Near Stephansplatz: From the Cathedral to the Canal on Foot

If you’re looking for restaurants near Stephansplatz, it’s worth walking a few minutes beyond the square itself. Rotenturmstraße runs from St Stephen’s Cathedral down to Schwedenplatz and the Danube Canal, and the Lindenkeller sits in between, at number 12.

That’s about 300 metres, or roughly five minutes on foot, from the cathedral, and about three minutes from Schwedenplatz. Here’s the walk, and where to eat.

Start at St Stephen’s Cathedral

You can’t miss it. St Stephen’s Cathedral, the Stephansdom, stands at the centre of the old town. The Viennese call it ‘der Steffl’, a nickname that really belongs to its tall south tower.

Look up at the steep roof covered in patterned, glazed tiles, then step inside the Gothic nave. If you have the legs for it, the south tower can be climbed by its spiral staircase for a view over the rooftops.

There’s a small link between the cathedral and the house at number 12. According to the Wien Geschichte Wiki, the city’s history wiki, the inn’s old name, Zur Linde (‘At the Linden Tree’), recalls a linden tree of legend that once stood in front of the first parsonage of St Stephen’s. There’s more in the story of Rotenturmstraße 12.

Down Rotenturmstraße

From Stephansplatz, turn into Rotenturmstraße, one of the old town’s main streets, lined with shops and cafés.

The name comes from the Red Tower, the Roter Turm, part of the old city walls, with a gate beside it, the Rotenturmtor, near the lower end of the street. The gate was pulled down in 1776, but the name stayed.

The Lindenkeller is at number 12, right on your way.

Schwedenplatz and the Danube Canal

Keep walking and the street opens out onto Schwedenplatz, a busy square at the edge of the old town. It was named after Sweden in 1919, in thanks for Swedish help after the First World War.

Beyond it runs the Danube Canal, the Donaukanal. Don’t be confused: this isn’t the main Danube, which flows further out from the centre, but a narrower arm of the river that curves along the old town.

There are footpaths along the water on both banks, and in the warmer months bars and cafés open up by the canal. The walls along the canal are also known for their street art.

Lunch or dinner near Stephansplatz

After a morning at the cathedral or an afternoon by the canal, the Lindenkeller is an easy stop between the two: the cellar restaurant at Rotenturmstraße 12, serving Viennese cooking.

A few ideas, depending on your day:

• A lunch between sights: a bowl of Goulash soup, or the Schnitzel menu: beef broth with a liver dumpling, pork schnitzel ‘Viennese style’ with potato salad, and apple strudel with whipped cream.
• After a long day on your feet: the Tafelspitz menu, Vienna’s boiled beef with its broth, chive sauce and apple and horseradish sauce, with apple strudel to finish.
• Just a sweet break: Viennese Kaiserschmarren ‘Franz Joseph’ with plum compote, Sachertorte with whipped cream or Viennese apple strudel.

The full menu is online, and our guide to what to eat in Vienna explains the classics if the names are new to you. At busy times, it’s worth calling ahead.