The Ringstraße circles the very heart of Vienna. Built on the location of the original city walls, its size is a good indication of how much the city has expanded since medieval times, but more importantly it is the most posh area of downtown. Elegant individuals stroll down the street (there really is no other way to move when walking along the Ring) and play the fashion-do/fashion don’t game under their breath before pausing at one of the innumerable cafes lining the way. A traditional Jause (morning coffee break, around 10:00) and then back to the business at hand, seeing and being seen: Vienna’s favorite pastime.

The Ringstrasse or Ringstraße (pronounced [ʁɪŋˌʃtʁaːsə] ⓘ, lit. ring road) is a 5.3 km (3.3 mi) circular grand boulevard that serves as a ring road around the historic city centre, the Innere Stadt, of Vienna, Austria. The road is built where the city walls once stood. The Ring, as it is colloquially known, was built, along with grand buildings on either side of the road, in the second half of the 19th century. The road runs clockwise, from the Urania to the Schottenring, and is divided into nine parts.

Because of its architectural beauty and history, the Ringstrasse is designated by UNESCO as part of the Historic Centre of Vienna World Heritage Site.