The Truth About Vienna Coffee Houses

Do you plan a visit to the beautiful city of Vienna? Have you only considered to soak in the main sights like the art nouveau buildings scattered around the city, enjoy the view of the Hofburg palace, visit the Museumquartier, do some shopping at the Naschtmarkt and get your adrenaline rush at the ferris wheel in the Prater park? If this is your itinary you are likely to miss a golden opportunity to dig into an important part of the Vienna culture. What am I babbling on about? It's the coffee and the unique coffee culture of Vienna.

Vienna is heaven for coffee addicts. The capital of Austria's 1.7 million inhabitants have plenty of places to get their daily coffee fix.

The city boasts thousands of coffeehouses where you can get your daily fix.While international companies that you might know very well from home have set up stores here, do go and explore the real Viennese coffeehouses. The interiors are usually chintzy, the counters laden with cakes of all sizes, and waiters dressed in a smoking addressing everybody with „gnä' Frau" and „gnä Herr" (madame and mister) even though you don't look the part at all.

Coffee isn't just a beverage in this city, it's a way of life. A way of enjoying your lunch break and your evenings. Just a look at the coffee menu will show that. There are innumerable variations of coffee, depending on color, the amount of milk in it, and how much whipped cream there's on top- there are no limits to creativity here. While figuring out the correct name for what you're trying to have is a task for itself, most waiters won't mind helping you out there.

Don't forget to have an closeup look at the cake counter- Sachtertorte is a specialty invented at Hotel Sacher in Vienna, but available at most coffeehouses as a version of their own.

Usually you meet people in the coffeehouses to converse, hang out, or read a newspaper (they are usually stacked on some table and complimentary). In the 19th century many writers were working in the coffeehouses permanently. Most of them became famous and are still called coffeehouse littérateurs.

Generally, there are two types of coffeehouses, the plush, old ones that evoke an old-world feeling and the modern ones that reinterpret the idea.

Finding the perfect coffeehouse is a difficult task that requires a long time of careful evaluating and several caffeine rushes. You are not likely to find your favourite on your first day in Vienna. To help you on your way to coffee heaven, I can share one of my very own favourites with you: Café Hawelka. This café has the most original and artsy atmosphere of all. It looks like no changes have been made at all since the café has been opened. It's not the cheapest of the coffee houses and it gets it fair share of visitors, but the original and authentic atmosphere must be experienced. Café Hawelka is located at Wollzeile 10.

About the Author:
Dirt Cheap Vienna is a travel guide that shows you where to eat, drink and sleep inexpensively in Austria's capital. There's also a section devoted to the best Vienna cafes and coffee houses.