A Travel Diary by Beryll Founder, Petra Berg
Vienna, October 2025

There’s a certain stillness that settles over Vienna when the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp. The cafés glow with warmth and quiet conversation, the museums hum softly under amber light, and the city moves at a slower, more reflective rhythm.

I lived in Vienna for more than fifteen years — long enough to know both its grandeur and its hidden corners. It’s a city of contrasts: imperial yet modern, opulent yet understated, creative yet deeply rooted in tradition. In autumn, it becomes a living painting — brushed in gold, with the scent of roasted chestnuts drifting through the streets.

For me, Vienna will always be a place of reflection — where I learned to find beauty in stillness, form in simplicity, and meaning in detail. Those sensibilities continue to shape everything we create at +Beryll.

Because choosing what to share from such a beloved city is impossible, I’ve divided this guide into two parts: The Classics, honoring Vienna’s timeless elegance, and The Insider Tips, a more personal map of the places where I’ve found inspiration, laughter, and long afternoons with friends.

Part I: The Classics

WHERE TO STAY
The Guesthouse Vienna
Understated, design-forward, and effortlessly Viennese. Just behind the Albertina, this boutique hotel feels like a stylish home — elegant interiors by Sir Terence Conran, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the State Opera, and a café downstairs serving warm croissants and exceptional coffee.

Hotel Sacher
An icon steeped in history, sophistication, and nostalgia. Jewel-toned velvet rooms, impeccable service, and one of the city’s most atmospheric bars. Order a Sacher Spritz before an evening at the Opera — a ritual that never goes out of style.

WHERE TO WANDER
Kunsthistorisches Museum
An architectural masterpiece housing Bruegel, Rubens, and Caravaggio. The grand staircase alone is worth the visit. End your tour with a glass of Grüner Veltliner beneath the museum’s domed café — a secret luxury only locals savor.

Leopold Museum
In the heart of the Museums Quartier, this museum celebrates Austrian Modernism — Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka. Its Vienna 1900 exhibition captures a city alive with creativity, where art, design, and psychology collided to redefine culture.

Belvedere Palace Museum
Baroque grandeur meets modern emotion. Home to Klimt’s The Kiss, it’s where art and architecture blend into pure poetry. In autumn, the gardens turn to gold — like walking through a painting.

Albertina Museum
Behind the Opera House, the Albertina bridges eras — from Dürer to Picasso to modern exhibitions that always surprise. Its classical façade glows beautifully in the soft fall light.

Vienna State Opera
Whether attending La Traviata or simply touring backstage, the State Opera remains one of Europe’s most magnificent stages — red velvet, golden light, and applause echoing through time.

Musikverein
If you can, experience a concert in the Golden Hall. The acoustics are world-famous, and in autumn, candlelit evenings turn music into something transcendent.

WHERE TO DINE
Café Central
A ritual, not just a café. Take your time over an Einspänner and a slice of Sachertorte as tuxedoed waiters glide through marble columns. Once home to poets and dreamers, it remains a living piece of Vienna’s soul.

Demel
Opposite the Hofburg, this 18th-century patisserie still tempts with candied violets and glass-walled kitchens. Watch as cakes are frosted with near-religious devotion.

Do&Co Terrace
Order the Wiener Schnitzel — crisp, golden perfection — and watch the sunset over St. Stephen’s Cathedral. From this rooftop terrace, Vienna’s skyline feels both eternal and alive.

Part II: The Insider Tips
Vienna’s soul reveals itself in its quiet corners — the cozy wine taverns, the artist-filled cafés, the long afternoon walks through tree-lined alleys. After fifteen years, these are the places closest to my heart: unhurried, soulful, and full of stories.

EAT & DRINK
Fabios
Sophisticated yet welcoming — impeccable Mediterranean cuisine, perfect service, and a cosmopolitan crowd. Order the truffle pasta or tuna tartare, and sit at the bar for a perfect Viennese-meets-Italian evening.

Schwarzes Kameel
An institution since 1618. Come for the open-faced sandwiches, stay for the people-watching. Inside, it’s old Vienna at its best — lively, elegant, and slightly theatrical. Ideal for a pre-dinner glass of wine and conversation.

Figlmüller
For the city’s most iconic Wiener Schnitzel, go to the original Wollzeile location. Tender veal, golden crust, and a slice of lemon — tradition at its most comforting.

Mayr am Pfarrplatz
A Heuriger (wine tavern) with candlelit wood-paneled rooms and the scent of roasted chestnuts in the air. Order the homemade spreads and local wine — and stay long after you meant to.

Mochi (Praterstraße)
A favorite among Vienna’s creative crowd. Warm, minimalist interiors, exquisite Japanese dishes, and an atmosphere that feels both urban and intimate.

ART & DESIGN
Gallery Emanuel Layr
A beacon of contemporary art — daring, intellectual, and impeccably curated. A must for anyone seeking Vienna’s modern creative pulse.

SHOP

Amicis Boutique
Shop the latest +Beryll Collection, including pieces from Modern Royalty, photographed right here in Vienna. A seamless blend of California ease and European refinement — wearable art for a life well-traveled.

Altmann & Kühne
A miniature chocolate shop, famous for its jewel-like pralines wrapped in pastel boxes. Nostalgic, delicate, and crafted with care — a perfect gift from old Vienna.

UNWIND
A Stroll Through the Prater
When autumn arrives, the Prater becomes cinematic — trees glowing amber, paths lined with golden leaves. It’s peaceful, timeless, and unmistakably Viennese.

Coffee at the Lusthaus
End your walk at this neoclassical pavilion once built for imperial gatherings. Inside, time seems to pause — soft light, velvet chairs, the scent of strudel and coffee. Order a Melange and stay awhile.

Vienna reveals her secrets slowly. Linger in a café, walk without a plan, and you’ll find that the city mirrors everything +Beryll stands for — quiet confidence, timeless beauty, and soul.