10 Most Popular Neighbourhoods in Vienna

Innere Stadt is the UNESCO-listed historic centre and most popular district of Vienna. The district is surrounded by the Ringstrasse boulevard, where you’ll find iconic landmarks like the Hofburg Palace, Austrian Parliament and the Rathaus (town hall). You’ll also find plenty of shops, restaurants, and museums such as the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Art History.

If you want to see Vienna’s upscale shopping scene, head to the pedestrianised streets of Kärntner Strasse and Graben. The surrounding streets host some of the top-rated restaurants and art galleries in Vienna.

Multicultural Leopoldstadt is home to Vienna’s former Jewish quarter, the city’s largest green space, and trendy beach bars on the edge of the Danube Canal. You’ll see some streets covered in professional graffiti and others lined with architectural masterpieces. Notable attractions include the Viennese Giant Ferris Wheel, the Karmelitermarkt food market and the Wurstelprater amusement park.

If you want to mix with the local creatives, order a coffee or draft brew at the Kleines Café, which stays open until 2 am every day except for Sunday. If you’re travelling with the family, there’s plenty of picnic and recreation space, an amusement park and the iconic Ferris wheel inside the Prater public park.

Wieden is known as one of Vienna’s ‘coolest’ districts for its coffee culture, vibrant nightlife scene and art galleries. But with attractions such as the Baroque Karlskirche Church and Wien Museum overlooking the historic Karlsplatz square, there’s plenty on offer for history and architecture buffs as well.

Wieden is well known for its non-Austrian food stalls and supermarkets, making it an ideal place to sample bites from all corners of the globe. Head to the Naschmarkt food market to see one of Vienna’s most diverse culinary destinations.

Neubau is a popular district among artistic youths and hipsters with its many boutiques, designer stores, hip diners and galleries. Throughout the day, the cafés around the central courtyard are popular hangout spots with the locals. After sunset, the bars that occupy the Biedermeier buildings in the Spittelberg area come to life.

Besides its nightlife and art scene, Neubau is home to an abundance of Baroque architectural gems and many of Vienna’s historic museums in the MuseumsQuartier. If you want to grab a bite in a trendy diner, you’ll find a plethora of edgy cafés and minimalist restaurants along the Thailastrasse.

The Mariahilf district is Vienna’s primary shopping hub, with big names in fashion operating stores along the Mariahilfer Strasse shopping strip. In the neighbourhood’s smaller streets, you’ll find edgy shops, independent theatres and small galleries. You can also find international food stalls and a flea market at the Naschmarkt on the district’s border.

When you need to take a break from shopping, stop for a hot drink at one of the district’s Viennese coffee houses, such as Café Jelinek or Brass Monkey. One of the district’s most popular attractions is the House of the Sea, an aquarium that occupies a World War II flak tower.

Margareten is one of Vienna’s more bohemian districts that attracts visitors with its affordable bars, cafés and quirky entertainment venues. It’s also famous for its cuisine, which includes the best of Viennese and a diverse array of international delights. For history buffs, there are many buildings and remnants from the city’s socialist era.

Head to the Gürtel ring road to see '20s architecture from the days of ‘Red Vienna’. For food, browse the restaurants along Reinprechtsdorfer Strasse or the food stalls at the nearby Naschmarkt. If you have time, we recommend watching a film at Filmcasino, an iconic independent movie theatre.

Landstrasse is a district that’s known for its diverse architectural styles, notably the colourful buildings designed by artist and architect Hundertwasser. The neighbourhood’s most significant building is the 18^th-century Belvedere Palace and Gardens. You’ll find delicious restaurants, quaint cafés and shops around Landstrasser Hauptstrasse.

While visiting Landstrasse, we recommend paying a visit to the KunstHausWien museum to learn more about the life and work of Hundertwasser. Thanks to hosting the Wien Mitte transport hub, Landstrasse and its attractions are easy to reach from anywhere in Vienna and beyond.

Vienna’s Alsergrund district is known for its broad streets lined with 19^th-century architectural gems. Its lively beer gardens, independent music venues and museums such as the Freud Museum are popular with students from the nearby University of Vienna. Alsergrund is also one of the best nightlife districts for the LGBTQ+ community.

While you’re looking around Alsergrund, we recommend checking out landmarks such as the neo-Gothic Votivkirche church and the Liechtenstein Garden Palace, which is still owned by Liechtenstein’s royal family. When you want to relax, grab a drink at one of the trendy bars along the Danube Canal.

Ottakring is the district to head to for west-meets-east cuisine in Vienna. It’s where you’ll find Serbian cafés along the Balkan Mile and Turkish food stalls at the Brunnenmarkt street market. You’ll find more local and international eateries with outdoor seating at the Yppenplatz square. If you fancy an outdoor adventure in Vienna, you can walk along the trails of the Vienna Woods.

Ottakring is one of the best neighbourhoods in Vienna to take a stroll and soak up the multicultural atmosphere. You can reach this district from most parts of the city by taking the subway to the Ottakring station, and trams also run through the neighbourhood.

Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus is an up-and-coming multicultural district that’s brimming with coffee shops, restaurants and bars that have recently taken over its streets. Design studios, edgy bars and pop-up stores attract visitors to the Reindorfgasse, while the Mariahilfer Strasse shopping strip hosts plenty of Balkan and Turkish restaurants.

For a day out with the family, head to the Schönbrunn Palace, where you’ll find manicured parks, expansive green spaces and tree-shaded walkways. For insights into Vienna’s scientific legacy, pay a visit to the Technical Museum Vienna.