Leopoldstadt / Taborstrasse

Hotel Stefanie

★★★★★

Hotel Stefanie is the choice for travellers who want real Viennese character at a sensible price, and it has a story no other hotel in the city can match. The first recorded innkeeper on this site on Taborstrasse in the 2nd district dates to 8 July 1600, which makes it the oldest hotel in Vienna, and it has carried the name Stefanie since 1888. It belongs to the Schick family, a Viennese hotel family whose fifth generation has run it since 1992, and their care shows in the way the old building has been brought up to modern standards without losing its sense of history. The hotel has 111 rooms and is rated four stars. Public areas keep a traditional Viennese feel, and rooms come in several categories, so it is worth reading the room descriptions carefully when you book, especially if you are travelling as a family. Food is a real strength. Restaurant Stefanie serves Viennese cooking, with a lunch buffet and a Sunday brunch; in summer the courtyard garden becomes one of the most pleasant outdoor spots in the neighbourhood. The location is quietly excellent. Leopoldstadt, across the Danube Canal from the old town, is a lively, characterful district of cafes, the Karmelitermarkt food market and the Augarten park, and from the hotel door you can walk to Schwedenplatz and the old town in a few minutes, to St Stephens Cathedral in around a quarter of an hour, and to the Prater and its Giant Ferris Wheel in a similar time. The U-Bahn is close by, which makes Schonbrunn and the Belvedere easy as well.

Who it suits: couples and first-time visitors who want a classic Viennese hotel with history and good food, rather than a design statement; families looking for a calm, family-owned base close to the centre who check the room categories in advance; and history buffs, who will enjoy staying somewhere that has been welcoming travellers since the Habsburgs were at their height. It also suits anyone planning to spend time in the Prater, the Augarten or the Vienna Boys Choir concerts at MuTh, all of which are in the same district.

Living in it: book a room facing the courtyard if you are a light sleeper, as Taborstrasse is a busy shopping street with trams. Have at least one meal in Restaurant Stefanie for Viennese cooking in a historic setting, and if you are staying over a weekend, the Sunday brunch is a good-value treat. Ask the hotel about parking before you arrive if you are driving. The walk into the old town across the Schwedenbruecke takes only a few minutes and is lovely in the evening, with the lights of the inner city across the canal.

Value: Hotel Stefanie is priced in the upper middle range for Vienna, generally well below the grand hotels on the Ring, and it offers more character and better food than most hotels at its level. Remember that Vienna's accommodation tax rose to 5 percent of the room price from 1 July 2026 and is due to rise to 8 percent from 1 July 2027, so check whether it is included in the rate you see. For a historic, family-owned stay a short walk from everything, it is one of the best-value addresses in the city.