SLEEPING IN VIENNA
ON OR NEAR MARIAHILFER STRASSE
Map: Hotels & Restaurants near Mariahilfer Strasse
Accommodations in Vienna are plentiful and relatively affordable compared to other European cities. Expect to pay more for rooms within the Ring. For less expensive accommodations, look at my recommendations around Mariahilfer Strasse. Expect rates to spike for conventions and to drop in low season (usually Nov and Jan-March). For some travelers, short-term, Airbnb-type rentals can be a good alternative; search for places in my recommended hotel neighborhoods.
Many of the hotels I’ve listed here share buildings with other businesses or residences, which can mean lots of stairs or (hopefully) an elevator. Viennese elevators and stairwells can be confusing: In most of Europe, 0 is the ground floor, and 1 is the first floor up (our “second floor”). But in Vienna, thanks to a Habsburg-legacy quirk, older buildings have at least one extra “mezzanine” floor (labeled on elevators as P, H, M, and/or A) between the ground floor and the “first” floor, so floor 1 can actually be what we’d call the second, third, or even fourth floor.
I rank accommodations from $ budget to $$$$ splurge. For the best deal, contact my family-run recommendations directly by phone or email. When you book direct, the owner avoids a commission and may be able to offer you a discount. Book well in advance for peak season or if your trip coincides with a major holiday or festival (see the appendix). Unless otherwise noted, breakfast is usually included. For details on making reservations, short-term rentals, and more, see the “Sleeping” section in the Practicalities chapter. And for guidance on reaching your hotel upon arrival in Vienna, see the Vienna Connections chapter.
WITHIN THE RING
You’ll pay extra to sleep in the atmospheric old center, but if you can afford it, staying here gives you the classiest Vienna experience and enables you to walk to most sights. You won’t need a car (and it’s difficult and expensive to park one here), but if you are coming with one, plan ahead and ask your hotel where to park.
$$$$ Hotel am Stephansplatz is a four-star business hotel with 53 rooms. It’s plush but not over-the-top, and reasonably priced for its sleek comfort and central location facing the cathedral. Every detail is modern and quality, and breakfast is superb, with an up-close view of the city waking up around the cathedral (air-con, elevator, gym and sauna, Stephansplatz 9, U: Stephansplatz, +43 1 534 050, https://hotelamstephansplatz.at, welcome@hotelamstephansplatz.at).
$$$$ Pension Nossek offers 32 rooms on the second floor of a city-center building, with a great location on the pedestrian-only Graben. The rooms are modern and well appointed, while the hallways feel a bit tattered (air-con, elevator, Graben 17, U: Stephansplatz, +43 1 5337 0410, www.pension-nossek.at, reservation@pension-nossek.at).
$$$ Aviano Boutique Hotel is a friendly, family-run place and the best value among my pricier listings. It has 17 rooms, all comfortable and some beautiful, with flowery carpets and other Baroque frills. It’s on the third and fourth floors of a typical city-center building, but feels peaceful (breakfast extra, fans—and ask for a cooler room facing the courtyard in summer, elevator, between Neuer Markt and Kärntner Strasse at Marco d’Avianogasse 1, U: Karlsplatz or Stephansplatz, +43 1 512 8330, www.avianoboutiquehotel.com, office@avianoboutiquehotel.com, Frau Kavka).
$$$ Hotel Pertschy, circling an old courtyard, is big and elegantly creaky. Its 55 huge rooms have chandeliers and nice Baroque touches, but the hallways are threadbare. Ask for a quieter room away from the noise of horse-and-buggy tours (family rooms, fans, elevator, Habsburgergasse 5, U: Stephansplatz, +43 1 534 490, www.pertschy.com, info@pertschy.com).
$$$ Hotel zur Wiener Staatsoper is quiet, with a more traditional elegance than many of my other listings. Its 14 large rooms come with high ceilings, chandeliers, and fancy carpets on parquet floors (air-con, elevator, a block from the opera house at Krugerstrasse 11; U: Karlsplatz, +43 1 513 1274, www.hotel-staatsoper.at, info@hotel-staatsoper.at, manager Ursula).
$$$ Pension A und A, with nine rooms, feels like you are in an upscale youth hostel with white minimalist hallways and contemporary style in the rooms (air-con, Habsburgergasse 3, U: Stephansplatz, +43 1 890 5128, www.aundapension.com, office@aunda.at).
$$$ Hotel Das Tigra occupies a 17th-century building with 78 classic rooms and modern touches. The smart decor tells the story of Mozart, who reportedly stayed here for several weeks as a boy when the hotel was still a private home (air-con, Tiefer Graben 14, U: Herrengasse, +43 1 533 96410, www.hotel-tigra.at, info@hotel-tigra.at).
$$ Motel One Staatsoper, part of a German chain of “budget design hotels,” features sleek, smallish, modern rooms outfitted with quality materials but no frills, a 24-hour reception, and funky lounge spaces; it’s perfect for budget travelers looking for something nicer. This location—right between the opera house and Karlsplatz—has 400 rooms, including some larger options, in a smartly renovated building that’s kept its Old World charm (no triples but you can slip in a child under 6 for free, breakfast extra, air-con, elevator, Elisabethstrasse 5, U: Karlsplatz, +43 1 585 0505, www.motel-one.com, wien-staatsoper@motel-one.com).
$$ Pension Suzanne, as Baroque and doily as you’ll find in this price range, is wonderfully located a few yards from the opera house. It’s small and without a real lobby, but run with the class of a bigger hotel. The 26 rooms are packed with properly Viennese antique furnishings (spacious apartment for up to 6 also available, fans on request, elevator, Walfischgasse 4, U: Karlsplatz, +43 1 513 2507, www.pension-suzanne.at, info@pension-suzanne.at, manager Michael).
$$ Pension Neuer Markt is perfectly central, with 35 comfy but faded pink rooms, and worn hallways with a cruise-ship ambience (in hot weather request a quiet courtyard-side room when you reserve, fans, tiny elevator, Seilergasse 9, U: Stephansplatz, +43 1 512 2316, www.hotelpension.at, neuermarkt@hotelpension.at).
NEAR NASCHMARKT
$$$$ Hotel Beethoven is a smartly decorated boutique property with 47 colorful rooms and lots of attention to detail. Its comfy communal spaces and access to coffee and tea throughout the day keep it feeling like home. The location, near the Naschmarkt and overlooking the Theater an der Wien, puts you close to the action but away from the crowds and late-night noise (air-con, elevator, swanky cocktail bar, weekend classical concerts, Papagenogasse 6, U: Karlsplatz, +43 1 587 44820, www.hotel-beethoven.at, info@hotelbeethoven.at). See the map on here for location.
ON OR NEAR MARIAHILFER STRASSE
Lively, pedestrianized Mariahilfer Strasse connects the Westbahnhof and the city center. The U-3 subway line runs underneath the street on its way between the Westbahnhof and St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and most of these listings are within a five-minute walk of a U-Bahn stop. This vibrant, inexpensive area is filled with stores, cafés, and a small shopping mall. It’s a great neighborhood to stay in, and a glut of hotel rooms keeps prices lower and more competitive that my previous listings. Its smaller hotels and pensions are often immigrant-run. If you’re driving, your hotel may provide discounted parking at a local garage. As you’d expect, the far end of Mariahilfer Strasse (around and past the Westbahnhof) is rougher around the edges, while the section near downtown is more gentrified.
Closer to Downtown
$$$ Hotel Kugel is run with style by hands-on owners Johannes and Christina Roller. Its 25 unique rooms, most with canopy beds, are a good value and decorated with a feminine touch. The junior suites offer a modern alternative (wonderful breakfast, fans, some tram noise, Siebensterngasse 43, at corner with Neubaugasse, U: Neubaugasse, +43 1 523 3355, www.hotelkugel.at, office@hotelkugel.at).
$$$ Hotel Gilbert, near the MuseumsQuartier, offers a modern break from crusty old Vienna. Its 57 rooms and cozy bohemian-inspired lounge spaces attract a young, environmentally conscious clientele (air-con, Breite Gasse 9, U: Volkstheater, +43 1 523 1345, www.hotel-gilbert.at, welcome@hotel-gilbert.at).
$$ NH Collection Wien Zentrum, part of a Spanish chain, is a stern, stylish-but-passionless business hotel on Mariahilfer Strasse. It rents 73 rooms, including a few “suites” that are ideal for families (breakfast extra, air-con, elevator, Mariahilfer Strasse 78, U: Zieglergasse, +43 1 524 5600, www.nh-hotels.com [URL inactive], nhcollectionwienzentrum@nh-hotels.com).
$$ Hotel Pension Corvinus is proudly run by a hardworking Hungarian family: parents Miklós and Judith and sons Anthony and Zoltán. Its 15 comfortable rooms, although in a nondescript building, are surprisingly bright and spacious with nice extra touches (discount if you pay cash, ask about family rooms and apartments with kitchens, espresso machine in rooms, air-con, elevator, Mariahilfer Strasse 57, U: Neubaugasse, +43 1 587 7239, www.corvinus.at, hotel@corvinus.at).
$ K&T Boardinghouse rents five modern, spacious rooms on the first floor of a quiet building a block off Mariahilfer Strasse (cash only but reserve with credit card or PayPal, 2-night minimum, no breakfast, pay air-con, Chwallagasse 2, U: Neubaugasse, +43 676 553 6063, www.ktboardinghouse.at, k.t@chello.at, Tina). From Mariahilfer Strasse, turn left at Café Ritter and walk down Schadekgasse one short block; tiny Chwallagasse is the first right.
Near the Westbahnhof
$$ Motel One Westbahnhof, a more affordable outpost of the chain described earlier, under “Within the Ring,” has 441 rooms, lots of modern flair, and a vibrant lobby with plenty of inviting spaces to unwind (no triples but you can slip in a child under 6 for free, breakfast extra, air-con, attached to the Westbahnhof at Europaplatz 3, +43 1 359 350, www.motel-one.com, wein-westbahnhof@motel-one.com).
$$ Hotel Ibis Wien Mariahilf, an impersonal high-rise hotel with American charm, is ideal for anyone tired of quaint old Europe. Its 341 cookie-cutter rooms are bright, comfortable, and modern, with all the conveniences (breakfast extra, air-con, elevator, exit Westbahnhof to the right and walk 400 yards, Mariahilfer Gürtel 22, U: Westbahnhof, +43 1 59 998, www.accorhotels.com, h0796@accor.com).
DORMS AND HOSTELS
These budget-minded options cluster near Mariahilfer Strasse and the Westbahnhof.
¢ Hostel Ruthensteiner is your smallest and coziest option, with 100 beds in 4- to 8-bed dorms and lots of little touches (private rooms available, breakfast extra, laundry, comfy common areas with piano and guitars, bike rental, Robert-Hamerling-Gasse 24, U: Westbahnhof, +43 1 893 4202, www.hostelruthensteiner.com, info@hostelruthensteiner.com). From the Westbahnhof, follow Mariahilfer Strasse away from the center to #149, and turn left on Haidmannsgasse. Go one block, then turn right.
¢ Westend City Hostel, just a block from the Westbahnhof and Mariahilfer Strasse, is well-run and well-located in a residential neighborhood, so it’s quiet after 20:00. It has a small lounge, high-ceilinged rooms, a tiny back courtyard, and 180 beds in 4- to 12-bed dorms, each with its own bath (cash only, private rooms available, breakfast included when you book direct, elevator, laundry, Fügergasse 3, U: Westbahnhof, +43 1 597 6729, www.viennahostel.at, info@westendhostel.at).
¢ Wombat’s City Hostel has 250 beds and generous public spaces, including a bar (4-6 beds/room, private rooms available, near the Naschmarkt at Rechte Wienzeile 35, U: Kettenbrückengasse, +43 1 897 2336, www.wombats-hostels.com, bookvienna@wombats.eu).
¢ Hostel Wien is your classic, huge, and well-run official youth hostel, with 260 beds (private rooms available, always open, no curfew, coin-op laundry, Myrthengasse 7, take bus #48A from Westbahnhof, +43 1 523 6316, www.1070vienna.at, hostel@chello.at).
MORE HOTELS IN VIENNA
If my top listings are full, here are some others to consider. For locations, see the “Hotels in Central Vienna” map (unless otherwise noted).
A stone’s throw from Stephansplatz, $$$$ Hotel Domizil’s 43 rooms are light, bright, and neat as a pin (Schulerstrasse 14, U: Stephansplatz or Stubentor, +43 1 513 3199, www.hoteldomizil.at, info@hoteldomizil.at).
Just off Kärntner Strasse, $$$$ Hotel Astoria is a turn-of-the-century Old World hotel with 128 classy rooms (Kärntner Strasse 32, entrance at Führichgasse 1, U: Karlsplatz, +43 1 515 77, www.austria-trend.at/hotel-astoria, astoria@austria-trend.at).
Near City Hall, the $$$ Theaterhotel & Suites is a shiny gem of a hotel with 54 rooms on a fun shopping street (several blocks beyond the Ring at Josefstädter Strasse 22—see “Hotels & Restaurants near Mariahilfer Strasse” map, U: Rathaus, +43 1 405 3648, www.theaterhotel-wien.at, info@theaterhotel-wien.at).
A few steps from Schwedenplatz, $$$ Hotel Marc Aurel is an affordable, plain-Jane business-class hotel with modern rooms (air-con, Marc Aurel Strasse 8, U: Schwedenplatz, +43 1 533 3640, www.hotel-marcaurel.com, info@hotel-marcaurel.com).