From avant-garde porcelain to historic carousels and cafés

Heading towards the Augarten – the Baroque park in the second district – in the morning, you find yourself immersed in a different atmosphere. Here, amongst long tree-lined avenues and the austere reinforced concrete anti-aircraft towers that serve as a reminder of the scars of the 20th century, lies Europe’s second-oldest porcelain manufactory. Visiting its workshops means witnessing the creation of hand-finished coffee cups and Art Deco figurines with exquisite lines, which can be purchased directly from the adjoining shop: the most refined souvenir of a craft that has never ceased to evolve. Staying in the lively Leopoldstadt district, you need only take a few steps to experience first-hand another transformation of the Habsburg court: the one that, in 1766, prompted Joseph II to open the former imperial hunting reserve to the public, giving rise to the famous Prater. In the very year it celebrates its 260th anniversary, the culture of the Wurstelprater has been recognised with its inclusion in Austria’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In front of the monumental Ferris wheel (Riesenrad), inaugurated in 1897 to mark the jubilee of Franz Joseph, and the refurbished Pratermuseum which preserves its history, winter comes alive with the Wintermarkt am Riesenradplatz: an open-air music festival featuring soul, gospel and live concerts that keeps the city entertained right through to the start of the new year. On the way back towards the Neubau district, another surprise awaits visitors at the Möbelmuseum Wien (Furniture Museum). Originally an imperial repository for the Habsburgs’ furnishings, this vast archive displays cradles, canopies and ceremonial thrones, seamlessly juxtaposed with masterpieces of modern furniture designed by pioneers such as Otto Wagner and Adolf Loos. To recharge your batteries after the visit, the nearby Café Sperl welcomes you with its worn velvet sofas, marble tables and vintage billiard tables: the perfect spot to order a steaming Melange (a local coffee speciality very similar to our cappuccino) and a slice of spiced cake, whilst indulging in the quintessentially Viennese luxury of reading a newspaper for hours without anyone rushing you for the bill. Those who love to immerse themselves in these time-frozen atmospheres may choose to stay at the Hotel Motto, situated along Mariahilfer Straße: a venue that blends the Parisian glamour of the 1920s with the artistic provocation of the Vienna Secession, crowned by a spectacular rooftop restaurant with panoramic views.