Vienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and by far its most populous city, with an urban population of 1.9 million and a metropolitan population of 2.4 million. It is the country's artistic, cultural, economic and political centre. It is known for its high living standards, relaxed yet elegant lifestyle and rich musical life.
The thing about Vienna is that it not only is a large city, but that it has always been – as the former home of the Habsburg court and its various empires, it has always housed a large population and enjoyed a privileged position, being home to many artists, especially composers including Beethoven, Haydn, Liszt, Mozart, Schubert and Johann Strauss II. It was long the largest German-speaking city in the world before being surpassed by Berlin. The large historic city centre of Vienna filled with monuments to its imperial past is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Vienna has offered a home to some of the world’s most famous people, including powerful monarchs, giants of classical music, groundbreaking scientists, and celebrated artists. Follow in the footsteps of various personalities with the below guides…
Vienna has offered a home to some of the world’s most famous people, including powerful monarchs, giants of classical music, groundbreaking scientists, and celebrated artists. To get closer to the likes of Beethoven and Mahler, try these guides…
It’s quite hard to discover anywhere in central Vienna that doesn’t have something worth pointing at while going “Ooooh”. Very famous sights are:
The Habsburg’s capital city adopted a range of delights from the imperial regions and vanquished enemies, then threw in its own creations to produce what we know as traditional Viennese food and beverages. So, if you want to go native, what should you eat and drink in Vienna?
You might have heard of Wiener Schnitzel pork cutlets, which are the bread and butter of the Viennese meat-eating diet. But traditional local fare also includes many other delights. For example:
Traditional Viennese food tends to focus on the final moments of the meal: the desserts. For example Kaiserschmarrn: shredded pancake with plum compote. Or sweet dumplings like Marillenknödel. Other very famous desserts are:
Apart from losing venues like Die Kantine, Café Leopold, and Ragnarhof due to closing last year, Vienna’s club scene is still at the top of its game, thriving and ever-vibrant. Find out more about the places to go at night to have drinks with friends, sweat heavily while dancing to great music, encounter strangers and a high chance to lose your pants in.
As one of Vienna’s first clubs, and a nightlife legend ever since, she hasn’t lost any of her bad-ass attitude, or taste for the party. After 20 years, the event venue/underground party location still delivers the goods, attracting international music acts, and producing severe memory lapses. And it still looks like the dark insides of a cocaine addict’s nostril.
Music: the Flex Café plays ambient electronic music, that gets you in the mood for more and sometimes features live concerts on their small stage. Inside the Flex Club, you’ll experience all kinds of electronic music blasted on the sound system (once rumoured to be Europe’s best). It’s most famous for hosting small concerts from rap, indie rock, hip hop and all other kinds of music that will make you want to jump around a whole lot and get really sweaty.
What kind of night will you have?
Their outdoor sea of black chewing-gum ridden bench seats and tables is the site of Vorglühen (pre-game drinks) for many. That is, until the time comes for Flex to swallow them whole into one of its sweaty parties inside. It’s not uncommon to find yourself spat out at 6am, walking home watching the sunrise after an evening at the Flex.ainer
Pratersauna is one legendary Viennese night club, situated in the midst of Prater in an old sauna and swinger club from the 1960s. The club was opened in 2009 and closed in early 2016 for renovation. Reopening a few months later with a new owners and management, it still features several floors that offer weekly and monthly House, Electronic and Techno music parties. Plus, a pool in the garden is the highlight whenever you come here in summer months.
Music: You’ll find electronic music DJs lines that feature the newest and hippest releases from House, Techno and Minimal music.
Drinks: Find all the usual suspects that you find at a club, from longdrinks to shots, beer and wine, as well as soft drinks.
What kind of night will you have?
At Pratersauna you will have long nights that involve a lot of dancing, sweating and meeting new people to have either a good time with, or the strangest night of your life.
All of the hiking paths laid out by the Municipal Department 49 - City's Forestry Office are well signposted and accessible by public transport. They are properly kept and secured regularly, disposing of a high level of infrastructure for your convenience. There are children's playgrounds along the way, as well as picnic tables and seating with fabulous views or nearby wood glades.
In the following we introduce you some of the most popular hiking paths around Vienna: