St. Stephen's Cathedral & Innere Stadt★★★
The heart of Vienna beats in the 1st district, the Innere Stadt, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. Here, medieval alleys, baroque palaces, imperial grand buildings, and chic shopping streets are packed into a small space — all enclosed by the Ring, the legendary boulevard that has replaced the old city walls since 1865.
★★★ St. Stephen's Cathedral
Vienna's landmark and spiritual center for over 800 years. The 136.4-meter-high South Tower ("Steffl") dominates the skyline and is climbable after 343 steps — at the top, you are rewarded with a breathtaking panoramic view over the entire city to the Vienna Woods hills. The glazed tile roof with the double-headed eagle pattern (230,000 tiles!) is Vienna's most photographed motif.
Inside: the Gothic Giant's Door, the baroque high altar, the pulpit by Master Pilgram (who immortalized himself as a spectator), and the catacombs with the entrails of the Habsburgs. The cathedral tour through the catacombs is not for the faint-hearted — thousands of bones of medieval plague victims and the urns of imperial organs are stored here.
Stephansplatz 3. Cathedral: free (nave), catacombs tour €6.50, South Tower €6, North Tower elevator €7. Mon–Sat 6 am–10 pm, Sun 7 am–10 pm. Tours every half hour. Duration: 90–120 min with everything.
★★★ Graben & Kohlmarkt
Vienna's most elegant pedestrian zone: the Graben (once actually a defensive trench of the Roman camp city Vindobona) with the baroque Plague Column (1693) and the Kohlmarkt, the city's most exclusive shopping street. Here, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and the legendary Demel confectionery (since 1786, k.u.k. court confectioner) line up. The Demel cake costs €7.50 a piece — and is worth every cent.
★★ Mozarthaus Vienna
Domgasse 5 — the only preserved Viennese apartment of Mozart, where he lived from 1784 to 1787 and composed "The Marriage of Figaro." Three floors with original documents, letters, and musical instruments. Smaller than expected, but the atmosphere is authentic.
Domgasse 5. €14 (combined ticket with House of Music €22). Daily 10 am–7 pm.
★★ Ankeruhr
The Art Nouveau clock on the Hoher Markt (1914) shows a different historical figure at every full hour — from Marcus Aurelius to Maria Theresa. At 12 noon, all 12 figures parade one after the other: a small spectacle that attracts dozens of tourists daily.
💡 Tipp
The Innere Stadt is compact: It's a 5-minute walk from St. Stephen's Cathedral to Kohlmarkt, and 10 minutes to the Hofburg. Save the fiakers (horse-drawn carriages) — €80 for 20 minutes. On foot, you'll see more and it costs nothing.
