Vienna Coffee House Audio Walking Tour
A Vienna coffee and cake walk from the Naschmarkt past Café Sperl, Café Museum, Sacher and Demel to Café Landtmann on the Ring, myths debunked along the way.
- 8 stops and 18 minutes of stories, told as you reach each place
- The intro and stop 1 are free in the app: try before you buy
- Download before you go; the audio plays without signal (the street map needs a connection)
- Walking with friends? Pick 1 to 10 seats; everyone hears each stop on their own phone, at the same moment
30 seconds of the real narration
Plays in the free Walk With Me app on iPhone and Android.
What you'll taste, and what it costs
Bought at each counter as you go; prices are typical and not included in the tour.
| Stop | Typical spend |
|---|---|
| 1. NaschmarktGraze: a small plate of cured meat or cheese at Urbanek, the fine-foods shop. | €10–15 |
| 2. Café SperlSperl Torte, the house cake, with a Melange. | €9–12 |
| 3. Café MuseumA Melange or an Einspänner, and a cake or pastry from the case. | €13–17 |
| 4. Café SacherOriginal Sacher-Torte with unsweetened whipped cream; share the slice. | €9–12 |
| 5. TrzesniewskiTwo little open sandwiches, bacon and egg first, with a Pfiff of beer. | €4–7 |
| 6. DemelDemel's own Sachertorte with its triangular seal, or Kaiserschmarrn. | €8–13 |
| 8. Café LandtmannApfelstrudel or the Landtmann Torte, and a last Melange. | €13–15 |
Budget for the tastings
€66–91for 7 tastings, on top of the tour. Share them and it halves.
About this tour
Vienna's coffee houses are rooms you sit in, not counters you pass. On foot you feel how close they are, a market, a billiard café, a bare Loos room, the two rivals of the Sachertorte war and a sandwich bar, all within a short walk of each other. You go from one generation of café to the next in a few minutes and taste the arguments for yourself. Walking between the slices also helps. When you're done, open the Walk With Me live map to find other people out walking Vienna, and maybe someone to share the next slice with.
The route
3.1 km in walking order from Naschmarkt to Café Landtmann. Stop 1 is free in the app.
- 1NaschmarktVienna's long market between the two Wienzeile roads, where the walk starts with grazing and the likely story behind the market's name.€10–15 to taste
- 2Café SperlA billiard café from 1880 with newspapers on the racks, and the old house rules meant to keep you in your seat.€9–12 to taste
- 3Café MuseumAdolf Loos's once-bare café of 1899, its famous regulars, and the city's favorite story about who brewed the first cup.€13–17 to taste
- 4Café SacherThe hotel café behind the Opera, round one of the Sachertorte war, and a teenage-apprentice origin tale worth a second look.€9–12 to taste
- 5TrzesniewskiA standing buffet lined with small open sandwiches, the old custom of a very small beer, and a wartime story from the café opposite.€4–7 to taste
- 6DemelThe old court confectioner on Kohlmarkt, round two of the Sachertorte war, and how a long court case finally settled things.€8–13 to taste
- 7Café Central (Palais Ferstel)A great literary café in Palais Ferstel, seen from outside during its renovation, and the writers and a future revolutionary who read its papers.
- 8Café LandtmannA grand café on the Ring since 1873, its guest book of famous names, a dark chapter, and the final food legend.€13–15 to taste
Before you go
Go Monday to Saturday. Sundays don't work well: the Naschmarkt stalls are closed, and only its restaurants open. Café Sperl, the second stop, is also closed on Sundays in July and August. Start in the morning, while the market stalls are open.
To reach the start, take the U4 to Kettenbrückengasse and walk the market toward the Karlsplatz end, or come from Karlsplatz itself. The walk ends at Café Landtmann on the Ring, about 300 meters from Schottentor station on the U2, with trams on the Ring.
You pay for your own food and drinks. Two slices of Sachertorte and an Apfelstrudel make a heavy afternoon, so share a slice between two and take half portions where you can. One small beer at the sandwich bar is plenty. If you have allergies, take care: nuts, gluten, eggs, dairy and alcohol all turn up on this walk. One stop, Café Central, is closed for renovation, so you'll see it from outside. Hours change, so check before you go.
Is it for you?
Toilets and water on the way
14 public toilets (3 free) and 19 drinking fountains within 150 m of the route.
| Stop | Nearest toilet | Nearest water |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Naschmarkt | 40 m | 23 m |
| 2. Café Sperl | 212 m, free | 121 m |
| 3. Café Museum | 257 m, free | 308 m |
| 4. Café Sacher | 206 m | 102 m |
| 5. Trzesniewski | 134 m | 35 m |
| 6. Demel | 150 m | 50 m |
| 7. Café Central (Palais Ferstel) | 159 m, free | 178 m |
| 8. Café Landtmann | 104 m | 155 m |
The full map is in our Vienna guide. Data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
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