Graben, Kohlmarkt & Strolling
Vienna's Innere Stadt is a paradise for strolling—Baroque facades, Art Nouveau details, hidden courtyards, and the feeling of walking through a living architecture museum.
The Most Beautiful Streets
- Graben: Vienna's most magnificent pedestrian zone—the Plague Column (1679), Art Nouveau facades, and luxury shops. Vienna has been strolling here since the Middle Ages.
- Kohlmarkt: From Graben to the Hofburg—Vienna's most elegant mile with the confectionery Demel (the other Sachertorte) and the perfumery Loden-Plankl. At the end: the view through the Michaelertor into the Hofburg.
- Kärntner Straße: From St. Stephen's Cathedral to the State Opera—Vienna's number one shopping street. Touristy, but the architecture is worth a look upwards.
Hidden Gems
- Judenplatz: The Holocaust Memorial (Rachel Whiteread, 2000)—an inverted library made of concrete. Next to it: the Museum at Judenplatz with excavations of the medieval synagogue.
- Griechenbeisl: Vienna's oldest restaurant (since 1447)—Beethoven, Schubert, Mark Twain, and many others dined here. The ceiling of the "Augustiner-Stüberl" is covered with signatures of famous guests.
- Mozarthaus Vienna: The only preserved Viennese apartment of Mozart—here he composed "The Marriage of Figaro." Domgasse 5, admission: €12.
