The Western City Center: Burgtheater and Beyond

Hailed as one of the most prestigious stages in the German-speaking world, the Burgtheater is home to a highly venerated ensemble of 80 actors. Always keen on stargazing, the Viennese flock to the elegant Café Landmann to observe thespians eating linzer torte. In the warmer months, students from Vienna University across the Ringstrasse stroll through Volksgarten to smell its fragrant rose garden. From here it's a short walk to the Freyung, a sumptuous square graced by the neo-Renaissance Palais Ferstel and its 19th-century shopping arcade.