Kunsthistorisches Museum
The Habsburgs’ imperial art collection in a palatial museum – the world’s best hoard of Bruegels, plus Vermeer, Velazquez and Raphael. Break for coffee under the gilded cupola cafe.
Listings
Belvedere
A pair of baroque palaces set in formal gardens, now an art museum whose star is Gustav Klimt’s shimmering The Kiss. Worth it for the building and gardens alone.
St. Stephen’s Cathedral
Vienna’s soaring Gothic cathedral with its patterned tiled roof, right at the city’s heart. Step into the nave for free, then climb the south tower or descend to the catacombs for a small fee.
Schonbrunn Palace
The Habsburgs’ vast summer palace, a rococo wonderland of state rooms where Maria Theresa and a young Mozart once held court. Book a timed Grand Tour, then wander the enormous baroque gardens and up to the Gloriette for free.
Refugee Company (A Beautiful Mess)
A social enterprise creating work, training and community with and for refugees through hospitality projects and pop-up restaurants like A Beautiful Mess. A warm, welcoming taste of a more inclusive city.
Dignita
A trio of lovely all-day brunch spots where 100% of the profit funds training programmes for survivors of human trafficking and exploitation. Organic, locally sourced food that quite literally does good.
Instock
A social enterprise restaurant fighting food waste – “food-rescue” drivers collect surplus produce, day-old bread and imperfect veg each morning, and the chefs improvise a different menu daily. Delicious proof that waste can be dinner.
The Dylan Amsterdam
An intimate five-star hidden behind a canal-house facade on the Keizersgracht, arranged around a serene courtyard with a Michelin-pedigree restaurant. Discreet, romantic luxury in the heart of the ring.
Lloyd Hotel
A one-of-a-kind “one-to-five-star” hotel in a striking 1920s building in the Eastern Docklands, with wildly varied designer rooms and a cultural-embassy vibe. Quirky, creative and a tram ride from the centre.
citizenM Amsterdam
The Dutch-born design-hotel brand doing compact, tech-forward rooms (mood-lit, app-controlled) with big sociable lounges. Great value for consistent style; several locations across the city.