There can hardly be a sight more spectacular than from the tallest building in Austria: the 57 Restaurant & Lounge in the DC Tower offers 360-degree panoramic views over Vienna. It occupies the top two floors of the 250-meter skyscraper designed by Parisian star architect Dominique Perrault, with its instantly recognizable zigzag façade. Close by, in the middle of the green Danube Park, stands the Danube Tower, opened in 1964. In addition to a viewing platform, a restaurant and a café revolve slowly around the tower.

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From the Do & Co restaurant in the Haas House (designed by Hans Hollein) the colorful tiles on the roof of St. Stephen’s Cathedral seem almost close enough to touch. The roof terrace bar at Hotel Lamée also boasts great views of the cathedral, though it is only open during the summer – as is the Ritz-Carlton’s Atmosphere Rooftop Bar. All of the city’s major sights, from the Giant Ferris Wheel to the Karls­kirche (Church of St. Charles), can be seen from Sky & Roofgarden.

Das Loft at the hotel SO/ Vienna, designed by Jean Nouvel and situated on the Danube canal, also offers a fantastic panoramic vista. Diners and guests enjoying a relaxing drink at the bar can take in the 18th-floor views beneath the colorful ceiling artwork created by Pipilotti Rist. The Italian star architect Renzo Piano designed the Hotel Andaz Vienna Am Belvedere. Sixty meters up on the 16th floor is the Aurora Rooftop Bar with extraordinary cocktail creations and an equally extraordinary view of the city.

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Alternatively, a tour of the roof of the Natural History Museum offers impressive views of the old town and the Ringstrasse, and can be booked in combination with one of the dinner evenings held at the museum. A similar view can be enjoyed from the Justizcafé on the roof of the Palace of Justice (a little-known tip even amongst the Viennese), as well as from the roof terrace bar at the 25hours Hotel near the MuseumsQuartier. A former anti-aircraft tower is now home to the House of the Sea, the 360° Ocean Sky on the top floor offers drinks with a fantastic panoramic view.