Things to do in Vienna

Vienna gives you gilded paintings and glorious classical music, a night at the opera or an evening holed up in a wine bar. Day trips to palaces and waltzing through gardens: a break in the city whirls you around like a debutante at a ball.

See St Stephen’s cathedral’s candy-bright tiles and the Hofburg chapel’s extraordinary choir, then dancing horses and designer shopping. It’s a city of unabashed grandeur, one has not forgotten its glorious past and it demands that you do the same. Be Viennese for a few days and indulge yourself with everything the city has to offer. When it comes to sachertorte, you can never have enough of a good thing.

Café culture

No stay is complete without whiling away a few hours in a Viennese coffee house. The most lavish are Café Central or Café Demel. You’re served by waiters dressed up for the part and you can order a coffee served with a traditional side of whipped cream. Enjoy the sumptuous surroundings and traditional touches, like newspapers fixed on wooden reading racks.

Museums and sightseeing

Vienna’s art treasures include Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss in the Upper Belvedere. Tour the Opera House or watch the Spanish Riding School’s Lipizzaner stallions having a balletic training session. Spend a day out at the Schönbrunn Palace and stroll through the Stadtpark. The Vienna Boys’ Choir sing heavenly music in the Hofburg Chapel and Egon Schiele’s painted ladies lounge on the walls of the Leopold Museum.

Food

There are some classics you have to try on holidays in Vienna. Dine on Wiener Schnitzel the size of your head, with creamy potato salad or currywurst from a street vendor. Then fill up on sachertorte, strudels, and all manner of continental cakes with Genoese sponge sandwiched between cream and fruit. Then there’s classic fine dining from Restaurant Vestibül and contemporary, tasty fare from Ulrich.

Nightlife

In the winter evenings, follow the fairy lights to the Rathaus. Under the beautiful tower of the town hall there’s a market and Ice World – where you can skate the frozen lanes through twinkling trees. Sample Austrian wine from the Wachau vineyards in Meinl and head to the Danube canal area, where an undercurrent of cool clubs has recently surfaced, including Grelle Forelle, right down on the waterside.

Tips from a Ventoura Local

Unlock the hidden treasures of Vienna with advice from a local. We caught up with Tanja, she moved to Vienna to study 6 years ago and fell in love with the city, now she calls it her home. Check out her recommendations for the perfect stay in Vienna. You can connect with Tanja on the Ventoura app.

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Party at Donauinselfest

Party at Donauinselfest

Tonnes of live music? Check. River-side beaches? Check. Cool island festival vibe? Check. Held in summer every year since the 1980s, Donauinselfest is undoubtedly Vienna’s coolest festival, offering an expansive and eclectic lineup that features everything from Austrian folk bands to international acts with huge followings. Stretched over a leisurely three days in summer, this is the ultimate way to learn about Austrian culture outside museum walls.

Taste an Austrian strudel

Taste an Austrian strudel

Sacher Torte may be Vienna’s most famous delicacy, but strudel is undoubtedly Austria’s most popular dessert. Creating the ideal crunchy strudel pastry is no small feat: the dough must be stretched fine enough to become transparent! Kurkonditorei Oberlaa is well-versed in the art of creating delicious strudels with fine, flaky pastry. Order the quintessential apfelstrudel and sip on the uniquely Austrianeinspänner coffee for a taste of Vienna’s café culture.

Catch a performance at the Theateran der Wien

It may have been founded over 200 years ago, but that hasn’t stopped the Theateran der Wien from becoming Vienna’s most modern opera house. While baroque operas are still performed at the Theateran der Wien, it is now known for its contemporary operatic productions dating from the 20th century to today. There’s a smorgasbord of unusual and eclectic performances revised for modern audiences so you ought to find something that piques your interest.

Sample wine at a Heuriger

Sample wine at a Heuriger

As the grapevines ripen in summer, wine taverns in Austria’s east prepare forheuriger season, where new wines are first tasted by the public. Each heuriger is different: you might be serenaded with live Heurigensanger tunes, or enjoying wine al fresco with views across the Viennese cityscape. Tradition states that a bundle of fir twigs should be placed at the Heuriger entrance to indicate it is open, so keep your eyes out for this woodland-inspired welcome.

Experience the Viennese nightlife

It's only after dark that Vienna truly lights up. There’s no better time to break the ice with a local and get their take on the city they love. You can join me on a stroll through the paved narrow streets discovering the city’s nightlife and food culture, we can find anything from classic Irish pubs to the most modern clubs in Europe. I can tailor your time for your tastes and interests, and show you how the Viennese party or unwind. Find me on the Ventoura app for iPhone and Android.