The grand hotels of Vienna: the back story

About The grand hotels of Vienna: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Vienna Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Vienna’s grand hotels gather in two places. Along the Ringstrasse, the boulevard laid out where the city walls once stood, the Imperial, the Ritz-Carlton, the Grand Ferdinand and the Almanac Palais occupy palaces built for the 19th-century city, with the Sacher just behind the State Opera. Inside the Ring, in the lanes of the Innere Stadt, a newer generation has taken over historic buildings: the Park Hyatt in a former bank on Am Hof, the Rosewood on the Petersplatz and the Mandarin Oriental on Riemergasse.

On the Ring

Hotel Sacher Wien stands on Philharmonikerstrasse, behind the State Opera. The Hotel Imperial is on the Kärntner Ring, the Ritz-Carlton and the Grand Ferdinand on the Schubertring, and the Almanac Palais on the Parkring, facing the Stadtpark. Palais Coburg rises on the old city bastion above the Ring, home of the two-star Silvio Nickol Gourmet Restaurant (MICHELIN, 2026). On the Schottenring, the Anantara Palais Hansen is home to Edvard (One MICHELIN Star, 2026), and The Amauris on the Kärntner Ring to Glasswing (One Star).

In the old town

The Park Hyatt fills a former bank on Am Hof, the Rosewood looks onto the baroque Peterskirche, and the Mandarin Oriental is on Riemergasse, a few minutes from St Stephen’s.

You don’t need a room to enjoy them: book Sachertorte at Café Sacher, a drink at Das LOFT or dinner at Silvio Nickol.

Beyond the Ring

Across the Danube Canal, SO/ Vienna rises above Praterstrasse, with the bar and restaurant Das LOFT on its 18th floor. By the MuseumsQuartier, the 25hours Hotel, the Sans Souci and the Altstadt Vienna suit visitors who want museums and Spittelberg on the doorstep.

Good value

Hotel MOTTO on Mariahilfer Strasse, Hotel Daniel by the Belvedere and Zoku near the Prater offer good design for less.

Our advice: stay on or inside the Ring for a first visit: almost everything is a walk away.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The grand hotels of Vienna: the back story before you go.