Unsurprisingly, Vienna has no shortage of quality accommodation, whether five star hotels or simple apartments.
I have several useful hotel suggestions for you based on typical location needs, as well as more general pieces of advice…
Tips for where to stay
Let’s begin with suggestions for the better hotels around notable Vienna hotspots and event locations:
- Best hotels close to the centre: on the pedestrianised square (Stephansplatz) at the heart of the city or near Stephansdom cathedral.
- Places to stay near the airport: at the time of writing, only two hotels occupy space on the actual airport grounds.
- Places to stay near the Christmas markets: specifically the famous Christkindlmarkt on Rathausplatz square, though the suggestions remain handy for other central markets, too.
- Hotels near the state opera house: in case you want to fall into bed before the echoes of the last aria have died away.
- Hotels near Schönbrunn palace and park: the Habsburg “country” residence makes a destination in its own right and has several good hotels nearby.
- Luxury hotels: those recognised as five star or five star superior by the Vienna Chamber of Commerce.
- Hotels near the Marx Halle: a popular event centre in a converted historical slaughter house in the media and bioscience quarter.
- Hotels near Messe Wien: the big venue for large expos and shows, such as the Vienna Comic Con.
- Hotels near the Austria Center: another big convention centre and adjacent to the Vienna International Centre (United Nations, IAEO and other multinational orgaisations)
Bonus accommodation tips
- Will I pay a hotel or local tax? Yes, but it’s low and normally included in the price you find quoted on hotel websites.
- As always with planning a visit, book early where possible. Vienna gets pretty full with visitors throughout the year (in normal times!), with the exception of late January, February, March (unless Easter is early) and early November (before the seasonal markets open).
- The summer brings many visitors, but December is particularly busy thanks to the immense popularity of those Christmas markets. Consider late November as a solid alternative, however, since all the main seasonal markets should be open by then but the seasonal crowds have yet to arrive in full.
- Given the high level of education in the country, plus the many vocational schools specialising in tourism, your hotel and accommodation staff should be well-qualified and pretty conversant in English.
- One thing to note when considering where to stay is that Vienna is a relatively compact city. Most of the main attractions are within easy reach of each other. However, easy accessibility means places can get away with describing their location as “central”, even when it isn’t perhaps as central as that might imply.
- On that subject, anything with a 1010 postal code is right in the very centre in what you would describe as inside the old medieval town limits.
- Two other districts particularly rich in restaurants and life, but close to the centre, are Neubau (7th district, postal code 1070) and Josefstadt (8th district, postal code 1080).
- Having said that, public transport is excellent here. I live in an outer district and am only about 20 minutes away from the centre by direct tram.
- The same concept applies if you choose accommodation outside the city. Most surrounding settlements have frequent city train (S-Bahn) services into Vienna.
- The below map shows you where the main sightseeing areas are, should you need help planning where to stay:
- And this map lets you jump right in and pick out hotels and apartments near the pedestrianised centre of town:
(Service provided by Booking.com*, who I am an affiliate of)