Mariahilf (6th district)

The 6th district (Mariahilf) is defined by Mariahilfer Straße, Vienna's biggest shopping street, which separates it from the 7th district (Neubau). Away from it, Mariahilf is much quieter than its reputation suggests – narrow lanes, antique shops, small bars and restaurants.

For Viennese coffee house culture, Café Sperl is one of the most authentic places in the city: opened in 1880, largely unchanged since, with billiard tables and no staging. The Raimund Theater sits on the other side of the district and is one of Vienna's major musical theaters.

The district combines well with the 7th – the two border each other, and switching from shopping street to neighborhood takes two minutes.

A detail many people miss: the district slopes noticeably from the Gürtel down to the Wienzeile, which turns the side streets into short, steep connections. It's in exactly these lanes that you'll find the shops that have disappeared from Mariahilfer Straße – antiquarian bookshops, record stores, tailors. If you only walk the shopping street, you haven't seen the district.

Getting there: U3 (Neubaugasse, Zieglergasse), U4 (Kettenbrückengasse), U6 (Gumpendorfer Straße).