Things to do in Vienna
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Tiergarten
Founded in 1752 as a menagerie by Franz Stephan, the Schönbrunn Tiergarten is the oldest zoo in the world. It houses some 750 animals of all shapes and sizes, including giant pandas that arrived in 2003. A batch of emus, armadillos and baby Siberian tigers joined them in 2006. Thankfully most of the original cramped cages have been updated and improved. The zoo’s layout is reminiscent of a bicycle wheel, with pathways as spokes and an octagonal pavilion at its centre. The pavilion dates from 1759 and was used as the imperial breakfast room. Feeding times are staggered throughout the day – maps on display tell you who’s dining when.
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Museumsquartier
The MuseumsQuartier is a remarkable ensemble of museums, cafés, restaurants and bars inside former imperial stables designed by Fischer von Erlach. This breeding ground of Viennese cultural life is the perfect place to hang out and watch or meet people on warm evenings. With over 60,000 sq metres of exhibition space, the complex is one of the world’s most ambitious cultural spaces. Of the combined tickets on offer, the MQ Kombi Ticket (€25) includes entry into every museum (Zoom only has a reduction) and a 30% discount on performances in the TanzQuartier Wien; MQ Art Ticket (€21.50) gives admission into the Leopold Museum, MUMOK, Kunsthalle and reduced entry into Zoom, pl…
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Schloss Schönbrunn Gardens
The beautifully tended formal gardens of the palace, arranged in the French style, are a symphony of colour in the summer and a combination of greys and browns in winter; all seasons are appealing in their own right. The grounds were opened to the public by Joseph II in 1779.
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Maschu Maschu
Zippy service, a relaxed atmosphere, and delicious felafels, hummus and salads are the keys to Maschu Maschu’s success. This branch on Rabensteig, with its meagre number of tables, is better used as a takeaway joint, while another branch in Neubau is best for sit-down meals.
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Café Central
Grand Central has a rich history – Trotsky came here to play chess, and turn-of-the-century literary greats such as Karl Kraus and Hermann Bahr regularly met here for coffee. Its impressive interior of marble pillars, arched ceilings and glittering chandeliers now plays host to tourists rather than locals, but it’s worth stopping in for a look. There’s live piano music daily from 5pm to 10pm, and the plaster patron with the walrus moustache near the door is a model of the poet Peter Altenberg.
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Figlmüller
Vienna, and the Viennese, would simply be at a loss without Figlmüller. This famous Beisl has some of the biggest – and best – schnitzels in the business. Sure, the rural decor is contrived for its inner-city location, and beer isn’t served (only wine from the owner’s own vineyard), but it’s a fun Viennese eating experience and one you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
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Spanish Riding School
The world-famous Spanish Riding School (Spanische Hofreitschule) is a Viennese institution truly reminiscent of the imperial Habsburg era. This unequalled equestrian show is performed by Lipizzaner stallions formerly kept at an imperial stud established at Lipizza (hence ‘Lipizzaner’; see). These graceful stallions perform an equine ballet to a program of classical music while the audience watches from pillared balconies – or cheaper standing room – and the chandeliers shimmer above. There are many different ways to see the Lipizzaner. Performances are the top-shelf variant, and for seats at these you will need to book several months in advance. The website has the perfor…
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Leopold Museum
This museum is named after Rudolf Leopold, a Viennese ophthalmologist who, on buying his first Egon Schiele (1890–1918) for a song as a young student in 1950, started to amass a huge private collection of mainly 19th-century and modernist Austrian artworks. In 1994 he sold the lot – 5266 paintings – to the Austrian government for €160 million (sold individually, the paintings would have made him €574 million), and the Leopold Museum was born. The building has a white, limestone exterior, open space (the 21m-high glass-covered atrium is lovely) and natural light flooding most rooms. Considering Rudolf Leopold’s love of Schiele, it’s no surprise the museum contains the larg…
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MUMOK
The dark basalt edifice and sharp corners of the Museum moderner Kunst (Museum of Modern Art) are a complete contrast to the MuseumsQuartier’s historical sleeve. Inside, MUMOK is crawling with Vienna’s finest collection of 20th-century art, centred on fluxus, nouveau realism, pop art and photo-realism. The best of expressionism, cubism, minimal art and Viennese Actionism is represented in a collection of 9000 works that are rotated and exhibited by theme – but take note that sometimes all this Actionism is packed away to make room for temporary exhibitions. On any visit you might glimpse: wearily slumped attendant (not part of any exhibit), photos of horribly deformed bab…
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Mozarthaus Vienna
Mozarthaus Vienna, the residence where the great composer spent two and a half happy and productive years, is now the city’s premiere Mozart attraction. The museum was revamped a few years ago and is well worth a visit for an insight into the life and times of Mozart in Vienna (a total of 10 years). One floor deals with the society of the late 18th century, providing asides into prominent figures in the court and Mozart’s life, such as the Freemasons to whom he dedicated a number of pieces. Mozart’s vices – his womanising, gambling and ability to waste excessive amounts of money – lend a spicy edge (you can look through some peepholes). Another floor concentrates on Mozar…
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Otto Wagner Buildings
Something of a problem zone due to flooding, the Wien River needed regulating in the late 19th century. It would be more accurate to say that its last semblance of being a natural river was utterly and completely obliterated. At the same time, Otto Wagner had visions of turning the area between Karlsplatz and Schönbrunn into a magnificent boulevard. The vision blurred and the reality is a gushing, concrete-bottomed creek (a shocking eyesore designed by Wagner) and a couple of attractive Wagner houses on the Linke Wienzeile. Majolika-Haus at No 40 (1899) is the prettiest as it’s completely covered in glazed ceramic to create flowing floral motifs on the facade. The second…
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Nationalbibliothek
The Nationalbibliothek (National Library) was once the imperial library and is now the largest library in Vienna. The real reason to visit these esteemed halls of knowledge is to gaze on the Prunksaal (Grand Hall). Commissioned by Charles VI, this baroque hall was the brainchild of Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, who died the year the first brick was laid, and finished by his son Joseph in 1735. Leather-bound scholarly tomes line the walls, and the upper storey of shelves is flanked by an elegantly curving wood balcony. Rare ancient volumes (mostly 15th century) are stored within glass cabinets, with pages opened to beautifully illustrated passages of text. A statue o…
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Schatzkammer
The Schatzkammer (Imperial Treasury) contains secular and ecclesiastical treasures of priceless value and splendour – the sheer wealth of this collection of crown jewels is staggering. As you walk through the rooms you see magnificent treasures such as a golden rose, diamond studded Turkish sabres, a 2680-carat Colombian emerald and, the highlight of the treasury, the imperial crown. The wood-panelled Sacred Treasury has a collection of rare religious relics, some of which can be taken with a grain of salt: fragments of the True Cross, one of the nails from the Crucifixion, a thorn from Christ’s crown and a piece of tablecloth from the Last Supper. Audio guides in German,…
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Schloss Schönbrunn
A tour of Schloss Schönbrunn focuses on the palace itself – especially the Habsburg residents. This means grand rooms and background on the habits and quirks of Austria’s famous family. Of the 1441 rooms within the palace, 40 are open to the public. The Imperial Tour takes you into 26 of these, and in the last room those on a Grand Tour show their tickets again and continue through the remaining rooms. Note that the Grosse Galerie (Great Gallery), part of both tours, is being restored until late 2012. Despite the rather steep prices, both tours are well worth doing for an insight into the people and the opulence of the baroque age. Because of the popularity of the palace,…
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Kirche Am Steinhof
The splendour and mood of this Otto Wagner creation set in the grounds of the Psychiatric Hospital of the City of Vienna make it one of his most fascinating works. This distinctive art-nouveau church was built from 1904 to 1907; Moser chipped in with the mosaic windows, and the roof is topped by a copper-covered dome that earned the nickname Lemoniberg (lemon mountain) from its original golden colour. The design illustrates Wagner’s love of sharp edges and functionality, even down to the sloping floor to allow good drainage; despite this, it is a highly moving piece of church architecture. The grounds and many of the buildings of the hospital themselves were built in the …
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Kent
Kent means ‘small town’ in Turkish, an appropriate name considering the hordes that frequent this ever-expanding Turkish restaurant. In summer the tree-shaded garden is one of the prettiest in the city, and the food is consistently top-notch. The menu is extensive, but highlights include shish kebab, Ispanakli Pide (long Turkish pizza with sheep’s cheese, egg and spinach) and Büyük Meze Tabagi (a starter plate as big as a main with baked aubergine, carrots, courgettes, rice-filled vine leaves, green beans, hummus and other delights). The vegetarian and breakfast selections will please most, and everything is available for takeaway. For late-night desserts, try the…
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Naschmarkt
Naschmarkt is The market in Vienna. This massive market extends for more than 500m along Linke Wienzeile between the U4 stops of Kettenbrückengasse and Karlsplatz. The western end near Kettengasse is more fun, with all sorts of meats, fruit and vegetables (this is the place for that hard-to-find exotic variety), spices, wines, cheeses and olives, Indian and Middle Eastern specialities and fabulous kebab and felafel stands. (Check out the vinegar and oil place, with 24 varieties of fruit- and veg-flavoured vinegar, 11 balsamics and over 20 types of flavoured oil.) The market peters out at the eastern end to stalls selling Indian fabrics and jewellery and trashy trinkets – …
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Zoom
Zoom children’s museum is an arts and crafts session with a lot of play thrown in. Children are guided through themed programs and have the chance to make, break, draw, explore and be creative. The museum consists of ‘Exhibition’, a section with a new exhibition every six months (free entry), a ‘Studio’ (child €5, one adult free, two adults €3.50) for budding Picassos, and sections ‘Lab’ (multimedia; child €5, adults free) and ‘Ocean’ (play activities to stimulate coordination, social and cognitive abilities; child €3, one adult free, two adults €2.50). Programs, aimed at kids from eight months to 14 years, last about 1½ hours and spots can be reserved from the ticket off…
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Flex
Flex has been attracting a more mainstream crowd than it did in its early days but it still manages to retain a semblance of its former edginess, and the title of best club in town. The sound system is without equal in Vienna (some would say Europe), entry price generally reasonable and dress code unheard of. The monthly DJ line-up features local legends and international names, and live acts are commonplace. ‘Messed Up’ on Monday (the night to catch serious techno) and ‘London Calling’ (alternative and indie) on Wednesday and Friday are among the most popular nights. In summer the picnic tables lining the canal overflow with happy partygoers.
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Sekt Comptoir
Oooh, sparkly. Szigeti vineyard in Burgenland, which produces a leading Austrian Sekt (sparkling wine), serves its own brand only at this tiny, wood-panelled wine bar. As it’s located just a few blocks from the Naschmarkt, shoppers with bulging grocery bags often spill onto the sidewalk enjoying a tipple or four. It rarely offers much elbow room but the, er, bubbly spirit is so intoxicating that most just chuckle and squish with a wide grin. Note the early closing times – and its shop selling bottles a few doors down (at Schleifmühlgasse 23; open from 10.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and 10am to 5pm Saturday).
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Halle
Managed by the owners of Motto, Halle is the versatile resident eatery of the Kunsthalle with little kitchen downtime – the pots and pans are hung up at midnight. The interior has plenty of optical tricks, like cylindrical lamps and low tables, and the chefs churn out antipastos, pastas, salads, several Austrian all-rounders (breaded chicken, but not a Wiener Schnitzel) and pan-Asian dishes. On steamy summer days it’s usually a fight for an outside table between the Kunsthalle and MUMOK. It sells Noan olive oil (€9.90), with proceeds flowing into children’s projects.
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Sigmund Freud Museum
Sigmund Freud is a bit like the telephone – once it happened, there was no going back. The apartment where he lived and worked from 1891 till his forced departure from Vienna with the arrival of the Nazis in 1938 is now a museum devoted to the father of psychoanalysis. It contains a number of his possessions, and Freud’s obsessions – travelling, smoking and collecting ancient art – are well represented; Egyptian and Buddhist statues are everywhere. Notes (in English) illuminate the offerings and audio guides (€2) are available at the ticket desk.
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Postsparkasse
The celebrated Post Office Savings Bank building is the work of Otto Wagner, who oversaw its construction between 1904 and 1906, and again from 1910 to 1912. The Jugendstil design and choice of materials were innovative for the time, with the grey marble facade held together by 17,000 metal nails, and an interior filled with sci-fi aluminium heating ducts and naked stanchions. The small museum at the back of the main savings hall hosts temporary exhibitions focusing on design – anything from office buildings to nifty kitchenware.
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Meierei im Stadtpark
Attached to Steirereck im Stadtpark, Meierei im Stadtpark serves a bountiful breakfast until noon, with set breakfasts costing from €18.50 to €22.50. Between 11.30am and 4.30pm from Monday to Friday only, it does a selection of Viennese classic fare (mains €9.50 to €14.50) with unusual twists, some based around fresh vegetables. It’s most famous, though, for its goulash (weekdays only) and selection of 120 types of cheese. A four-course menu (€39) is served from 5pm weekdays and from 11.30am on weekends.
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Zanoni & Zanoni
One of the most useful places to know about in the Innere Stadt is Zanoni & Zanoni. This Italian gelateria and pasticceria has some of the most civilised opening times around (365 days a year) and is just right when you realise you’d like a late-night dessert (about 35 varieties of gelati, with more cream than usual). It does breakfast and some great cakes with cream, but best of all, it’s a buzzing place on a Sunday where you can mull over a coffee and plan your moves for the day.
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