last row of orchestra seats, leaning on a rail.
The opera lasted 2.5 hours. I stood the entire time. My feet were destroyed. And it was one of the best experiences of my life.
The Staatsoper performs nearly every night September through June. Even from the standing section, the acoustics are extraordinary — the sound wraps around you in a way that recordings can't replicate. Dress code: men in suits or blazers, women in dresses or nice separates. Jeans would technically be admitted to standing room but you'd feel wrong.
If standing isn't your thing, regular tickets range from 15-250 EUR. Book at wiener-staatsoper.at.
Day 4: Belvedere and Klimt
The Upper Belvedere (16.70 EUR) houses Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" — one of the most famous paintings in the world. It's smaller than I expected (180 x 180 cm) and more textured — the gold leaf has a three-dimensional quality that reproductions can't capture. The embrace is more tender in person. I stood in front of it for fifteen minutes.
The Lower Belvedere has rotating exhibitions (separate ticket). The gardens between the two palaces are free and offer the classic postcard view of the Vienna skyline with the Belvedere in the foreground.
Open daily 10AM-6PM (Friday until 9PM). Less crowded than Schonbrunn. Allow 2-3 hours for the museum and gardens.
Day 5: Stephansdom and Naschmarkt
St. Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom) is Vienna's Gothic centerpiece, with a distinctive zigzag-tiled roof. The main nave is free to enter. I climbed the South Tower (6 EUR, 343 steps) — narrow, claustrophobic, and absolutely worth it for the view. The North Tower elevator (8 EUR) takes you to the Pummerin, Austria's largest bell.
The catacombs tour (6.50 EUR, every 30 minutes) shows the bones of plague victims and the internal organs of Habsburg emperors stored in copper urns. Not for the squeamish.
After Stephansdom, I walked to Naschmarkt — Vienna's 1.5 km open-air market with 120+ stalls. International food, Viennese pastries, and the best people-watching in the city. I had Turkish borek (4 EUR), a glass of Austrian wine at a market stand (3.50 EUR), and a wedge of Bergkase cheese (aged mountain cheese, 3 EUR) to take back to the hotel.
Saturday flea market at the western end (6AM-2PM) is excellent for vintage finds.
Day 6: Classical Music, Not at the Opera
Vienna has live classical music every single night. I went to a concert at the Musikverein — home of the Vienna Philharmonic and the concert hall with the most famous acoustics in the world (the Golden Hall).
Standing-room tickets: 6-8 EUR. Seated: from 40 EUR. The sound in the Golden Hall is physically different from any other concert space — something about the wood, the dimensions, the 1870s construction. Notes hang in the air.
The tourist-oriented "Mozart & Strauss" concerts (35-85 EUR at various venues) are pleasant but not the real thing. For authentic classical, check wienerphilharmoniker.at, konzerthaus.at, or attend a church concert (15-30 EUR at Augustinerkirche or Karlskirche).
Day 7: The Sachertorte Verdict
I'd been avoiding the Sachertorte question all week. Two places claim the "original" — Hotel Sacher and Cafe Demel. The legal battle over who has the right to the name went to the Austrian Supreme Court (Hotel Sacher won).
I went to both on the same day. Consecutive Sachertortes. For science.
Hotel Sacher (9.50 EUR per slice): Dense, dark, with a layer of apricot jam under the chocolate glaze. Served with unsweetened whipped cream (Schlag). The chocolate is intense and the texture is deliberately dry — it's meant to be eaten with the cream and coffee.
Cafe Demel (8.80 EUR per slice): Slightly lighter, with two layers of apricot jam. The chocolate glaze is shinier. Also served with Schlag.
My verdict: Hotel Sacher by a narrow margin. The extra density and single jam layer feel more focused. But honestly, both are excellent, and the real revelation is that Sachertorte is not a dessert — it's an experience. The cake, the cream, the melange, the formal service, the marble-and-wood surroundings. You're not paying 10 EUR for a slice of cake. You're paying for participation in a 190-year-old Viennese ritual.
The Week's Verdict
Would I go back? I'm booking it.
Vienna is the most structured city I've visited. Everything operates with Swiss-watch precision — the trams, the concerts, the coffee service. It can feel stiff at first, especially if you're coming from the chaos of Rome or the looseness of Berlin. But the structure is in service of quality. The opera sounds better because the acoustic engineering is precise. The coffee is better because the ritual has been refined for 340 years. The Schnitzel is better because they've had centuries to perfect the technique.
Vienna doesn't surprise you. It impresses you. And by day seven, the formality stops feeling cold and starts feeling like respect. For the complete practical guide, read our Vienna Q&A and classical music guide. — for the music, for the food, for your time.
"Gruss Gott," the city says every time you enter a shop. God greet you. If you're planning a Central European trip, pair Vienna with Munich (4 hours by train) or Budapest.
