Today, that tradition continues under Alexandra Winkler, the current proprietor and a member of the Gürtler family, which has owned the hotel since 1934. Winkler brings a modern sensibility to this icon while honoring its historic soul. The hotel’s interiors remain a study in fin-de-siècle opulence—crystal chandeliers, oil portraits, rich brocades—but service and experience are shaped with contemporary precision. And of course, there’s the Original Sacher-Torte, still served on silver trays in the red velvet café, still capable of stirring delight. Under Winkler’s stewardship, the Sacher isn’t just maintaining a legacy—it’s expanding it, one beautifully appointed suite at a time.
Originally built as a palace for a prince, the Hotel Imperial wears its legacy with appropriate splendor. Gilt ceilings, parquet floors, and a grand staircase made for dramatic entrances define the experience. If you book the Royal Suite, you’ll be sleeping in rooms where emperors once rested their heads. Yet despite the pomp, the service is gracious and warm—more attentive courtier than stiff formality. For the historically minded traveler with a love of chandeliers and caviar, there is simply no substitute.
Housed in a former bank in the Goldenes Quartier (Vienna’s glitziest shopping district), the Park Hyatt mixes Old World gravitas with contemporary elegance. The soaring marble-clad lobby still retains the cool precision of its financial past, while the rooms offer plush calm in neutral tones. There’s a subterranean spa in the old bank vault and one of the city’s most sophisticated cocktail bars just off the lobby. A hotel for those who want luxury without lace.
The Hoxton’s newest outpost lands in the 1950s former headquarters of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, giving it a mid-century-meets-modern-energy makeover. Think terrazzo floors, cane-backed chairs, and a rooftop bar that’s become an instant see-and-be-seen spot. Its location—just outside the city’s historic core—makes it a great base for those looking to explore both traditional Vienna and its newer, cooler edges.
Hotel Motto is the darling of Vienna’s fashion set. Located on bustling Mariahilfer Strasse, this boutique hotel is a study in eclectic elegance—pink marble, Art Deco lines, and just a hint of bohemian irreverence. The rooftop restaurant and bar offer glittering views over the city’s rooftops, and the ground-floor boulangerie has become a must-stop for coffee and croissants, even among locals. It’s where Parisian flair meets Viennese charm.
What to See
Photo: Courtesy of The Spanish Riding School
Watch white-maned Lipizzaner stallions perform balletic feats in a chandeliered hall built for emperors. The Spanish Riding School is one of Vienna’s most exquisite cultural experiences—a living embodiment of grace, discipline, and centuries-old tradition. Morning exercises or full performances at the Winter Riding School are unforgettable.
Vienna is opera. Seeing a performance at the State Opera House is a rite of passage. Whether it’s Puccini, Wagner, or Mozart, the music swells under a ceiling fresco, velvet curtains sweep, and you’re transported—no subtitles needed.
Hearing the Vienna Philharmonic at the Musikverein is like stepping inside a Stradivarius. The acoustics are unmatched, and the setting—gold leaf, columns, and grand chandeliers—rivals the music itself.
Home to the largest Egon Schiele collection in the world, the Leopold captures the raw, visceral side of Vienna’s modernist golden age. Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, and the Secessionists are well represented here, all glowing with angst and gold leaf.
This is one of the great art museums of the world. Built by Emperor Franz Joseph, it holds treasures ranging from Bruegel to Caravaggio, in rooms as richly adorned as the paintings themselves. Don’t miss the Kunstkammer—or cabinet of curiosities—which is as dazzling and strange as a Habsburg mind.
