Innere Stadt: the Stephansdom and the Graben
The cathedral, the plague column, and the shortest grand walk in Vienna. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Stephansdom
Start under the *Stephansdom* (the cathedral) before the square fills. Go in early; the tiled roof is the postcard, but the south tower and the catacombs are the quieter pleasures. You don't have to climb — the nave at opening time is reward enough.

2. Graben
Walk west onto the *Graben* — once the city moat, now the broad pedestrian spine. The *Pestsäule* (the baroque plague column) erupts in the middle of it. Take it slowly; this is the street to dawdle on, not to cross.

3. Peterskirche
Duck off the *Graben* to the *Peterskirche* (the green-domed baroque church) tucked into its own small square. Pop in for the gilt interior — you'll likely have it to yourself on a weekday morning, and the free organ recitals are worth timing for.

4. Kohlmarkt
Continue down the *Kohlmarkt*, the short luxury run that aims straight at the Hofburg's green dome at its end. Window-shop or don't; the framed view of the palace gate is the real thing here.

5. Michaelerplatz
The *Kohlmarkt* spills into *Michaelerplatz* — the curved Hofburg gate, the sunken Roman ruins fenced in the centre, and Adolf Loos's plain Looshaus facing the lot down. Stand a minute and read the centuries off the square.

6. Kärntner Straße
Loop back east along the *Kärntner Straße*, the busy shopping street that returns you to the cathedral. Stop for a *Melange* (the Viennese milky coffee) at one of the old *Kaffeehäuser* off it before the U-Bahn takes you on.

Innere Stadt: the Stephansdom and the Graben