Hotels in Vienna: eight places to stay, from the Ring to Spittelberg

Behind the Opera, ahead of the rest

The hotel stands on Philharmonikerstrasse, directly behind the State Opera, and it is a cake, the Sachertorte, that made the name famous. Inside there is red velvet, dark paintings and waiters in white jackets, and no attempt whatsoever to be modern. That is precisely what makes it right.

You stay for a weekend as a couple, for the Opera, and to feel old Vienna without pretending. Rooms vary, so ask for one facing away from Kärntner Strasse. It works best for anyone who wants a quiet lobby less well, since the café draws visitors all day, and it is not for travellers who prefer light, Nordic interiors.

The old bank on Petersplatz

Rosewood occupies a former bank building on Petersplatz, a couple of minutes from St Stephen's, with the Peterskirche as its closest neighbour. It is a newcomer by Vienna standards and that shows in the right ways: rooms are bright and large, bathrooms modern, and the rooftop bar puts the church dome within arm's reach.

This is the choice for anyone who wants to stay in the heart of the old town without heavy historical décor. The mood is calm and professional, and from here you walk to everything inside the Ring. The price is high, and the hotel lacks the patina of the Sacher or the Imperial, so if you love old houses choose one of those instead.

A pool in the bank vault

Am Hof is one of the quietest squares in the Innere Stadt, and the hotel sits in a former bank headquarters on its corner. The most memorable room is not a suite but the pool: it lies down in the old vault, with gilded walls where the money once sat.

Bedrooms are big, with tall ceilings and muted colours, and the hotel is a couple of minutes from both the Graben and the Hofburg. It is made for travellers who want grand-hotel service with a story to tell at home. It is less suited to anyone on a budget or wanting cafés and bars outside the door, because Am Hof goes quiet in the evening.

The palace on Kärntner Ring

The Imperial stands on Kärntner Ring, a block from the Opera, in a building that was raised as a palace and still looks like one. The marble staircase rising from the lobby is where you understand what kind of house you have walked into. State visits have stayed here, and the staff behave as if you are the next one.

This is the first-timer's hotel if you want the full package: the Ring outside the door, the Musikverein three minutes away, trams at the kerb. Rooms on the upper floors are smaller and plainer than those below, so check what you are booking. If you want informal and youthful, you are in the wrong place.

Beside the Naschmarkt, without the grand-hotel bill

The hotel is on Papagenogasse, wall to wall with the Theater an der Wien and with the Naschmarkt across the road. It is a family-run house whose owner has furnished each floor to a different theme, and there are wine evenings in the salon for guests several times a week.

Rooms are classic and comfortable, the breakfast gets a lot of praise, and you are somewhere you can walk to the Opera while having the city's biggest food market as a neighbour. It gets our vote as the value pick. It is not for anyone who needs a spa, a bar and round-the-clock service, and the street is lively on Saturdays when the Naschmarkt flea market is on.

The art collection you sleep in

On Kirchengasse in Spittelberg, in an old apartment building, is a hotel run like a private art collection. Every floor and every room is decorated differently, with paintings and photographs the owner has gathered over the years, and the salon with its fireplace is open to guests like a living room.

You stay here for the individuality. No two rooms are alike, some are small and others are studio-sized, so read the description before you choose. It is ideal for travellers who love art and design and would rather walk to the museums than take a tram. It is less suited to anyone who wants predictable rooms and a conventional lobby.

Circus with a view

The hotel is on Lerchenfelder Strasse, right behind the MuseumsQuartier, and the theme is the circus: big blocks of colour, stage lighting and details that make children laugh and adults reach for their phones. At the top is a roof bar with the whole city laid out and St Stephen's spire as the point on the horizon.

Rooms are colourful and well equipped, several sleep four, and the mood is informal and young. It takes our family pick, and a good one for a trip with friends. The hotel is popular and full at weekends, and the roof bar gets busy, so it is not the place for silence and classic service.

A touch of Paris in Mariahilf

Motto sits on a side street off Mariahilfer Strasse in the 6th district, and is decorated as a daydream of a Parisian hotel: dark colours, mirrors, brass and wallpapers that change from floor to floor. On the roof is a glass-walled restaurant and bar, and that is where you go on the first evening.

Rooms are somewhat smaller than at the grand hotels on the Ring but better furnished than most, and the price sits a good way below. It is right for couples and anyone who wants something more personal than a chain and is content to stay a quarter of an hour from the centre. If the Opera and the Innere Stadt coffee houses are the point of the trip, the distance is a small drawback.