Every winter Vienna reasserts its status as one of Europe's most elegantly traditional capitals with a whirl of classic balls. But lately a wave of edgier parties have started filling out the social season, led by the Ball of the Wallflowers, which enforces an anti-dress code (mousy colors only, please) and usually takes place in a crowded underground club that's more punk than palatial. "This is a new Vienna," says lifestyle journalist Christopher Wurmdobler, citing Vienna Design Week and the recently inaugurated Festival for Fashion and Photography. The city is suddenly a stylish ball all year long.
48 Hours in Vienna
Text By Raphael Kadushin
Six ways Austria's capital proves it's not just about tradition anymore.
1. Shop for High Design Schleifmühlgasse, in the trendified Fourth District, has emerged as an anchor for galleries, including the pioneering Gallery Georg Kargl, and quirky theme shops like the food bookstore cum café Babette's. Christopher Wurmdobler recommends Lindengasse for its lineup of small fashion boutiques, and the Yppenplatz, "a big marketplace, in the once poor neighborhood of Ottak-ring, now surrounded by cafés and a showroom called Yppig, that presents the work of young designers every Saturday."
2. Join the Original Café Society Vienna's coffeehouses became the city's collective living room in the 19th century when artists abandoned their frigid, puny flats for the warmth of the cafés. Locals still claim their own favorite java stop. For British guide Diane Naar-Elphee, the best hangout is Café Sperl, "because it still has billiard tables, the best array of international newspapers, and plenty of patina." Anyone with a sweet tooth should order their coffee doppelt schlag ("double cream") for a drink that's more whipped cream than actual coffee.
3. Waltz Through Treasurehouses The MuseumsQuartier is a sprawling cultural complex built around the original Imperial Court Stables. It houses three modern art museums, performance spaces, artists studios, and cafés. "It's really an urban living space," says MuseumsQuartier director Wolfgang Waldner, who also points visitors to the city's other art spots. "Start at the Kunsthistorisches Museum," he suggests, "with its splendid Renaissance paintings, and then stop at the Upper Belvedere, a baroque palace, which houses the world's largest Gustav Klimt collection." Your big finish should be the Hofburg Palace, which is crammed with the Habsburgs' imperial treasures, though the palace complex's best surprise may be the Butterfly House and its 150-plus species, an airy relief from all those masterworks.
4. Sample Signature Dishes In the middle of central, leafy Stadtpark is the innovative Steirereck restaurant , where the elaborate dishes come with their own recipe card (though you probably won't be making that grilled guinea fowl with porcini fig duxelles); downstairs is the white-on-white Meierei dairy bar, where one wall is lined with milk bottles and the strudels stream fresh out of the oven, ready to be washed down with one of the menu's 19 flavors of milk (try the geranium). For food journalist Florian Holzer, the surest dining bet is Pfarrwirt. "It's a mix between a restaurant and a rustic inn, where you can eat Austrian pike perch with a chanterelle goulash." Plus, if you must, there is wiener schnitzel on the menu.
5. Take A Walk in the Woods A favorite weekend getaway to the west of the city, the Vienna Woods prove that culture will trail you everywhere in Vienna. Hiking paths lead past medieval monasteries, castles, and some of Beethoven's favorite resting spots. Photographer Paul Landl, though, turns his lens on the woods' "breathtaking diversity of landscape, from gentle hills and wild gorges to deep forests, vineyards, and dreamy meadows."
6. Dive into Nightlife Vienna's glossy clubs include Planetarium, which comes by its star-power naturally; by day it's a working planetarium. Porgy & Bess books world-class jazz musicians, and Badeschiff Wien, two boats moored together on the Danube Canal, combines a bar, restaurant, club, and top-deck pool (covered each winter). Vienna has four opera houses but if you only have time for one, make it the Staatsoper for its sheer sense of history. "You feel yourself transported to another age, when the audience heard these classic melodies for the very first time," says singer Stephanie Lang of the Vienna Swing Sisters.
Published in the November/December 2008 issue of National Geographic Traveler.
Text by Rachael Dunlap
To really experience Vienna's cultural mélange, you'll need to attune yourself to the city's diverse offerings. Traveler has tracked down the most useful websites, blogs, publications, maps, and other helpful resources.
Websites
Self-proclaimed "definitive city guide for the mobile generation," this easily navigable and informative website has recommendations for dining, hotels, and cultural events from local movers and shakers (from DJs to hotel managers). See something you like? Add it to your "mytour" by clicking the plus sign next to each listing. On the go? Upload your customized tour to your mobile device.
This website does all the online browsing for you by bringing together collections of Flickr photos, YouTube videos, points of interest, and advice from other travelers in Vienna. Check out hundreds of site listings, from restaurants and entertainment venues to cultural must-sees—all are voted on and rated by the tripwolf community. If you sign up to join, you can ask for advice from other tripwolves knowledgeable about Vienna.
The Backpackers Ultimate Guide: Vienna
If you are visiting Vienna on a budget, check out this useful guide to the city. The site includes practical, wallet-friendly information about transportation, dining, accommodation, and attractions in Vienna. The candid reviews of hotels and hostels written by other backpackers on a budget are especially helpful.
Vienna is a city that hosts plenty of seasonal festivals, balls, and other events. Knowing what's on the calendar during your trip to Vienna could make all the difference. This section of the Vienna-Life website provides visitors and locals with information on seasonal happenings.
Originally intended to assist travel writers and others in the tourism industry, this segment of the Vienna Tourist Board's website allows visitors to download fact sheets about various offerings in Vienna (restaurants, music venues, etc.). Looking to take a tour? The City Tours document lists your options, from the Third Man sewer tour to the vintage streetcar tour.
Blogs
Gregor Hofbauer started this bilingual blog in early 2008 to keep family and friends up-to-date on his life in Vienna. The entries are usually brief and anecdotal, but the abundant photos give travelers a preview of the city.
This regularly updated photo blog offers "virtual postcards from Vienna." Each entry features a collection of photos from Merisi's excursions around town. This is a great place to start if you are looking for some local perspective.
Though this blog is only updated sporadically and is sometimes a bit random in subject matter, it is worth checking out. A team of bloggers posts information about topics ranging from vegan dining options to commentaries on public transportation etiquette in Vienna.
This daily photo blog by Tom Wicky is no longer updated (the author is now living in London), but the existing photos give viewers some interesting glimpses of what Wicky calls "quite possibly the most beautiful metropolitan city in the world (aesthetically)."
Once you scroll down past all the advertisements on this website, you will find candid travel entries written by tourists about Vienna. This site is updated very sporadically, but entries still tend to be useful.
Magazines
This online magazine features plenty of helpful English offerings, including "ABC Austria," which is an ongoing series explaining Austrian words to non-Austrians. The magazine also contains news, entertainment, and cartoons.
Vienna Journal
With information on seasonal happenings as well as detailed listings of museums and attractions, this magazine, published annually by the Vienna Tourist Board, is a good starting point for visitors to Vienna. Download it (look for Vienna Journal on the list of downloads), along with other information on the Vienna Tourist Board's website, or pick it up at the tourist information center when you arrive.
Newspapers
This online English-language publication covers Austrian current events, politics, sports, and culture, as well as international news. The "Panorama" section gives readers a snapshot of current Austrian culture, including literature, music, art, social issues, theater, education, and more.
This English-language newspaper offers daily coverage of Austrian politics, business, culture, sports, and general news. The paper also provides a searchable restaurant database (click "Going Out" under the "Service" section in the left-hand navigation bar).
Subscribe to the Vienna Tourist Board's free monthly newsletter or read the latest issue to see what is coming up in Vienna.
Maps
Customize how you want to view these maps of Vienna's 23 city districts. Select the criteria you want to see (street names, bike paths, public transportation lines, etc.) then click the number of the district you wish to view. Or, just click on an area of the city map to zoom in.
Detailed maps of Vienna from the Vienna Tourist Board.
A straightforward map of Vienna's public transportation.
Click on an area of the map to see photos and descriptions of the neighborhood or district.
Books
Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague, by Rick Rodgers (2002)
Coffeehouses in Vienna are much more than just a place to get your caffeine fix—they are steeped in history and culture. Two parts cookbook, one part culinary lore, this book explores the time-honored traditions of coffee and, to a greater extent, extravagant sweets in Viennese life.
A Nervous Splendor: Vienna 1888-1889, by Frederic Morton (1980)
This history-laden novel, which revolves around the murder-suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf and his illicit love interest, Baroness Mary Vetsera, reveals a paradoxical Vienna at the end of a century. The book, along with the thin slice of history it portrays, features some of Vienna's most famed historical figures: Gustav Mahler, Johann Strauss, Sigmund Freud, and others.
The Little Book, by Seldon Edwards (2008)
This debut novel begins with Wheeler Burden living in San Francisco in 1988, but he soon finds himself transported back in time to 1897 Vienna. Besides running into famous figures from turn-of-the-century Vienna (enter: Sigmund Freud), Wheeler also meets the young adults who eventually become his grandparents.
The Vienna Paradox, by Marjorie Perloff (2004)
Literary critic Marjorie Perloff's memoir combines autobiography with musings on early 20th-century Vienna as it recounts her younger years (as Gabriele Mintz), her coming-of-age as a refugee, and, later, her years as a young woman in New York City.
Gustav Klimt: Drawings and Watercolors, by Rainer Metzger (2005)
This collection of images, biographical information, and historical background chronicles the life and works of Gustav Klimt, one of Vienna's most treasured artists. Klimt's personal life does merit mention in the book, but much of the focus is on Vienna: its character, contradictions, and impact on Klimt as an artist.
A Death in Vienna: A Novel, by Frank Tallis (2007)
Set in early 20th-century Vienna, this murder mystery follows an unlikely pair of detectives as they combine their skills in psychology and police work to solve a homicide that has shocked Vienna. Author Frank Tallis has also published a sequel to this book, Vienna Blood: A Novel (2008).
Movies
Persepolis (2007)
This Oscar-nominated, French-language animated film tells the story of Marjane, a young Iranian girl who is sent to live in Vienna as a teenager. Marjane's life in Vienna is radically different from the life she was used to in Iran. This coming-of-age story tells how her experiences, good and bad, shape her into a woman.
Before Sunrise (1995)
An American traveler and a French student meet by chance on a train en route to Vienna and decide to spend the rest of the day together. The film follows them as they wander through Vienna, conversing about life, love, and just about everything.
Amadeus (1984)
This award-winning film tells the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart through the eyes of envious, third-rate composer Antonio Salieri. Salieri, who has a great ear for music yet struggles to compose anything extraordinary, is tortured by Mozart's skill and the ease with which he composes masterpieces.
The Third Man (1949)
In this award-winning mystery, an American, Holly Martins, comes to post-war Vienna at the request of an old college friend. When he arrives, his friend is already dead and buried. Holly teams up with Anna, a girl he meets at his friend's grave, to find the truth about his friend's death—against the advice of a British official.
The Illusionist (2006)
Rumors of magic and otherworldly powers spread quickly after Eisenheim, a stage magician, begins performing in Vienna. His show is so popular that it attracts the attention of Crown Prince Leopold, who tries to undermine Eisenheim as a fraud. The plot thickens when Leopold discovers that his fiancée, Sophie, has rekindled a forbidden love affair with Eisenheim, whom she knew as a young woman.