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Dining in Europe > Vienna Some say coffee houses and wine taverns are a defining characteristics of Vienna. They are totally right. Regarding this one would think that drinking is the main occupation of the people living in Vienna but then you should not underestimate the love of the Austrians for good food. Mostly coffee houses and wine taverns can easily match with the cuisine of a noble restaurant. The "Beisl" is a common Viennese name for a small tavern, restaurant or restaurant-like pub. If you do not want to waste your time with finding the right place to sit down or you don't have the money for a sit-down meal the omnipresent "Würstelstand" (Würstel stands) will be exactly what you are looking for. A typically Austrian sausage, a hot dog or a slice of Pizza for a small amount of money will always do. The cheapest sit-down food is generally in the university restaurants, called "Mensas". They are normally open only weekdays at lunchtime but you will save a lot of money there. Chain-restaurants are also a common thing in Vienna, next to the obligatory McDonalds there are very specifically Austrian chains like "Schnitzelhaus" or "Wienerwald". And for everyone having a fine sense for excellent food, Vienna offers plenty of restaurants especially in the Inner city ranging from traditional Austrian and Viennese cuisine to almost every thinkable gastronomic delight from all over the world. Dining in Vienna is almost instantly connected with the famous Wiener Schnitzel, so if you want to know what Viennese cuisine is all about you should start your trip through the gastronomic scene right there. In any case it might be wise to carry around cash in Vienna because a lot of places do not accept credit cards. Coffee Houses The coffe house is an integral part of Viennese life. Virtually on
every corner you will find one of these oasis for an excellent cup of
Austrian coffee which is naturally the best in the world. Gastgarten/Schanigarten The "Gastgarten" or "Schanigarten" belongs to the Viennese gastronomic scene like the Alps belong to the Austrian topography. Schanigarten stands for sitting outside, breathing fresh air instead of smoke and enjoying a cool glass in the shadow of a tree. Schanigarten are very often a small oasis in the midst of the city. Drop by at the Amerlingbeisl if you want to see a special version of it in the inner courtyard of an old building. At the Stomach one enjoys Styrian specialities on mild summer evenings, the Schweizerhaus on the contrary is the typical version of a huge beer garden in the Prater. Rather less rustic-style is the modern courtyard of the Kunsthaus Cafe close to the city center. Viennas Summerstage is where the young scene meets at summer-nights, the rich and beautiful prefer the noble surroundings of the Burggarten and gather at the Palmenhaus. Heurige Heurige are wine taverns serving this years local vintage and offering simple but excellent buffets to accompany their homegrown wines. They are found all over Vienna, the classical location is near the vineyards on the outskirts of the city though. This is where the more traditional places are. Neustift am Walde or Grinzing would be the typical small villages where you can find a great number of Heurige. From Mid-Range to Top-End restaurants in Viennas Inner city Viennese cuisine can be found all around Viennas first district,
Plachutta is one of the best known places in the city. At Korso viennese
and international specialities are served with your choice from the
impressive wine cellar. The Drei Husaren is on the the same exquisite
level, formal, elegant, expensive but with live piano music. A top
vegetarian place is Wrenkh ,a fairly upmarket specialist restaurant. Student Hangouts The gastronomic need of the hundreds of thousands of students in Austrias capital is only partly filled, quite a few places are to be found around main university, the rest is scattered around the city. Close to main Uni is the Einstein, a rather rustic-style place with good food. The Cafe Stein is kind of a meeting point after lectures, the modern place is always pretty filled with different people. Probably some of the best and cheapest places for students to go out and eat is the eight district, where you will find pubs and restaurants like the Tunnel en masse. Entertainment in ViennaTourist offices in Vienna provide monthly listings for everything going on in the city but the best choice is probably to go an buy one of the weekly magazines with extensive listings like "City" or "Falter". Vienna, like many major European cities, has an excellent public-transportation system with reliable, clean and convenient service. Moreover taking public transportation into and within the city is a lot less stressful than dealing with Viennas numerous one-way streets, constant traffic, oncoming trams, extensive pedestrian areas and expensive parking garages. So it is highly advisable that whenever you go out - no matter if at daytime or at night - to use public transportation in Vienna. Museums & Galleries To put it with the Autrian writer Karl Kraus the streets of Vienna are "paved with culture". And if todays streets are dominated by cars, a multitude of museums will make Vienna one long museum mile. Especially owing to its architecture the Naturhistorische Museum and the Kunsthistorische Museum are prominent representatives. Both must not to be missed, their dominant location at the Ringstrasse makes this an easy task. The Kunsthaus is an antipole to the classical museums, designed by the famous Austrian painter and sculptor Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The building itself will fill you with enthusiam not speaking of the exhibitions featuring mostly modern art of the 20th century. The Museumsquartier offers a couple of small galleries also featuring photography exhibitions. A classic is the gallery of the Belvedere presenting some of the most valuable paintings in Austria, like Klimts "The Kiss". Theatre The prime place to go to in Vienna for theatre-fans is the Burgtheater, which requires of course a certain standard of German to follow. The little brother of it is the nearby Volkstheater. The Theater an der Wien usually puts on musicals. For performances in English Vienna offers shows of the English Theatre in Josefstadt (plays are cast and rehearsed in London) and the International Theater (mainly American). Satirical cabaret shows are on schedule all over town, a good place to visit is the Ronacher though. Music Classical music Classical music is still the sound that dominates the Viennese
streets. The program of musical events seems unceasing, so this is the
place to be for any classical composition ever composed or played. Opera One should not miss a night at the world famous Staatsoper (State Opera) in Vienna. It certainly ranks among the top five opera houses worldwide. Another main venue for opera-nights is the smaller Volksoper (Peoples Opera) which includes operettas and musicals in its repertoire. Rock/Pop/Jazz Live music is played all over Vienna, recommendable places to listen to some good old rock tunes are the Chelsea, the B72 or the Rhiz (all in walking distance to each other) featuring international as well as local bands. The Jazzland is one of the few real jazz-club in Vienna, sometimes even the big international names drop by here. A lot of good jazz-musicians also stage at the Radiokulturhaus. Big concerts featuring commercial pop groups are often held at the Stadthalle, an indoor location. Nightlife Some say Vienna is an old fashioned capital of a tiny country. The
night scene proves the critics a liar. Everything from the cosy bar for
a private tete-a-tete to the huge club for a night of dancing can be
found here. The most popular area at night is the so-called
"Bermuda Triangle" featuring the area around Ruprechtsplatz,
Seitenstettengasse, Rabensteig and Salzgries. There you will find bars
like First Floor, beer-pubs like the Krah-Krah or live-music venues like
Der Neue Engel. Film Film in Vienna means mainly Hollywood productions. Most of the movie theatres cover the latest US-releases with a delay betweeen six months and a year. Films are generally dubbed, some exceptions like the English Cinema Haydn or the American Flotten Center do exist though. There is an annual film festival, the Viennale, which features a wide range of films from all over the world as well as local productions. Special cinemas offside the mainstream film-boulevard can also be found, the Votiv or the Filmcasino play mainly independent pictures. More... And apart from all this here is a couple of other things you just have to put on your to-do-list while in Austrias capital The Spanish Riding School (Spanische Hofreitschule) gives performances of the famous snow-white Lippizaner stallions. The Viennas Boys Choir (Wiener Sängerknaben), another famous institution dating back to 1498, sings every Sunday at the Burgkapelle (Royal Chapel) in the Hofburg. The Viennese Wurstelprater, an amusement park with a big ferris wheel and a scary roller-coaster. Haus des Meeres (Viennas Sea World), even without a connection to the sea, Austria has a popular maritime exhibition. Tierpark Schönbrunn, a big animal zoo in beautiful surroundings of the famous Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens. Dining in Europe > Vienna
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