4 (+5) reasons the 4th district should be your favourite Vienna neighbourhood

Operngasse, which becomes Margaretenstraße at some point, has long been a magnet for bar-goers, cafe creatures and indie shop hoppers. While lined with grungy bars and a cast of cafes, it’s one of our favourites, and we’ve gone so far as to have a guide dedicated solely to these two streets.

Nevertheless, we’ll give you a quick rundown on these two streets. Starting from Operngasse, you’ll pass by the likes of the vegan fast food burger chain, Swing Kitchen, and a place that serves up traditional and tasty Japanese food and Matcha tea, Matcha Komachi. A bit further up is El Burro where the tacos and burritos are increíble good. Then there’s the tranquil cafe option, Café Nest.

There’s one of our favourite bagel hot spots, blueorange, and then, there’s the institution slash grungy bar that’s also regularly screening movies in the cinema attached, Schikaneder. A former coffeehouse turned bar-restaurant-gallery fusion, Zweitbester, is technically already on Heumühlgasse, but we’re not that strict so we’ll note it here. Further down the road of Margaretenstraße is one of the best Crêperies in Vienna, Aromat, and a place of pretty porcelain creations, feinedinge*. The restaurant with no menu, Cafe Bacco, is on there too. And that’s the end of Margaretenstraße in the 4th district.

Shooting up the heart of Wieden is one of the most underrated streets of the district. It’s lined with green, leafy trees and is populated by a bunch of old and new cafes and bars definitely worth your attention.

A family operation that goes by the name Schönbergers is set up in an old, retro-looking Naber cafe and should definetely be on any specialty coffee crazed individual’s radar, while the Allergiker Cafe across the way is one of the few places in the city that caters specifically for those with allergies. A bit further up the road is the city’s only co-working cafe, Cocoquadrat, that acts as a beehive for digital nomads who carry their laptops on their backs and like to work outside of the office setting.

The other part of Wiedner Haupstraße is already part of the 5th district, so you gotta watch out for our upcoming guide for Margareten 😉

Located on the border of the 1st and 4th district, is the beloved public space – an intersection of streets, with islands in between hosting a park, cafes, a gallery, a community garden and an impressive looking church – known as Karlsplatz. During summer, you’ll usually find plenty of cool open air events happening here, such as the Popfest, or the open air cinema, Kaleidoskop. During winter, the Art Advent Market at Karlsplatz stands out from the crowd of Christmas markets in Vienna. In between all of these events, people love just hanging out this public space, especially around the pond in front of the ‘Karlskirche’ church.

This is one of the most instagrammed churches in the city which is located in a pleasant park, known as Resselpark.

Then there’s the former Würstelstand that has been transformed into a coffee to-go joint, Knockbox –  its kick ass coffee served from 7am makes it a favourite amongst the university students at the ‘Technisches Universität,’ which is also located at Karlsplatz.

The cosmopolitan and damn good looking restaurant/bar, Heuer am Karlsplatz, is serving up quality menu of drinks and international dishes. It’s got a huge terrace and garden out front, which acts as a massive drawcard for its clientele. This is a very solid option for evening drinks and dinner, anytime of the year. Oh, and right next to it is the urban garden, Karlsgarten, which is a great spot to picnic, or to meet friends (and bring your own drinks).

The Wien Museum‘s location at Karlsplatz is, unfortunately, currently under construction as it’s being upgraded into a cutting-edge city museum… or so they say. However, the museum is currently located at the Wien Museum MUSA at Feldstraße in 1010, in case you wanna check it out in the meantime.

They may look like any old baguette to those not in the know, however, the Vietnamese sandwich combines the best of the French (the respect for a crispy baguette) and Vietnamese (their magic of making sauces) kitchen. We’re talking about Banh Mi sandwiches. These Vietnamese-style barbecued meats (or tofu), peanut and lemon grass marinades and pickles have been trending around the world for some time, and this little hole-in-the-wall eatery, Banh Mi Vienna, on Faulmanngasse does a grand job of putting them together.

We strongly recommend… you nod your head with glee when they ask you if you’d like the pate on your Banh Mi

It’s got a Sch-uper, sch-exy name (sch-orry, we couldn’t help ourselves) and it’s lined with some cafes and bars that are some fourth district favourites. Let’s begin with Vollpension – the cafe by day, bar by night run by a team of loveable Omas (grandmas) and Opas (grandpas). That’s right, Vollpension has a mix of old and young working the tables and behind the counter, meaning this place has some of the best cake in the city and possesses a one-of-a-kind character. The living room atmosphere will keep you there for hours.

While we’re talking old (sorry Omas!) we’ll draw your attention to another Schleifmühlgasse legend, Cafe Anzengruber. Some say the best Schnitzel in the city can be had here, some have claimed it as their cosy local drinking hole – all we’re going to say is, this place has a lot of character.

Also, for those seeking a bit of Britain in Vienna, there’s Bobby’s food store which sells all kinds of favourite food and drinks from the UK and there’s also Four Bells – a go-to Irish pub for those seeking such.

At Gorilla Kitchen, they’re serving you street food with sassy sarcasm and punk individuality. At Gorilla Kitchen, their main talent lies in whipping up burritos. It’s the kind of place you can wipe your mouth with your sleeve, and burp a tune while knowing you’re amongst company that would appreciate your special talent (ok, perhaps refrain from the beat burping). If you’ve worked up a mad hunger while reading this, read more about their signature classic where Mexico meets the Irish and their other gobsmackingly-good burritos in our full review of Gorilla Kitchen. It also has a cafe attached to it, Gorilla Market, which acts as a good quick spot to pick up a coffee and croissant when on-the-go. It also sells some of the best gourmet sandwiches in the city.

The Wiener Buchboutique is a small and cosy book store hidden in the narrow streets of the Karolinengasse of the 4th district. Now, what makes this unique and worth check out? Well, it’s got a focus and obsession as they only stock their shelves with Austrian, or Austrian-related literature. That’s right – it’s filled with thousands of books that can somehow be filed under – Austrian culture.

Dive deep into a sea of stories told by some of Austria´s most interesting minds. Find untold historical events shared by first-hand witnesses, biographies about forgotten beautiful souls, and novels written by some of Austria´s best authors.

Built in the early 18th century, this former summer residence of some prince functions now as a modern exhibition hall slash palace museum that you can wander around in. There’s actually two parts to this palace – the Upper Belvedere and the Lower Belvedere. However, what we really love about this palace is its magnificent manicured gardens. They’re great for running, and they also neighbour onto the Botanical gardens, where you you continue you’re run. Or, If you’re looking for a way to feel extraordinary, do like we do – pretend to be some important prince, or princess from past days while strutting up and down the garden walkways, photobombing other people’s pictures and pronouncing random really long words with a royal accent.

Strictly speaking, most of the historical palace complex of Belvedere is located in Vienna’s third district, but some parts are still in the 4th (we’re talking ticket office and shop, for example), and that’s why it’s made it on our Guide to Wieden list. 😉

We also recommend… checking out the view from the palace looking out onto Vienna

Straddling the 4th and 6th districts of Vienna, Naschmarkt is Vienna’s largest market, and there’s no more colourful way of shopping than by braving the gauntlet of this market. We’ve got some tips, tricks and highlights of how one can experience the best of the Naschmarkt.

The Naschmarkt should not only be on your radar for the market side of things, however, its dining scene is also what draws many people to its narrow passageways, especially in the warmer months when restaurant’s al fresco gardens spill out everywhere throughout the market.

On Saturdays, we recommend you wander and rummage through the piles of stuff at Vienna’s Naschmarkt weekend flea market if you love the thrill of the flea market hunt. This can be a real adventure of discovery! Don’t believe it? Check out the strange things we’ve found there in the past in our article. Plus, here’s a guide on how to navigate the Naschmarkt flea market.