Where to Stay in Vienna: Districts Compared

Because Vienna's U-Bahn and tram network is fast and safe late at night, you do not need to pay 1st-district prices to have a convenient base. Any hotel within five minutes' walk of a U-Bahn station inside the Gürtel ring road (districts 1 to 9) puts you 10 to 15 minutes from St Stephen's Cathedral. Here is how the seven central districts compare.

Innere Stadt (1st district, 1010): in the middle of the sights

Staying inside the Ringstrasse puts the Hofburg, the State Opera and the cathedral within a ten-minute walk, which is ideal for a short two-night visit or if you plan to dress up for the opera and walk back afterward. The trade-offs are the highest room rates in Austria, fewer everyday supermarkets and quiet streets after 10pm. Look for hotels tucked onto side lanes east of Stephansplatz or near Freyung rather than right on busy Kärntner Straße.

Neubau (7th, 1070) and Mariahilf (6th, 1060): independent shops and cafés

Directly west of the MuseumsQuartier, the 7th and 6th districts are our favourite all-round base for a three or four-day stay. Neubau's leafy side streets (around Spittelberg, Siebensterngasse and Zieglergasse) are full of independent restaurants, bakeries, wine bars and converted-townhouse boutique hotels, while Mariahilf slopes down toward the Naschmarkt. U-Bahn line U3 runs down Mariahilfer Straße straight to Stephansplatz in three stops, and U2/U4 border the area.

Leopoldstadt (2nd, 1020): between the canal and the Prater

Just across the Donaukanal from Schwedenplatz, the western side of the 2nd district around the Karmelitermarkt and Taborstraße (U1 and U2) gives you a ten-minute walk into the Innere Stadt, easy access to the green Prater and Augarten parks, and several modern design hotels at noticeably lower prices than the 1st district. Avoid booking right against the noisy tracks outside Praterstern station unless the rooms are well soundproofed.

Wieden (4th, 1040): by Karlsplatz and the main station

Stretching south from Karlsplatz toward Wien Hauptbahnhof, Wieden combines the lively cafés of the Freihausviertel (around Schleifmühlgasse, five minutes from the Opera and Naschmarkt) with direct U1 access and fast rail links for day trips or early airport departures.

Landstraße (3rd, 1030): around the Belvedere and Stadtpark

Home to the Belvedere, the embassies and the Wien Mitte station, the 3rd district is practical if you want direct airport train links and calm residential streets bordering the Stadtpark.

Josefstadt (8th, 1080): quiet streets behind the Rathaus

Vienna's smallest district sits immediately west of the Rathaus and University. It has virtually no tourist crowds, handsome 19th-century apartment streets, traditional coffee houses (such as Café Eiles and Café Hummel) and quick tram links (line 2 and line J) into the Ring.