My Austria with Rick Rodgers
About this trip
Join the expert on Austro-Hungarian coffee culture, Rick Rodgers, as he accompanies you on a mouthwatering tour of the best cafes and bakeries of the Hapsburg Empire, including Vienna, Salzburg, and Bad Ischl, and Graz, with an optional three-day extension to Budapest.
Along with traditional Austrian pastries, aficionados of coffee, wine, history, dessert, food, music, nature, and architecture will all find something to love in these beautiful locales. Award-winning food writer and culinary instructor Rick will escort you to his favorite places from his classic book Kaffeehaus, both on and off the beaten track.
This will truly be an insider’s view of a food lover’s Austria: You’ll see a local coffee roaster at work, take part in a hands-on strudel class, savor an exclusive dinner at Steirereck (one of the world’s outstanding restaurants), sip local wines in an authentic Viennese heurige and its counterpart in the Styrian countryside, stroll through gorgeous outdoor markets, and visit truly iconic cafes, where Rick will tell their histories and explain the luscious menus.
Inclusions and exclusions can be found here. Terms and conditions can be found here.
DATES & PRICES
May 8-18, 2025
$4,990 pp, sharing
$5,650 pp, single room
Budapest Extension:
May 18-21, 2025
$2,390 pp, sharing
$2,650 pp, single room
Sample Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Vienna & Welcome Dinner
Upon arrival in Vienna, a taxi will be provided to transfer you to the city and our elegant, boutique hotel located in the 7th District, which is known as the creative quarter with its charming cafes, stylish boutiques, hidden courtyards, and museums galore. It’s also home to the smallest house in Vienna at just over eight feet wide.
In the afternoon, there will be an optional walking tour of the neighborhood and then we’ll gather for the welcome dinner at the Salm Brewery on the edge of the City Park. Built in 1717, the brewery occupies what was once Empress Wilhelmina’s convent.
Day 2: Vienna Genuß Festival - Museum of Applied Art
Once a year at the beginning of May, Vienna hosts the gourmet food festival in the Stadtpark known as the Genuss Festival. An event of epicurean delights, it showcases high-quality regional food and drink from throughout the country and it’s an excellent place to try (or buy as gifts) regional wines and delicacies as well as some unusual foods. Producers will present their specialties, talk about the production process, and give an insight into their craft.
Afterwards, we’ll walk up Wollzeile, taking in the sights, sounds, kitchenware shops and perhaps a piece of cake, until we arrive at the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts). There, we will discover the Klimt panels from the Stoclet Palais, treasures from the Wiener Werkstatt and more (guided tour). Dinner tonight at Café Prückl. First built in the early 1900s, a large portion of Café Prückel underwent a refit in 1954 and is a fun example of mid-century design.
Day 3: “Food in Art” Tour & Cooking Class
Explore Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum in a “food in art” tour. One of the world's great museums, the "KHM," itself an incredible showplace, was built in 1891 near the Imperial Palace to house the extensive collections of the Hapsburgs. With its vast array of eminent works and the largest Bruegel collection in the world, it is filled with masterpieces you will remember forever. From celebrations and hunts to still lifes and mosaics of antiquity, food has been depicted in art since we lived in caves 20,000 years ago. This unique tour of works in the collection will celebrate the artistic epicurean delights that can be found throughout the museum.
Lunch in the Gerstner-run Cupola Cafe at the museum (not included) followed by some free time.
Late this afternoon we will go to a cooking salon to discover the enchanted world of Austrian cooking. Under expert guidance, we learn the secrets behind the perfect strudel dough and prepare a delicious dinner together before sitting down to eat it.
Day 4: Viennese Wine Country and the Beethoven Museum
Vienna is the only capital in the world to grow substantial quantities of wine within its boundaries. Eighty percent of them are white varietals, including Pinot Blanc, Riesling, and the one-of-a-kind Gemischter Satz. After a leisurely morning we will head out of town for this part of the city. Our first stop will be lunch at the oldest Heuriger in Vienna. Afterwards, we’ll visit the Beethoven Museum. This charming museum was once one of Beethoven’s 70 homes and where he first realized he was losing his hearing.
Our next stop will be Kloster Neuburg, a religious and cultural center for over 900 years. We’ll have a guided tour of the Abbey and winery, followed by a tasting.
Return to Vienna for the rest of the day and evening at leisure.
Day 5: Klimt and Coffee
We start the day at one of the newest art venues in Vienna, the Leopold Museum, where the so-called “decadent” art of the 20th century is displayed. This museum is the showcase of the Museum Quartier, a vibrant new area in this city that cherishes its past. We then head to the gold-domed Secession Building, founded by Gustav Klimt to house another collection his followers’ art at the end of the 1800s.
Directly across from the Secession is the Nachsmarkt, a must-see for any food lover. A covered outdoor market with hundreds of stalls, the locals use it as a grocery destination while visitors can enjoy it as an endless bazaar of flavors.
Nearby Café Sperl, one of the most historic and typical of Vienna’s many beautiful coffeehouses is our location for an afternoon Jause (Viennese “teatime”).
This evening, take the opportunity if you wish to enjoy a very special dinner at one of the city’s favorite Michelin-starred restaurants, Steiereck (not included). With a welcoming service, this exquisite five-course tasting menu is fundamentally Austrian with a unique twist.
Day 6: Imperial Vienna
Schönbrunn is the Versailles of the royal Hapsburg family, located at was once the outskirts of the city. Enormous in scope and astounding in opulence, we will visit highlights of the palace and its grounds. Schönbrunn was the domestic base for the Empress Maria Theresia and her sixteen children, one of whom was Marie Antoinette. (Contrary to popular belief, Princess Marie did not bring the crescent-shaped roll, the kipferl, to France, where it would become internationally known as the croissant. However, the honor of introducing the roll to Paris did belong to another Austrian, who you will “meet” on this trip.) We will visit highlights of the extensive grounds and palace.
Then it is off to the Inner City for a walking tour of the heart of Vienna. The tour terminates at the Cafe Gerstner, another of Vienna’s premier cafes, famous for its luxurious interiors and sublime cakes.
Day 7: Vienna -> Bad Ischl -> Salzburg
This morning, say goodbye to Vienna and travel to Bad Ischl (three-hour journey) in the famous and beautiful UNESCO-listed Salzkammergut region. The town is also one of 2024’s European Capitals of Culture. Austrians know Bad Ischl as the Hapsburgs’ summer residence and one of its most beautiful towns.
Take a guided walking tour of the town before stopping for coffee and a snack at the extraordinary (and detour-worthy) Zauner Cafe. Afterwards, enjoy some free time to explore Bad Ischl or go to the Imperial Villa (not included).
Arriving at Salzburg, we will check into the hotel before sitting down to an elevated Salzburgian dinner.
Day 8: Salzburg
Salzburg is a baroque jewel in the northern Alps. Commissioned by the prince-archbishops during the 17th and 18th centuries who were impressed by the opulence of papal Rome. They wanted to breathe fresh new life into their city and brought the greatest architects of the day to the city who built or re-fashioned many churches, houses, gardens, and fountains The magnificent buildings of those times have earned it UNESCO World Heritage status.
After a walking tour in the city, we will go to the Sacher Hotel, an elegant stage for the world-famous Austria coffee culture for a slice of the world-famous Sachertorte (“mit Schlag”) the only place outside Vienna where you can enjoy the quintessential Austrian dessert.
The rest of the afternoon and evening is at leisure.
Day 9: Salzburg -> Graz
This morning depart for the medieval city of Graz, in Styria, near the Slovenian border. Graz is Austria’s second largest city and one of its hidden secrets. It has plenty to flaunt, especially for those food, history, and nature lovers, and it is also on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
En route, we’ll explore the Salzkammergut region with its striking alpine landscapes, crystal-clear lakes, and charming villages.
On to Graz, a gourmand's paradise because of the surrounding lush farmland and vineyards that supply the freshest ingredients and are reminiscent of Napa Valley. Local cheeses, traditional pumpkin seed oils luscious produce, and well-tended livestock combine to make a diverse and delicious cuisine.
Upon arrival in Graz, check into the hotel. The rest of the evening at leisure.
Day 10: Graz & Styria
This morning, rise early if you want to visit the Kaiser Josef Farmers’ Market (optional, independent). The huge number of farmers in the region (350 in Graz alone) fill their market stalls with food picked just hours beforehand, as well as typically Styrian specialties. It doesn’t get much fresher than that!
We will then head to the countryside to visit an artisanal oil maker - everything from the classic Styrian pumpkin seed oil and walnut oil, to more modern options like chia and hemp oil. We’ll take a tour and taste some of these unique flavors. Lunch today will be at a charming guesthouse in the countryside. Warm hosts and a delicious meal featuring some of the handcrafted oils. This evening, enjoy a delicious dinner in Graz together (optional, not included).
Day 11: Graz -> Vienna OR Budapest
If you are leaving Austria today, there is a morning group transfer to the airport for afternoon flights back to the US. If you are continuing onto Budapest, we will meet our new guide and driver and continue to Budapest. En route, we will stop at a family winery for a very special experience: a goulash cooking class over an open fire in their vineyard. (Vegetarian option available.)
Upon arrival in Budapest, we will check into the hotel. There will be free time until our sunset boat cruise. This will give you some of the best opportunities to snap photos of the city's top landmarks. Float past the UNESCO World Heritage–listed riverbank, toasting the sights. Highlights include the Chain Bridge, the Buda Castle District, the Hungarian Parliament, and others.
Day 12: Budapest
This morning, after a leisurely start, take a walking tour of the Jewish district. Budapest’s seventh district is a fascinating neighborhood with winding back streets not only filled with impressive neoclassical buildings and old-fashioned artisan workshops, but it is also home to the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world which we will visit. A Jewish tour in Budapest can’t be complete without a tasting of a very special Jewish-Hungarian cake, flódni.
Afterwards, we’ll head to Buda on the other side of the river and the Castle District to visit the Mathias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion.
This evening, dinner will be at a restaurant started by a holocaust survivor who worked at various hotels before starting this restaurant in 1996. The menu is full of traditional favorites as well as contemporary and seasonal dishes.
Day 13: The Food & Wine of Hungary
Gerbeaud is surely one of the most famous gastronomic assets of Hungary. This historic cafe has been delighting guests with unique pastries since 1858. Besides learning about the legend and tradition of the café, we will taste three typical Hungarian cakes: Dobos, Esterházy and Gerbeaud's proprietary the Zserbó "slice," now one of the country's favorite holiday cookies.
Afterwards, take a very special culinary walking tour of Budapest's Central Market, one of Europe's largest and most spectacular markets, which was built in 1897 by none other than Gustave Eiffel (yes, that Eiffel). Fill your suitcase with paprika, foie gras, and other canned goods to bring back to the States. This tour introduces Hungarian food and wine culture through classic flavors, unique wines, history, and stunning architecture.
Free time this afternoon to explore Budapests famous thermals baths, go back to the Castle or go shopping. PLEASE NOTE: Spa tickets must be booked before departure to ensure desired date.
This evening our farewell dinner will be at an airy, chic bistro that celebrates and elevates Hungarian gastronomy.
Day 14: Budapest -> USA
It is time to say farewell to Budapest this morning. Airport transfers are included.
