A popular staple of every Danube River cruise, the Austrian city of Vienna is packed with so many historic attractions, events, palaces and places of significance that you could spend a week here and never even scratch the surface. Fortunately, with many river cruises staying overnight, guests have the opportunity to experience Vienna by day and night. But regardless of how long you’re in Vienna, there’s one experience you must enjoy: a Viennese Café.
Coffee in Vienna is an entirely different experience than, say, a trip to your local Starbucks back home. In Viennese café culture, you can spend hours — or the better part of the day — in a single café reading, conducting business, socializing with friends and yes, enjoying some of the fine coffees, teas, and specialty coffees that are on the menu.
Cafes commonly open for full breakfast and stay open well into the evening, meaning there’s never a bad time to enjoy a relaxing café experience. Some of the most popular Viennese cafes will take reservations — something we encourage you to do before leaving home if you are particular about visiting a specific café.
While there are some famous cafes — like Café Demel and Café Central, the latter of which was a popular hangout of Sigmund Freud, Leon Trotsky and other important figures at the turn of the last century — you can hardly walk a block without coming upon a café inset into one of Vienna’s historic buildings.
If you do intend to do the café experience, plan on spending some time. Café Demel’s menu includes 12 different types of coffee beverages (some with alcohol), and ten different types of tea. It also serves up an extensive menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with items ranging from simple soups to filets of beef accompanied with green asparagus, creamy polenta and Madeira sauce.
So on your next river cruise in Vienna, pop into one of the many cafés for a true taste of Viennese culture.
Leave a Reply