the Habsburg capital, between St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Hofburg and Schönbrunn, with the Christmas markets in front of City Hall and the campsites at the gates of the city
For six centuries Vienna was the city of the Habsburgs, and you see it at every step. At its heart stands St. Stephen's Cathedral, with its roof of coloured tiles and its south tower more than a hundred and thirty metres high; around it lies the old town, enclosed by walls until the nineteenth century. In their place Franz Joseph had the Ring laid out, the boulevard of palaces opened in 1865, lined by the Opera, City Hall, the museums and the Hofburg, the imperial palace. Outside the centre are Prince Eugene's Belvedere, with Klimt's Kiss, the Prater with its Ferris wheel, and Schönbrunn, the summer residence of the Habsburgs. For those travelling by motorhome Vienna is a city to get around by underground: sleeping in a motorhome on the street is forbidden, and the motorhome stays at one of the city's two campsites or at the stopover in the south, all close to a U-Bahn line. In winter the city fills with Christmas markets, and one of the two campsites stays open for them.
Sleeping
Stops and overnight stays
Vienna has two city campsites, one to the west on the edge of the Vienna Woods and one to the east on the Danube, and a private stopover to the south, next to the U6. Just outside, at Klosterneuburg, is the automobile club's campsite. Sleeping in a motorhome on the street is forbidden throughout the city: a 1985 regulation prohibits it in public places outside campsites. In winter only the Vienna Woods campsite is open.
MICAMPA Wien Wienerwald
Hüttelbergstraße 80, 1140 Wien
the city campsite at Hütteldorf, on the edge of the Vienna Woods, which used to be called Camping Wien West and has been rebuilt from scratch. It has 128 pitches, a supermarket, a kitchen open day and night and e-bike hire; at the entrance there is an automatic barrier, and you register your number plate online before arriving. You get to the centre by bus 52A or 52B to Hütteldorf and then on the U4: the operator says half an hour to Karlsplatz. In winter 2026, from 1 November to 6 January, it is open for the first time, with a reduced service: selected pitches with electricity, part of the toilet blocks, and no water at the pitch. It is the only campsite in Vienna open during the Christmas markets
A motorhome pitch costs from 40 euros a night with two adults, water included; the Base pitch, with electricity, from 48 euros, the Comfort, with electricity and water, from 54, the Premium from 60. These are "from" prices: the price of the day comes with the online booking. Emptying the cassette costs 2 euros, the washing machine 6 · +43 1 914 23 14 · micampa.com/standort-wien-wienerwald
the city campsite on the Danube, to the east, which used to be called Aktiv Camping Neue Donau. It is the closest to the centre: by bus 92B to the U2 and then by underground the operator says twenty minutes to the cathedral, and the Prater is ten minutes away by bike. The bus runs twice an hour, and the last one from the U2 to the campsite leaves around 21:30: if you are coming back late, check the timetable first. Wifi is only available at reception. From the motorway take the Ölhafen Lobau exit. It closes at the end of October: it is not there for the Christmas markets
The Base pitch for a motorhome, ten metres by five with electricity, costs from 50 euros a night with two adults; the Premium, with electricity and water at the pitch, from 55. These are "from" prices, and the price of the day comes with the online booking. Water, emptying and cleaning the cassette are included · +43 1 202 40 10 · micampa.com/standort-wien-donau
Vienna's first stopover for motorhomes, opened in 2013 in Liesing, in the south of the city, with new toilet blocks since 2025: two buildings with eight showers and eight toilets each, free of charge, and filling and emptying made ready for winter. Perfektastraße station on the U6 is a hundred metres away, and the Spar thirty. You get there from the A21, Brunn am Gebirge exit, without crossing the city. Generators and running engines are forbidden, and departure is by 12:00. The operator does not give the opening months: in winter phone ahead
27 euros a day for a motorhome up to ten metres, with water, emptying and toilets; 32 euros with electricity; 47 euros from ten to twenty metres. People are not charged separately. Wifi and dogs are free. Cash only. The operator's price list does not give the year · +43 664 433 7271 · reisemobilstellplatz-wien.at
the campsite of the ÖAMTC, the Austrian automobile club, at Klosterneuburg, just outside Vienna to the north, next to the Danube, with a hundred pitches, a restaurant and a playground. The train station and the bus stop for Vienna are two minutes' walk away: the train runs every half hour, the bus every ten minutes. Klosterneuburg is outside the Vienna zone, and a city ticket alone is not enough. In October and November reception is open from 8:00 to 15:00
In 2026 the pitch costs 11 euros a night, 17 in June, July and August; each adult 12 euros, children up to 14 years 6, electricity 5, tourist tax from 15 years 2.60. Two adults with a motorhome and electricity spend 45.20 euros a night in low season. Wifi and dogs free · +43 2243 25 877 · campingklosterneuburg.at
In Vienna the motorhome stays at the campsite and you get around the city by underground, tram and bus. In the centre a motorhome has nowhere to stop: parking is paid and time-limited throughout the city, and sleeping in it is forbidden.
The vignette is required on Austrian motorways and expressways for motorhomes up to 3.5 tonnes, including the motorways inside Vienna. In 2026 it costs 9.60 euros for one day, 12.80 for ten days, 32 for two months and 106.80 for a year. It can also be bought online, on the ASFINAG website: the one-day and ten-day vignettes are valid immediately, the two-month and one-year ones only from the eighteenth day after purchase. From 2027 there is only the digital one, linked to the number plate
Over 3.5 tonnes the vignette is not valid: you pay a per-kilometre toll with the GO-Box, which costs 12 euros. A two-axle Euro VI motorhome pays 0.2774 euros per kilometre, plus VAT, at 2026 rates
Paid parking applies throughout Vienna, Monday to Friday on working days from 9:00 to 22:00: the maximum stay is two hours, the first quarter of an hour is free, half an hour costs 1.70 euros and two hours 6.80. You pay with a paper voucher or with the HANDYPARKEN app. The rule makes no distinction for motorhomes, but a motorhome finds no space in the centre
Sleeping in a motorhome on public land is forbidden throughout the city, under a 1985 regulation upheld by the Constitutional Court in 2019: you sleep at a campsite or a stopover
Low emission zone: there is none for cars. There is a city-wide ban, motorways included, on vehicles registered as lorries of Euro 2 and older: it affects a converted van if it still has lorry registration papers
Public transport tickets: a single ride costs 3.20 euros and is valid for eighty minutes, with changes; bought on the tram 3.40. The 24-hour ticket costs 10.20 euros, the seven-day ticket 28.90. The Vienna City Card, with transport and museum discounts, costs 19 euros for 24 hours, 31 for 48, 37 for 72. Children up to 6 travel free, and up to 15 on Sundays, holidays and during Vienna's school holidays. Dogs pay the reduced fare, with muzzle and lead
Park and Ride, the city's interchange car parks, cost 4.60 euros a day, but they are covered garages with an entrance 2.10 metres high: a motorhome will not fit
From the airport, until the end of October 2027, the main suburban rail line between Praterstern and the central station is closed for works. The CAT, the direct train, has become a bus to Wien Mitte, in twenty-one minutes, at 14.90 euros; the S7 only goes as far as St. Marx, and ÖBB trains reach the central station in a quarter of an hour
Seeing
Sights
A walk through the old town, from the cathedral to the Hofburg and the Opera, then along the Ring to City Hall; half a day to the south, between the Naschmarkt, the Karlskirche and the Belvedere; an afternoon to the east, at the Hundertwasser house and the Prater; and a whole day for Schönbrunn. Tap a marker on the map to open its entry below.
1
St. Stephen's Cathedral
Church · free entry · 48.20849, 16.37313
Stephansplatz 3, 1010 Wien
the parish is first mentioned in 1137. Duke Rudolf IV laid the first stone of the south tower in 1359 and began the Gothic rebuilding; the tower, 136.44 metres high, was finished in 1433 by Hans von Prachatitz. The church has been a cathedral since 1469. On 11 April 1945 a fire destroyed the roof and the old Pummerin, the great bell; the cathedral reopened on 26 April 1952, with the new Pummerin, the largest bell in Austria, which hangs in the north tower. The roof has 230,000 glazed tiles. The catacombs beneath the cathedral can only be visited with a guide.
Opening hours the church Monday to Saturday 6:00-22:00, Sundays and holidays 7:00-22:00; tourist visits Monday to Saturday 9:00-11:30 and 13:00-16:30, Sundays and holidays 13:00-16:30, when there are no services. The towers every day 9:00-19:00. The catacombs only with a guide, several times a day · entry to pray is free. The visit with audio guide, the south tower on foot, the north tower by lift and the catacombs cost 8 euros each; the ticket that covers them all, with the Cathedral Museum, 29 euros, children from 6 to 14 years 7, and it is valid for a year · stephanskirche.at
the pedestrian street-square that leads from the cathedral towards the Hofburg, once a place of markets, festivities and processions, and today the street of luxury shops, which together with Kärntner Straße and the Kohlmarkt forms the so-called golden U of Viennese shopping. In the middle stands the Plague Column, a twenty-one metre Baroque Trinity column, built after the epidemic of 1679 and consecrated on 29 October 1693. On the Graben, from 1720, Café Kramer was the first to offer newspapers to its customers.
the imperial palace, which grew over six centuries around a square thirteenth century castle from the time of the Babenbergs, whose remains lie in the walls of the Schweizerhof. The first document signed here is by Rudolf I of Habsburg, on 14 February 1279, and the Habsburgs lived here until 1918; today it is the seat of the Federal President. It has eighteen wings, nineteen courtyards and 2,600 rooms. You enter from the dome on Michaelerplatz for Franz Joseph's Imperial Apartments and the Sisi Museum, devoted to Empress Elisabeth. The Imperial Treasury, in the Schweizerhof, holds the crowns and jewels of the dynasty. The side facing Heldenplatz is the Neue Burg, the new semicircular wing.
Opening hours the Imperial Apartments and the Sisi Museum every day 9:00-17:30, last entry at 16:30. From 6 October to 18 November 2026, because of works, 10:00-16:30, the Sisi Museum is closed and the apartments stay open. The Imperial Treasury every day except Tuesday 9:00-17:30, only with a booked time slot · Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum 20 euros, from 6 to 18 years 12; during the works 25% off. The Sisi Pass, with Schönbrunn and the Furniture Museum, 60 euros, children 38. The Treasury 16 euros online, 18 at the ticket office, free under 19 · +43 1 533 75 70 · sisimuseum-hofburg.at · info@sisimuseum-hofburg.at
Point of interest · paid entry · 48.20731, 16.36671
Michaelerplatz 1, 1010 Wien
the oldest riding school in the world, born from the Spanish court stables already mentioned in 1565, with horses of Spanish origin; the first covered riding hall dates from 1572. In 1580 Archduke Charles founded the stud at Lipica, where the white horses come from, the Lipizzaners. They perform in the Winterreitschule, the Winter Riding School built between 1729 and 1735, beneath the chandeliers. The morning training costs less than the performance, and you see the same horses at work. In 2016 Hannah Zeitlhofer became the first woman promoted to rider.
Opening hours the visitor centre, under the dome on Michaelerplatz, every day 9:00-16:00. Morning training at 10:00 and 11:30, performances and guided tours on dates shown in the ticket calendar · morning training from 17 euros, in October 2026 from 18 euros standing to 29 seated; the performance from 33 euros standing to 155; the guided tour 24 euros · +43 1 533 90 31 · srs.at
the palace above the Augustinian bastion, behind the Opera, where in 1794 Albert of Saxe-Teschen settled, having begun the collection in 1776. It is one of the largest collections of prints and drawings in the world, with Dürer's Hare, and it hosts major temporary exhibitions.
Opening hours every day 10:00-18:00, Wednesday and Friday until 21:00 · 20.90 euros, over 65 and under 26 years 17.50; free under 19 · albertina.at
the first great building on the Ring, by Eduard van der Nüll and August Sicard von Sicardsburg, who both died in 1868, a year before the opening. It opened on 25 May 1869 with Mozart's Don Giovanni. On 12 March 1945 a bombing raid set it on fire, and it reopened on 5 November 1955 with Fidelio conducted by Karl Böhm. The guided tour takes you through the reception rooms and into the auditorium, with the view of the stage.
Opening hours guided tours of about forty minutes, also in English, on dates the theatre publishes each month for the following month; tickets online or on site from half an hour before · the tour 18 euros, 14 under 27 and from 6 years, free under 6; the backstage tour, only on some Sundays, 48 euros · +43 1 51444 2423 · wiener-staatsoper.at
the museum of the Habsburg collections, in the palace on the Ring that Franz Joseph opened on 17 October 1891. It is one of the largest picture galleries in the world, with the Bruegel room; under the entrance dome is the café.
Opening hours Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-18:00, Thursday until 21:00, closed on Monday. From 8 September 2026 entry is only with a booked time slot · 22 euros online, 24 at the ticket office; free under 19. With the Imperial Treasury 32 euros · +43 1 525 24 2500 · khm.at
these were the court stables of Charles VI, designed by Fischer von Erlach, with room for six hundred horses. Since 2001 they have been a museum quarter, with new buildings in the courtyards: the Leopold Museum, with works by Egon Schiele and Klimt. In the courtyards are the colourful loungers where the Viennese sit in summer.
Opening hours the courtyards are open day and night and can be crossed for free; the museums have their own hours. The Leopold Museum every day except Tuesday 10:00-18:00 · the Leopold Museum 19 euros, reduced 16, under 19 years 2.50 · +43 1 523 58 81 · mqw.at · office@mqw.at
the neo-Gothic City Hall, built between 1872 and 1883 by Friedrich Schmidt, stands on the Ring, the boulevard that runs where the walls used to be. Franz Joseph ordered their demolition on 20 December 1857 and opened the boulevard on 1 May 1865; along the Ring stand the Opera, the Hofburg, the museums, Parliament, the Burgtheater and the university. The square in front of City Hall is the square of festivities: the Christmas market, the ice rink in winter and the open-air cinema in summer.
Opening hours free guided tours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 13:00, in German, with audio guides in English; online registration is compulsory, and there are no tours on council session days, on holidays and during major events in the square · +43 1 4000 4001 · stadtinformation@post.wien.gv.at
Vienna's largest market, which the Viennese call the city's belly, along the Wienzeile between the Getreidemarkt and the Kettenbrücke. It has existed since 1774, and has been in this place since 1916: the fruit and vegetable stalls, the restaurants, and the farmers' stalls especially on Friday and Saturday.
Opening hours the stalls Monday to Friday 6:00-21:00, Saturday 6:00-18:00; the restaurants Monday to Saturday 6:00-23:00, Sunday 9:00-21:00. On Sunday the stalls are closed. On Saturday there is a flea market alongside · wien.gv.at/freizeit/naschmarkt
the Baroque church that Emperor Charles VI vowed to build on 22 October 1713, during the plague, dedicated to St. Charles Borromeo. The design is by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, and work began on 4 February 1716; his son finished it. In front of the dome stand two great columns. The fresco in the dome is by Johann Michael Rottmayr, and you see it up close by climbing to the terrace.
Opening hours Monday to Saturday 9:00-18:00; Sundays and holidays from late morning until 19:00 · 9.50 euros with the audio guide, the panoramic terrace in the dome and the treasury; students 6, young people 5, free for children up to 10 years · +43 1 504 6187 · karlskirche.at · office@karlskirche.at
the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy, by Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt: two Baroque palaces, the Upper and the Lower, joined by a sloping garden. On 15 May 1955, in the Upper Belvedere, the State Treaty that restored Austria's independence was signed. On the first floor hangs Klimt's Kiss, painted between 1907 and 1908. In front of the Upper Belvedere the great pool mirrors the palace.
Opening hours the Upper Belvedere every day 9:00-18:00, with a time slot · the price changes with the day. On 5 October 2026 the Upper Belvedere cost 23 euros, over 65 and for students under 26 19; the Lower 20; the two together 32. Free under 19 · +43 1 795 57 0 · belvedere.at
a block of municipal housing, built between 1983 and 1985 to a design by Friedensreich Hundertwasser: façades in different colours, broken volumes and all the greenery that would fit, on the balconies and on the roof. It is lived in, and can only be seen from outside.
it was the Habsburgs' hunting reserve, and on 9 April 1766 Joseph II opened it to everyone. The park is free; at the entrance is the Wurstelprater, the funfair, with paid rides. The Ferris wheel, the Riesenrad, is by the English engineer Walter Basset: 64.75 metres high, it was opened on 3 July 1897 for the fiftieth anniversary of Franz Joseph's reign. It burned in 1944, and started turning again in 1947 with fifteen cabins instead of thirty. The website shows the price only in the online shop.
Opening hours the Ferris wheel is open all year; the hours change with the season, and on 5 October 2026 they were 10:00-21:45 · +43 1 729 54 30 · wienerriesenrad.com · info@wienerriesenrad.com
Maximilian II bought the estate in 1569 to make it a hunting lodge; the name comes from the beautiful spring, the Schöner Brunnen, that Emperor Matthias found there. Destroyed by the Ottomans in 1683, it was rebuilt by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach for Leopold I and enlarged by Nikolaus Pacassi for Maria Theresa from 1743; it was the summer residence of the Habsburgs until 1918, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. At the top of the park stands the Gloriette, from 1775, with a view over the whole of Vienna. The zoo, founded in 1752 as Francis Stephen's menagerie, is the oldest still open. Dogs are not allowed in the palace or the park. You get back to the centre on the U4.
Opening hours the palace every day, until 2 November 2026 8:30-17:30, from 3 November to 31 March 2027 8:30-17:00, last entry 45 minutes before. The park is open free of charge from 6:30, until 17:30 in November and December. The Gloriette terrace closes in winter. The zoo every day of the year from 9:00, in winter until 16:30 · the Palace Ticket, with the whole state floor and the audio guide, 42 euros, from 6 to 18 years 30; the Classic Pass, with the Gloriette, the gardens and the maze, summer only, 49 euros. The zoo 29 euros, from 6 to 18 years 17 · +43 1 811 13 0 · schoenbrunn.at · info@schoenbrunn.at
Vienna has a big event in every season. Winter belongs to the Christmas markets and the ice in front of City Hall, Carnival to the balls, spring to the marathon, summer to free open-air music, autumn to cinema.
Next: Viennale · 22 Oct - 3 Nov
22 Oct › 3Nov
Viennale
at the end of October
Vienna's film festival, the largest international film festival in Austria, two weeks of films in several cinemas across the city, with the opening night at the Gartenbaukino
6 Nov › 6Jan
The other Christmas markets
from early November to Epiphany
every square in the centre has its own market, and each has its own character. The Spittelberg market is in the Biedermeier lanes of the district, with crafts; the Art Advent in front of the Karlskirche is run by artists, with all-organic food; at the Freyung the Altwiener Christkindlmarkt stands where a Christmas market was already held in 1772. There are markets at the Belvedere, Am Hof, on Maria-Theresien-Platz between the two museums, in front of the cathedral and at the Prater; the first to open, in early November, and the last to close, on 6 January, is the one at Schönbrunn, in front of the palace
13 Nov › 26Dec
Rathausplatz Christmas Market
from mid November to 26 December
the Wiener Christkindlmarkt, the largest market in Vienna, in front of the neo-Gothic City Hall: the stalls of decorations, crafts and Punsch beneath the great illuminated gateway, the multi-storey carousel, the nativity trail and the children's hut. It is open every day from 10:00 to 22:00, on Christmas Eve until 18:30. In the park and on the square there is also the Eistraum ice rink, which stays until Epiphany. At weekends in December it is packed: get there by tram 1, 2, 71 or D, or on the U2 to the Rathaus stop
31Dec
Silvesterpfad, New Year's Eve in the centre
31 December
the New Year's Eve trail: from 14:00 to 2:00 in the morning the historic centre becomes a route of stages, music and stalls, from the Freyung through Am Hof, the Graben, Stephansplatz and Kärntner Straße to the Neuer Markt, with more parties at Rathausplatz and the Prater. On the Graben there is the classical music mile. At midnight, to the sound of the Pummerin, the cathedral's great bell, people dance the Blue Danube waltz. Free entry; the motorhome stays at the campsite, and you go into the centre by underground
22 Jan › 7Mar
Wiener Eistraum
from late January to early March
once the market has been taken down, Rathausplatz becomes an ice rink as big as the square, with four skating areas, a zone for beginners and lanes for Austrian curling, Eisstockschießen. It is open every day from 10:00 to 22:00, and in the evening the lights illuminate City Hall behind the skaters
4Feb
The Opera Ball
a Thursday in February
the Opernball, Vienna's most famous ball: for one night the auditorium of the Staatsoper becomes a ballroom, and the debutantes open the dancing. It has been held every year since 1956, after the theatre reopened. From outside you only see the guests arriving, but that evening the Ring in front of the Opera is crowded with people
18Apr
Vienna City Marathon
a Sunday in April
the city marathon, starting on the Reichsbrücke, over the Danube, and finishing in the centre. On Sunday morning the Ring and half the city are closed to traffic: with a motorhome arrive on Saturday, or stay put until the afternoon
11Jun
The Summer Night Concert at Schönbrunn
a Friday in June
the Sommernachtskonzert of the Vienna Philharmonic in the park of Schönbrunn, with the stage between the palace and the Gloriette. It is free and no tickets are needed, and tens of thousands of people attend: arrive early on the U4, and bring something to sit on
25-27Jun
Donauinselfest
at the end of June
the festival on the Danube Island, three days of free concerts along four and a half kilometres of island, since 1984. Camping on the island is not allowed: sleep at a campsite and come on the U6 or the U1
3 Jul › 5Sep
Film Festival on Rathausplatz
from July to early September
every summer evening, in front of City Hall, concerts and operas on a big screen, free, with food stalls from around the world open from 11:00 to midnight
This year's dates are not out yet
Wiener Festwochen
in May and June
the city's arts festival, founded in 1951: theatre, dance, music and performance all over the city, every year between May and June
The Long Night of Museums
a Saturday in October
the Lange Nacht der Museen: from 18:00 to midnight museums, galleries and cultural institutions stay open together, all over Austria: in 2026 there were about six hundred and seventy
Remember
Useful tips
The motorhome stays at the campsite or the stopover for the whole stay: sleeping on the street is forbidden, and in the centre parking is paid and time-limited. The three places in the city are all close to an underground line
For the Christmas markets the only campsite open is MICAMPA Wienerwald, from 1 November to 6 January, with no water at the pitch: arrive with a full tank, and book early. The Perfektastraße stopover does not say whether it is open in winter: phone ahead
Buy the vignette before the border, online too, in the ten-day version: the one-year or two-month vignette bought online is only valid after eighteen days
The 24-hour ticket pays off from four rides upwards; for a long stay the weekly ticket at 28.90 euros. The Vienna City Card also gives museum discounts
Under 19 there is no charge at the Kunsthistorisches, the Belvedere, the Albertina and the Imperial Treasury: with teenagers you only pay for the adults
The Kunsthistorisches, the Belvedere and the Imperial Treasury can only be visited with a booked time slot: buy the ticket online the day before
On Monday the Kunsthistorisches is closed, on Tuesday the Imperial Treasury and the Leopold Museum
From 6 October to 18 November 2026 the Sisi Museum is closed for works, and at the Hofburg you only see the apartments, with a discounted ticket
Café Central, the most famous of the historic coffee houses, has been closed for works since 16 March 2026 and reopens in winter; meanwhile the operator runs DECENTRAL, on the Freyung. Café Sacher, with its cake, is behind the Opera, open every day from 7:00 to 23:00, and you can book
At the Spanish Riding School the morning training costs much less than the performance, and the Lipizzaners are the same
From the airport, until the end of October 2027, the CAT is a bus and the S7 stops at St. Marx, because of works on the main line
The Gloriette terrace is closed in winter, but the park of Schönbrunn is open and free: you can still make the climb, and the view is the same
Vienna · part two
and then?
What to taste, and where to go tomorrow.
Taste
Vienna is the only city in the world that gives its name to a cuisine, Viennese cuisine, born from the kitchens of the lands of the old monarchy: from Wiener Schnitzel to goulash, which came from Hungary with the Hungarian regiments. Three ways of eating and drinking are on Austria's UNESCO list of intangible heritage: the Viennese coffee house since 2011, with marble tables, Thonet chairs and newspapers, where you spend time and pay only for the coffee; the Heuriger since 2019, the winegrowers' taverns, because Vienna is the only capital with real vineyards inside the city; and since 2024 the Würstelstand, the sausage stand, with the cheese-filled Käsekrainer and sweet or hot mustard. The dessert is the Sachertorte, which Franz Sacher, a sixteen-year-old apprentice, invented in 1832 for the guests of Prince Metternich.
slice the onions and brown them in the lard in a wide pot, over a moderate heat, stirring often
add the paprika and the tomato, stir for a moment and immediately pour in a little vinegar and a little water, because the paprika must not burn
season the meat with salt and pepper and put it in the pot with the crushed garlic, the marjoram, the bay leaves and the caraway, and add just enough water to barely cover it
cook over a medium heat, with the lid resting on top, for about two and a half hours, stirring often and adding a little water at a time: if you add too much the meat swims and the sauce does not thicken
when the meat is tender but still holds together, turn off the heat and leave the goulash to rest somewhere warm for an hour
heat the frankfurters in water just below the boil for ten minutes, fry the eggs in the butter and cut the gherkins into fans
reheat the goulash thoroughly, with a splash of water if needed, and serve it with the egg on top, the frankfurter beside it and the gherkin
serve it with Semmelknödel, the bread dumpling, or with boiled potatoes
the Upper Belvedere reflected in the great pool in front of the palacePhoto: Kurt Bauschardt, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0St. Stephen's Cathedral with the south tower and the roof of coloured tiles, above StephansplatzPhoto: Sandor Somkuti, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the roof of the cathedral, with the glazed tiles laid in a zigzag patternPhoto: lienyuan lee, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0the nave of St. Stephen's Cathedral, up to the high altarPhoto: Martin Furtschegger, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0the Graben with the Plague Column and the open-air cafésPhoto: Fred Romero, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0the wing of the Hofburg on Michaelerplatz, with the dome and the fiaker carriagesPhoto: Fred Romero, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0the Neue Burg on Heldenplatz, at the blue hourPhoto: Nikolai Karaneschev, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0the Winter Riding School of the Spanish Riding School, with the chandeliersPhoto: Hiroki Ogawa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0the Albertina above the bastion, with the equestrian statue and the fountainPhoto: Andrzej Otrębski, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the façade of the State Opera lit up in the eveningPhoto: Sandor Somkuti, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0the café under the dome of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, seen from abovePhoto: Sandor Somkuti, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0the courtyard of the MuseumsQuartier, in front of the old court stablesPhoto: Roland Töfferl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the neo-Gothic City Hall on RathausplatzPhoto: Thomas Ledl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the fruit stalls at the NaschmarktPhoto: Jorge Franganillo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0the Karlskirche with its two columns, reflected in the pool in the squarePhoto: AwOiSoAk KaOsIoWa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the colourful façades of the Hundertwasser housePhoto: Andrzej Harassek, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the Prater Ferris wheel, with its red cabinsPhoto: Michal Gorski, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0Schönbrunn Palace and the parterre seen from the Gloriette hillPhoto: Michal Jakubský, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0the flower beds in front of Schönbrunn PalacePhoto: krysi@, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0the illuminated gateway of the Wiener Christkindlmarkt, in front of City Hall, in December 2023Photo: Bybbisch94, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0the carousel and the crowd at the Rathausplatz market, on the evening of 8 December 2025Photo: Mike Peel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the sausage stand at the Rathausplatz market, with mulled winePhoto: Bybbisch94, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0skaters at the Wiener Eistraum in front of City Hall, on a January eveningPhoto: Anna Saini, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Art Advent market in front of the Karlskirche, at nightPhoto: Nikolai Karaneschev, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0the Altwiener Christkindlmarkt on the Freyung, on the evening of 7 December 2025Photo: Mike Peel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0New Year's Eve on Stephansplatz, with the stage in front of the cathedralPhoto: Partynia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0the Danube from the island during the 2015 DonauinselfestPhoto: spaceman117, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
