The sheer grandeur of Café Central makes it well worth queuing for. Established in 1876, this quintessential Kaffeehaus was a popular hangout among intellectuals in turn-of-the-century Vienna. Sigmund Freud, Leon Trotsky and architect Adolf Loos are all known to have taken coffee here. Order a Melange, a Viennese take on a cappuccino, choose a cake from the stand and while the afternoon away under the pseudo-Gothic vaulted ceilings of the Palais Ferstel.
Have you even been in a cafe until you’ve been in one in Vienna? The Austrian capital is where Europe’s obsession with coffee began; legend has it a sack of beans was left behind by the Ottomans after the failed attempt on the city in 1683, and one forward-thinking local set to work. Whether that is true or not remains up in the air, but it doesn’t matter; the best cafes in Vienna are all we need.
In many ways, the traditional Kaffeehaus is to the Viennese what the pub is to the Brits. It is a social institution that transcends eating and drinking, to the point where ‘coffee house culture’ has been recognised by UNESCO as an integral part of the city’s cultural heritage. Undoubtedly among the city’s best attractions, visiting a traditional cafe in Vienna is one of the most important things to do when visiting this magical place.
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