Best Vienna Hotels [2024 Guide]

Vienna, located along the banks of the Danube River, attracts millions of visitors every year with its rich history, cultural legacy, and architectural splendour.

Austria's capital and historic home of the ancient Habsburg Empire, is full of history, as seen by its beautiful palaces, opera houses, and lovely cobblestone alleys that make you feel like you are in a open air museum. From the imperial splendour of the Hofburg Palace to the musical legacy of Mozart and Beethoven, the city has a lively vitality that attracts tourists from all over the world.

With this backdrop, Vienna's greatest hotels provide a magnificent getaway, fusing old-world charm with modern comfort to provide guests with an outstanding experience.

Best Hotels In Vienna

• Best Overall: Rosewood Vienna
• Best Boutique Hotel: Sans Souci Wien
• Best for families: Park Hyatt Vienna
• Best Luxury Hotel: The Ritz-Carlton Vienna

Rosewood Vienna

You can't get a better location than this. Some rooms overlook the dome of St Peter's, Vienna's oldest church, while others overlook the designer stores, ranging from Louis Vuitton to Bottega Veneta, that line the high-end shopping lanes that surround the hotel, such as Graben or Tuchlauben.

The renowned Albertina Museum and St. Stephen's Cathedral, with their multicoloured roof tiles, are also a short walk apart.

Originally the headquarters of Erste Group Bank AG, and containing Mozart's flat while writing Il Seraglio, this 19th-century landmark has been seamlessly woven together with four other buildings courtesy of two Viennese architectural firms, A2K and BEHF, with décor by London-based interior design studio Alexander Waterworth.

Imposing from the exterior, it strikes the appropriate balance of contemporary style and a welcoming home away from home on the interior. Wiener Zuckerl candies can be found in bowls throughout the hotel, while black and white postcards from Vienna decorate shelves in the bedrooms, alongside Klimt-related books; look for Viennese Coffee House and Backhausen fabric designs on the curtains, slippers, leather bar mats and even the insides of the umbrellas.

When arriving, guests are accompanied on the way into town and offered a drink while waiting for baggage. The careful housekeeping and service are exceptional. There is a 24-hour gym and the Asaya Spa (the first Rosewood-branded spa in Europe), which has four treatment rooms featuring Augustinus Bader. Unwind and relax in the lovely area with a view of St. Peter's.

The 71 rooms and 28 suites radiate warmth with a subtle colour combination of burnt orange, oak, and neutrals. The coat hangers in the suites' dressing rooms are wrapped in soft grey leather, and there is also a separate section with a dressing table and a Dyson hairdryer.

All bathrooms have independent tubs (complete with pillows) and separate marble showers with Maison Caulières products. Bedrooms feature a large bar area with a cocktail trolley and spirits, as well as ready-mixed drinks above the minibar, Nespresso and tea-making equipment.

The Cocktail Bar on the rooftop is interior designer Kroenland's modern spin on the old speakeasy. Try one of Austria's nine distinctive drinks, such as the Golden Roof, a delightful concoction of tequila, juniper, lime, pineapple, and caraway named after the famous 'goldenes dachl' or golden roof in Innsbruck's old town.

The Neue Hoheit Restaurant is located one floor down, on the sixth floor. Brasserie meals combine pan-European favourites (oysters, beef tartare, lobster salad, steak on the Josper Grill) with Austrian staples like 'beuschel' (bread dumplings with sour cream, chives, and egg) and, of course, the famed Wiener schnitzel. The wine selection includes several Austrian wines, as well as those from France, Italy, and Spain.

Breakfast is à la carte, with a diverse selection of specialties. Try the wonderful local gammon with grated horseradish, chive toast or homemade bircher muesli. Eggs come in a variety of formats, including eggs Benedict and poached on avocado toast.

Park Hyatt Vienna

With a great central location, you are only steps from the Goldenes Quartier's luxury retailers. Vienna's Innere Stadt (1st district) is incredibly compact, allowing you to easily reach all of the major attractions on foot. The hotel is a three-minute walk from Café Central, where Freud, Trotsky, and poet Peter Altenberg used to drink coffee, play chess, and discuss the state of the world.

The Hofburg (Imperial Palace), loaded with Hapsburg treasures, and the high and powerful St Stephen's Cathedral are only a five-minute walk away, as are the big theatres, galleries, and concert halls on Ringstrasse.

It's impressive from the start, as a liveried doorman welcomes you into a lobby with highly polished Italian marble, a sweeping flight of steps, and a coffered stucco ceiling.

Wood panelling, alabaster, and glittering brass were employed to maintain the regal aura of the century-old architectural monument while bringing it into the twenty-first century. Stunning components include blown-up Wiener Werkstätte brooches and inlaid mother-of-pearl, which capture the beauty of a bygone era.

As one might expect, the welcome is excellent. Staff go out of their way to please, with a comprehensive concierge service that can easily arrange everything from dinner reservations to opera tickets, city excursions, and jogging maps.

At street level, there's an attractive café with a pavement patio where you can watch the world waltz by over the afternoon ritual of Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake), homemade ice cream or an aperitif.

The beautifully wood-paneled Living Room fumoir offers a good assortment of cigars and whisky. The Bank Bar is a chic venue for a pre-dinner drink.

The former bank vault now houses Arany Spa, which is beautifully furnished with mother-of-pearl, gold mosaic tiles, marble, and onyx. There is a lap pool, a well-equipped gym, an exclusive relaxation space with loungers and refreshments, a sauna, and a steam room. Signature treatments are inspired by the Hungarian term for gold and feature semi-precious stones. These include mineral stone massages utilising rose quartz and essential oils, revitalising 'blue diamond' facials, and the therapeutic 'Golden Body Treatment'.

The Park Hyatt's 143 sophisticated rooms, 41 of which are suites, include ample space, high ceilings, and opulent materials such as dark wood, marble, and mother-of-pearl.

All have huge windows that open to let the city in. The most desirable accommodations have views of the baroque façades on Am Hof Square. The rooms (all silvers, pearls, and taupes) have been decorated with a keen eye for style, flawlessly blending original charm with modern amenities.

Bronze brooches and flock wall coverings are also reminiscent of the Wiener Werkstätte's Art Nouveau and Art Deco designs. Illy coffee machines, minibars, and televisions hidden behind mirrors are included as standard.

The marble bathrooms are stunning, with bathtubs, wet-room showers, and toiletries by French perfumer Blaise Mautin. The ultimate indulgence. The massive, chandelier-lit presidential suite, replete with a Bösendorfer piano.

Marble columns support the soaring alabaster ceiling of The Bank restaurant in the ancient cashier hall, a beautiful space embellished with stained glass and tree-like crystal chandeliers. There's a display kitchen where you can watch cooks prepare delectable delicacies.

Breakfast is pretty special, with everything from specialty breads and pastries to homemade granola, seasonal fruits, antipasti, Austrian cheeses, meats, smoked salmon, and freshly squeezed juices.

You may even request gourmet egg dishes like Eier im Glas, which includes avocado, chilli, and bonito fish flakes. In the evening, the menu offers unique twists on classic brasserie dishes.

You can have a zingy lobster ceviche or beef tartare with truffle, grilled leeks, and caviar to start, for example, and then go on to main courses like oven-roasted cod with sesame chilli sauce.

Hotel Sacher Wien

Inside the historical core, the iconic facade dominates a corner at the end of Kärntner Strasse, one of the city's principal shopping avenues, and faces the Opera House and Albertina Museum. St. Stephen's Cathedral is 600 metres distant, and the first district's general attractions, as well as metro and tram stops, are all within a 10-minute walk.

Sacher opened in 1876 and has maintained its vintage aura despite numerous modifications. In recent years, this has incorporated related interior design features such as new carpeting, upholstery, and fabrics, as well as the construction of two more stories to create more rooms and a spa area.

Restaurants and pubs are themed around the colours red, green, and blue. The deep colours and soft ambient lighting add to the old world vibe, and the walls are lined with artworks from Anna Sacher's collections (who helped the hotel gain an exceptional reputation).

The motif continues in the common rooms with dark wood panelling, earthy hues, and chandelier lighting, but a French stylist's inclusion of contemporary furniture pieces and textile interior design is a wonderful touch.

From the entryway to the front desk, personnel is attentive to detail and provides privacy. There is also a professional concierge crew to assist you with your schedule around the city. A 300-square-metre spa, sauna, and workout facility round out the hotel's offerings, while its structure does not allow for a swimming pool.

Spacious first- to sixth-floor rooms in green, golden, and taupe blend elegance with modern touches, such as minimalist wall panelling and slightly embossed materials matched with high ceilings and electric lights. Suites have balconies overlooking the traditional Opera House or the Albertina Museum.

Rooms on the seventh and eighth levels, painted crimson or light blue, have lower ceilings and no classical ornamentation.

Floor-to-ceiling marble bathrooms have overhead showers and huge bathtubs with Sacher chocolate-scented amenities, as well as robes and slippers. A tablet is given for immediate access to city highlights and hotel information, as well as a portable Wi-Fi device for use while away from the hotel. A Nespresso machine accompanies the little Sacher Torte cubes, reminding you that 'the cake is always in the house'.

The hotel is best known for its distinctive café, which draws crowds on the street, but it also offers the Blue Bar for pre-dinner cocktails and two restaurants decorated with expressionist paintings and material-paneled walls in their own colours.

The Red Restaurant delivers traditional Austrian food, while the Green Restaurant is the standout, with modern cuisine produced with regional ingredients.

Many dishes are inspired by 'ancient Viennese recipes, distinctively interpreted'. Consider innovative flavour combinations and artistic presentation, such as a modern take on the Viennese classic boiled beef dish, Tapfelspitz.

There are up to six meal selections with wine matching, as well as a 'blind date' menu (where the chef picks what you'll eat). Staff should pay close attention to detail and be well-versed on the foods served.

An large buffet breakfast in the majestic Marble Hall features a choice of to-order egg dishes and a juice bar, as well as cold sparkling wine and the famed cake.

Palais Hansen Kempinski

The hotel is situated in the 1st District (Innere Stadt), on a quieter stretch of the Ringstraße, about 10 minutes' walk from the historic centre. The Freud Museum and the Danube Canal are both within two minutes' walk from the door.

The area isn't necessarily lively (a few bars and cafés dotted about) but there's a tram and bus stop outside the hotel, and a U-bahn station for getting the metro round the corner, so you're very well connected for getting around the city.

The heritage-listed palais, named after one of its architects, Theophil Edvard Hansen (who designed Parliament and the historic Stock Building, among other things), dates back to the late 1800s. While historical 19th-century characteristics (high ceilings, original columns, and wrought-iron staircase bannisters) evoke the building's history, interiors have embraced the 21st century with glass atriums and contemporary artworks.

The lobby-lounge itself is impressive: creamy walls, polished marble flooring, velvet-upholstered furniture, a grand piano in one corner, and a dramatic upside-down glass-and-gold chandelier flanked by fresh flowers in the centre set a refined tone.

The service was slick and pleasant, with perfectly dressed staff who greeted you at every turn yet avoided being intrusive. A 24-hour concierge can provide information on local events and activities, as well as schedule hotel experiences like as apfelstrudel cooking sessions (once per month) and Fiaker excursions.

The Ottoman-influenced Kempinski The Spa has six treatment rooms, a hydropool, steam room, saunas with mixed and ladies-only areas, and a gym with cutting-edge Technogym equipment.

The rooms (Superior, Deluxe, and Grand Deluxe) and suites (Junior to President) are spacious, airy, and comfortable, with high ceilings, magnificent king-size mattresses, and in-room iPads and Nespresso machines.

The Superior room's only distinguishing feature is its somewhat smaller size; Ring Suites provide views of Schottenring and some have balconies. Décor varies: some rooms are quiet and masculine, with grey tones and pops of colour in patterned rugs and bed coverings, while others may be rich in wood and reds. Large photos of dancers decorate the walls.

Marble bathrooms have tubs and beautiful monsoon showers. Suites are equipped with enhanced Kempinski-brand toiletries, a welcome pastry, and a bowl of fruit upon arrival. The 400-metre-square Presidential Suite, with its variety of rooms and thermal room, is the showpiece.

While Edvard is a small Michelin-starred restaurant on the side of the building, Die Küche stands out as the younger, more playful sibling, with a glass atrium and an eye-catching vertical garden.

The menu features a gourmet twist on Austrian cuisine with Mediterranean influences, such as delectable fillets of skrei (fish) in a puddle of buttery potato purée that melts in your mouth, adorned with salad leaves and a sprinkle of caviar, or traditional Wiener schnitzel.

Go for the shared starter of steak tartare, which is brought to your table and blended to your liking with a variety of accompaniments.

Breakfast is the true highlight: a magnificent buffet with all the continental foods you can imagine; omelettes, pancakes, and waffles to-order; a hot buffet; and a help-yourself champagne station with local bubbles and Moët.

In the evening, visit 26°EAST, a stylish destination bar, for some unique drinks, such as Botswana, which is prepared with cow fat and served in a teacup.

Hotel Am Stephansplatz

This is the city's heart and spirit, and Stephansplatz is ideal for shopping, tourism, and public transportation. There are several entrances to the tube station for the U1 and U3 lines outside the door.

Many of Vienna's biggest attractions, such as Mozart House, Homburg Palace, and the State Opera, are easily accessible by foot. For nearly 900 years, this square has enjoyed unparalleled popularity; yet, if you dislike crowds, this is one of the busiest locations to be.

This sleek, streamlined eight-story structure, with its featureless façade, makes no attempt to compete with the stunning Gothic mammoth right opposite.

This is an eco-friendly place to stay, having undergone major but delicate renovations a few years ago to meet modern environmental standards. There are highly competent and courteous receptionists on duty here, ready to aid and assist with any concerns that may arise.

The amenities include a small gym, relaxation room, and sauna.

The 53 rooms are divided into three types and have varying sizes.

They are all comfy, with bright and airy interiors in light summer yellows and beige. Those facing the cathedral provide fantastic views, and the higher the room, the better. If the triple-glazed windows are open, you may hear the bells toll.

On the top stories, there are also balconies. The furnishings are basic, and the immaculate bathrooms have heated floors, fairtrade products, slippers, and bathrobes.

Some bathrooms feature bathtubs, while others have showers. Breakfast is offered at the first-floor café and includes a wide range of savoury and sweet options, cereals, sparkling champagne, and a "mix-your-own" selection of freshly squeezed juices.

This is a nice area to sit over coffee and people-watch. Snacks are also supplied throughout the day, but that's about it. However, with an eclectic range of restaurants to select from, all within a 100-metre walking radius, this should not deter anyone from staying here.

DAS TRIEST

Das Triest is located in Vienna's lively Freihaus quarter, which is home to chic bars, craft stores, and art-house movies. Looking left from the hotel's entrance, you'll see the glittery-tiled roof of St Stephan's Cathedral, a mile away and the bull's eye on Vienna's dartboard.

The walk in this direction brings you past the magnificent Opera House and Vienna's most exclusive retail strip, Kärntnerstrasse, which is traffic-free. The Naschmarkt, an outdoor multicultural food market and café strip, is less than 300 metres from the hotel.

The ancient structure that today houses Das Triest was previously the main stables for the horse-drawn postal route from the imperial capital to Trieste in northern Italy, a vital port for the Habsburg Empire. The dark exterior is austere, yet once inside, you will find yourself in a bright and airy oasis.

Sir Terence Conran, a British interior designer, oversaw the revival of the once-derelict building in 1996, making the most of natural light. The entrance, filled by massive floral bouquets, is flanked by French windows that lead out to a lush inner courtyard. There are other gardens to the back of the property.

The corridors that wrap around these green oases are long and crooked, like the inside of an ocean liner, and are adorned with black-and-white images of life in Vienna and Trieste.

Das Triest's greeting exudes simplicity and honesty. Rather than fawning over you, the staff, who have an engaging sense of humour, appear genuinely concerned that you enjoy your stay.

If the weather is too rainy or chilly for the garden, you can pass the time in a series of well-lit cubbyholes near the reception. The hotel is being renovated in 2017, and the sauna and exercise room currently appear rudimentary and run-down.

The shoe shining service is a funny and lovely touch: put your shoes outside your door at night, and they will be buffed and dazzling in the morning. The hotel offers free and simple high-speed WiFi throughout.

All the 72 spacious rooms, 16 of which are suites, are individually designed with a sense of exquisite restraint, mostly in austere beige and tan tones punctuated with the occasional unexpected panel of warm red or yellow. Vases of lace-leaf flowers add extra pops of colour.

Artemide's sleek light fittings are complimented by huge swan-necked lamps that stare over handcrafted sofas and chairs by Austrian business Wittmann. The white-tiled bathrooms, complete with Molton Brown products, exude a timeless atmosphere. Renovations in 2017 will include the addition of a new wing.

Collio restaurant, led by chef Josef Neuherz, is named after a wine-growing region on the Italian-Slovenian border and provides innovative interpretations of northern Italian cuisine. For only €55 (£48), the sumptuous and innovative five-course evening meal seems like a celebration.

You may start with scallop carpaccio with avocado and acidic carrot ginger cream, then move on to a creamy yet crisp Jerusalem artichoke risotto. Veal steak medallions are served with light maize polenta, and the profiteroles-chocolate mousse terrine is an obscenely evil treat.

Finish off the evening with a visit to the Silver Bar, which is both atmospherically dark and anachronistically smoke-filled. Star mixer Keita Djibril, who has even received a medal from Vienna's fun-loving mayor, will create a synapse-blowing drink that would have Ernest Hemingway returning for more.

A generous breakfast buffet includes a choice of Italian hams, sausages, cheeses, and seed-filled bread rolls. The handcrafted jams feature unique mixes such as plums and lemongrass.

The Ritz-Carlton

The Schubertring, a broad, circular avenue in Vienna, is a 10- to 20-minute walk or short tram ride from some of the city's finest museums and galleries (Albertina, Kunsthistorisches Museum, and Hofburg Palace), as well as the Cathedral and the city's most fashionable shopping districts.

The hotel's original features include grand staircases, parquet floors, walnut wall panelling, elegant fireplaces, and frescoed or inlaid ceilings accented with gilt mirrors and chandeliers. The huge reception hall is marble-floored, and the public areas are soothing, with comfy high-back seats and tropical hardwood furnishings.

A basement Guerlain spa features a gym, sauna, and steam baths, as well as an 18-metre pool with underwater illumination and music, everything you can ask for. The hotel attracts a mix of families, sightseeing couples, corporate tourists, and foreign jet setters.

Like you would expect from a Ritz-Carlton hotel the service is absolutely impeccable with a staff that is always happy to help the guests with their every need.

King-sized featherbeds, Nespresso coffee machines, iPod docking stations, and huge marble bathrooms are standard in all rooms, from deluxe to club suite. The only difference between premium and deluxe rooms is their size.

The more expensive suites contain big living spaces that are normally separated from the beds, Acqua di Parma amenities, and, in certain cases, a terrace or balcony. Decoration varies each space, but typically consists of sombre browns and greys accented with patterned carpets, vividly coloured couches, and eye-catching artworks.

The main restaurant, DSTRIKT, is overseen by Austrian chef Wini Brugger, who prepares excellent Austrian cuisine in an L-shaped, bistro-style dining room, including Carinthian cream cheese dumplings based on his grandmother's recipe, original Wiener Schnitzel with buttery potatoes and cranberry jus, and Neusiedlersee pike perch with Veltliner sauce.

The prices are quite reasonable for the quality of the food and the service you will get. The wine list is excellent, featuring several of Austria's best wineries. The intimate, low-lit D-bar serves cocktails, Austrian draft beer, and Viennese coffee, while the rooftop bar provides spectacular views of the city.

Breakfast is diverse and includes options for all tastes. There is fresh fruit, pastries, juices, eggs and pretty much everything you will want to kick off your morning before a day of exploring the city.

Sans Souci Wien

Sans Souci, located behind the Volkstheater and baroque MuseumsQuartier, just beyond the ring road that wraps around the historic Innere Stadt, provides the best of both worlds: all of the main sights on one side (in 20 minutes, you can walk right across Innere Stadt, passing most of the big hitters along the way), and a slew of winding local streets on the other.

You won't be in the middle of it here, but it's a fantastic location if you want to easily escape the tourist crowds and experience the genuine Vienna.

Sans Souci launched in 2012 in a structure that began as a hotel in 1873 (constructed for guests of Vienna's Great Exhibition), yet the interiors remain exquisite thanks to annual refurbishment.

The dominating aesthetic, aside from purple (owner Norbert Winkelmayer's favourite hue), is a mix of ancient and modern whimsy, with marble flooring and gilded antique furniture coexisting with pop art sculptures and mid-century sofettes. It should not work, yet it does.

Staff are informed, kind, and expert, effortlessly balancing amicable and overpowering. There's also a lovely, cosy basement spa with treatments, a labyrinthine relaxation area (with three saunas, a steam room, and an army of day beds), and a sleek 20-metre lap pool, the largest of any hotel in Vienna, adorned with six massive crystal chandeliers.

Rooms are friendly and technical, with cast-ready televisions appearing behind mirrors, cutting-edge speakers, and even a universal adapter plug - but no USB ports. Entry-level rooms lack balconies, baths, and coffee machines.

However, there are Lichtenstein artworks (from Winkelmayer's own collection) and Milton Brown products (diminutive but wonderful), as well as a warm, modern colour scheme of camels and creams with subtle allusions to traditional Viennese flat décor.

There are 63 rooms in total, and the master suites have large statement circular bathtubs.

Veranda, the hotel's luxury restaurant, serves delicious modern Austrian cuisine, including its iconic wiener schnitzel, as well as a seasonal menu with elegantly served burrata, salmon, risotto, and steak.

Hotel guests are entitled to the sumptuous 'Veranda Breakfast', which includes juices, smoothies, tea, coffee, cold cuts - on a four-level serving stand - a hot á la carte dish (the usual egg alternatives), as well as access to the buffet and a bottle of champagne.

Conclusion

Vienna's greatest hotels show the city's attractiveness by combining rich history with modern elegance. Each hotel provides a unique experience, ranging from the imperial magnificence of the old school hotels to the modern coolness of unique boutique hotels.

Whether you want to indulge in a culinary experience at an exquisite restaurant, relax in luxury spas, or admire panoramic city views, all visitors are steeped in Viennese refinement. There are options for all tastes and budgets so pack up your bags and adventure yourself in this beautiful city.