Advice on finding a nice hotel in Vienna

Try Booking.com. It is the easiest way to find what you are looking for and the ratings are pretty accurate because only people who have stayed in those hotels and used Booking.com are allowed to rate them.

I also use Booking.com. This will give you an idea if your budget is realistic for your room expectations.

Location is important, as is access to public transportation. Check descriptions and maps to see how close the hotel is to trams/bus stops.

Look very closely at pictures. Know that a “double” room could have various bed configurations. What is described as a “double” or “queen” bed could be closer to the size of a “full” in the US. Or it could be two twin beds pushed together with one sheet covering two mattresses. A large US “king” size bed is harder to find.

If breakfast is a must, look for pictures of what is included. It could be coffee, a croissant and yogurt. Or it could be a full buffet.

Look for pictures of the bathroom. Is there a tub with a handheld shower and no partition, so your bathroom will get soaked? Is there decent counter space at the sink?

If there is an elevator, it will be listed. Same with air conditioning. Don’t assume either will exist without being specifically named in the description. If ac is a must, look for pictures of the ac unit in the room, or contact the hotel to confirm that all rooms gave ac. I’ve seen some hotels list it, but it’s only in common areas (lobby, restaurant).

Once you narrow down your choices, check TripAdvisor for additional pictures.

Then check the hotel’s main website. You may get a better rate by booking directly.

This is so helpful - thank you!!

I realize 2015 was a while ago, but we really enjoyed this hotel when we stayed there for 5 nights:

https://www.hotel-rathaus-wien.at/en/zimmer-suiten

Use the search engine on this website and type in Vienna Hotel.

The search bar can be found when you click on the 5 horizontal bars on the left side of the website’s banner

Hotel Austria is charming with an old world flair and super location. Not super pricey includes breakfast.

Over the years people on the forum have recommended Pension Suzanne. I booked a room for 4 nights in June. As I plan my visit, I find the hotel is close to everything.

Back in 2014 my husband and I enjoyed our stay at K+K Hotel Maria Theresia. The cost for the buffet breakfast is not included. This hotel appears to have good reviews.

I stayed at Classic Hotel Wien in Vienna and it was great. I have recommended it many times. It's not right in the center but near a metro stop and it's maybe 2 stops to get there. And if you are walkers it is in walking distance. I walked it once and took the metro a couple of times. It's a very gracious hotel with very friendly and helpful front desk staff. Their rates are especially reasonable in July which is when I was there. Doubles around $150 including breakfast. Gets excellent reviews on booking.com and TA.

Try Hotel Regina Vienna. It is in the north end of the Old Town. We are on a Rick Steves Berlin Prague Vienna tour June 11-22 ending in Vienna. We wanted to stay in Vienna for 2 extra nights using this hotel because it is where the whole tour is staying. I tried booking .com and hotels.com and got a price for the 2 nights which was good. I emailed the hotel and they were very kind but offered me the same price as booking.com. Then I went to the Regina Hotel website and it offered a 15% discount from the price the hotel manager offered me which was cool and they were still wide open for rooms. This was 2 weeks ago. From my research this looks like a very nice kinda old world hotel. When I emailed the hotel again telling them that the website price was less than what they offered me they were very nice and are going to include a nice bottle of bubbly when we are there because they missed the 15% when they offered me the price. All in all it looks like a wonderful hotel in a great location and the folks I talked to were very nice. What I dont understand is the Rick Steves tour is staying there but this hotel is not listed in the latest Vienna Rick Steves book....so it may still have open rooms for July in your price range.

If you kindly put in your exact dates, I would be happy to make specific recommendations of hotels that are available.

Thank you - our dates are 7/14 - 7/18.

I had a look at booking.com for your dates.

My top three suggestions:

Hotel König von Ungarn - Just slightly above your budget but this hotel is well-reviewed and in an excellent location in the city center, lots of old world charm.

Austria Trend Savoyen Hotel - Many work visitors and family have stayed here; great value and really good breakfast; right behind the Belvedere Palace and walkable to the city center (10 minutes); airport train stops one block away; under your budget

Hotel Beethoven Wien - Just next to the famous Naschmarkt and very close to the city center; recently remodeled, I think; I stayed here in the 1980s and its reputation is still solid; just at budget

For a special anniversary I would suggest the hotel we loved during the third trip to Vienna. Boutique Hotel am Stephansplatz. It’s located across the street from the beautiful cathedral.

I've stayed at Hotel Austria twice. LOVE it. Staff is attentive and helpful. The breakfast is probably the best buffet breakfast I've ever had. It is fairly reasonably priced and they do have budget options.

Take a look at the Mercure Vienna First. The outside and neighborhood has old Vienna charm. Inside is more modern and updated. Lots of photos of inside and out on Google Maps.

Part of my recommendation is that I am a fan of Mercure and ibis hotels when in Europe. I have found them to be economical and very consistent with no suprises. The economy-priced ibis hotels are no frills and spartan. Fine if thats what you want. The Mercures are a middle-market and offer more services. Both are owned by Accor.

I agree with Jean. We also stayed at the Boutique Hotel am Stephansplatz before Covid. Staff were wonderful and the breakfast incredible. It’s located across the street from the Cathedral, and a block from an underground station.
Safe travels !