Rosewood Vienna

Worth getting out of bed for

Rosewood Vienna’s pedestrian entrance is on Tuchlauben, which is Vienna’s answer to Bond Street with a model line-up of designer stores including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta and Emporio Armani. If you prefer something more artisanal, Vienna has a thriving slow-fashion scene: discover hand-dyed, -cut and -sewn wearables and homewares at Rudolf Vienna; handcrafted shirts at Gino Venturini, fine footwear from Scheer shoemakers, and bespoke tailoring from Niedersuesz. Simpler finds are yours to unearth at the Saturday fleamarket at Naschmarkt. Or take home a handmade soap from Wiener Seife. If the movie classic has inspired you, you can take a The Third Man tour of the Vienna sewer system. Or keep the guided wandering above ground with an organised bike tour (try Pedal Power or Vienna Explorer); a tram ride (the Tramway Museum has a calendar of tours), or a boat trip down the Danube Canal or its namesake river. Art is ubiquitous in the Austrian capital, so to bring your hundred or so museum-and-gallery options into focus, let your tastes guide you – pop art and photorealism at Mumok in the MuseumsQuartier; design at the Museum of Applied Art (MAK), or art nouveau and expressionism at the Leopold Museum. If opera is the magnet that draws you, you’ll need to book ahead for the State Opera House but Vienna Volksoper may be more forgiving to impromptu ticket-seekers. Making your sightseeing agenda entirely culinary is a legitimate use of time in Vienna. Kaffeehaüsen – often with added architectural wow – are dotted across the city: to add to the authenticity, start your day with zwei eier im glas, which may sound like the start of a joke (two eggs in a glass) but is a traditional breakfast of soft-boiled eggs with toasted brioche; a café or gasthaus auf dem platz makes a classic lunch stop, and explore the city’s diverse wirtshäuser for beers and schnitzel or tafelspitz (veal served with minced apple and horseradish).

Local restaurants

There’s a buzz around the cafés and restaurants on Franziskanerplatz, a short walk from Rosewood Vienna, that’s worth investigating. Gasthaus Pöschl is a vaulted, wood-lined dining room serving Austrian classics including schnitzel, knödel and tafelspitz that’s favoured by locals (always a good sign). Refined plating and a meat-focused menu are the main draws at Artner am Franziskanerplatz, a basement restaurant of linen-topped tables and bare-brick walls. By late afternoon, orders at on-the-square Kleines Café drift from syrupy espressos towards Austrian reds by the glass and foam-headed beers at tables spilling onto the cobbles. For home cooking with a focus on organic and seasonal ingredients, head south to the Wieden neighbourhood where you’ll find Zur Herknerin – a good lunchtime stop for Serbian cabbage rolls, spinach dumplings in brown butter or dumpling-topped goulash. 

Local cafés

On your doorstep on Brandstätte, Café Korb offers excellent coffee and tipped apple strudel in a warmly lit, wooden lined café with a pleasingly yesteryear atmosphere (it’s a good shout for lazy brunches, too). Paris-worthy patisserie is the trump card of Crème de la Crème, a decent stroll from the hotel westwards, but handy if you’re near City Hall – their lunchtime sandwiches made all the tastier with home-baked bread. 

Local bars

Loos American Bar is a storied nightspot with regular live music including jazz nights, where booths are high backed in solid wood and art-deco surroundings conjured by its turn-of-the-century architect founder (Herr Loos) bring a romantic air to craft cocktails before or after dinner.