Vienna Media News 01/2022 Winter in Vienna

10.1.2022 - The romantic run-up to Christmas seamlessly transitions into a cozy winter program. Wintry gardens, ice rinks and coffeehouses all extend a warm welcome to visitors, turning winter in Vienna into an unforgettable experience for all the family.

Although the capital’s Christmas markets are perhaps the most obvious destination for visitors to the city in winter, Vienna has a host of other indoor and outdoor attractions for families to enjoy during this special season.

Wintry parks and Gardens

With just under 1,000 parks and gardens, Vienna is undeniably a green city. And the capital’s green credentials have been confirmed by Resonance Consultancy, which named Vienna the Greenest City in the World in 2020. The charm of the capital’s Baroque parks and gardens is not confined to the summer months by any means. In winter, too, the imperial parks and Baroque boulevards provide the perfect backdrop for a stroll. The only thing to bear in mind is the reduced opening hours, as the majority of them open a little later and close a little earlier in winter. And every now and again, even Vienna is carpeted in snow. Visitors would be well advised to make the most of this rare occurrence and go out for a walk. Exploring the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace, Stadtpark or the rose gardens at the Volksgarten are an unforgettable experience even in winter. In summer, the latter is a riot of color when more than 400 varieties of roses come into bloom. But to ensure that this happens and to keep them safe from the frost and snow, the roses are wrapped in jute sacks which once contained coffee beans.

Sweet Cafés

Coffeehouses have always been a magnet for the city’s intellectuals and creative types. Today, around 2,240 coffeehouses of every stripe are open all year round. In winter they provide welcome respite from the cold, and an ideal place to take stock between museum visits. In 2011, Vienna coffeehouse culture was added to the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In addition to traditional coffeehouses in the first district such as Café Frauenhuber, Café Diglas, Demel K. & K. Hofzuckerbäcker and Café Central, modern coffeehouses are also carving out a niche for themselves in Vienna. One of the oldest in the city, Café Bellaria was given a contemporary makeover ahead of its reopening towards the end of the summer. Similarly to the Adlerhof, which opened in 2020, albeit with an all-new look. That said, many of the elements from the original restaurant found their way into the new interior design concept in one way or another.

Vienna’s coffeehouses are famous for their cakes and pastries, which provide the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea of coffee. The idea that sweet treats like this can also be good for you is something that a new style of baking is striving to prove: none of the ingredients are heated over 42°C at the Simply Raw Bakery at Drahtgasse in the first district. This preserves precious vitamins, making it easier for the body to harness their goodness. Rather than relying on industrial sugar, the sweetness in this bakery’s products is derived from fruits, nuts, seeds and even organic vegetables and herbs. Peti Pari, a small store with café, specializes in Viennoiserie and French patisserie goodies. A modern patisserie with stunningly beautiful little tartlets. And the creations at Crème de la Crème hit the mark too – both visually and flavor-wise. The café offers typical treats from Austria and France: pralines, cakes, mousses, tartes, Striezel, Buchteln and Scheiterhaufen to name but a few.

Vienna in the Snow and Ice

Vienna Ice Dream will open again on January 19, 2022 against the magical backdrop of City Hall. The romantic trails criss-crossing the enchantingly illuminated Rathauspark draw in accomplished skaters, amateurs and children in equal measure. The list of open-air skating destinations in Vienna also includes Engelmann, which is the city’s only rooftop rink. In fact, Kunsteisbahn Engelmann was the world’s first outdoor artificial rink when it opened more than 100 years ago. Since the 1970s it has been located on top of an apartment building. Founded in 1867, the Wiener Eislaufverein close to Stadtpark is more than 150 years old.

A pair of curling rinks at MQ Wintergarten at the MuseumsQuartier will be open until January 9. The lanes themselves and the canopy above were designed by the artist Martin Markell. This year, the space will also feature the striking Impulse light installation project including interactive see-saws which visitors can move to trigger lights and bells. Winter warmers add a culinary touch to the winter wonderland.

A number of districts feature fields and children’s play areas that are transformed into toboggan runs whenever the weather plays along. One such example, the Jesuitenwiese in the Prater in the second district, even features a snow cannon and floodlights. In total, the runs are 30-60 meters long. Extending for some 200 meters in this particular instance, another popular toboggan run can be found at Kurpark Oberlaa in the tenth district. In the 14th district there are toboggan runs in five parks to choose from: Dehnepark, Satzberg, Erholungsgebiet Steinhof, Wolfersberg and Vienna’s only ski area, Hohe Wand Wiese.

Addresses:

Schlosspark Schönbrunn, Maxingstrasse, 1130 Vienna
Stadtpark, Stadtpark, Parkring, 1010 Vienna
Volksgarten, Volksgarten, Burgring, 1010 Vienna
Café Frauenhuber, Himmelpfortgasse 6, Vienna, www.cafefrauenhuber.at
Café Diglas, Wollzeile 10, 1010 Vienna, www.diglas.at
Demel K. & K. Hofzuckerbäcker, Kohlmarkt 14, 1010 Vienna, www.demel.at
Café Central, corner of Herrengasse and Strauchgasse, 1010 Vienna, www.cafecentral.wien
Café Bellaria, Bellariastrasse 6, 1010 Vienna, www.cafebellaria.at
Adlerhof, Burggasse 51, Vienna, www.adlerhof.wien
Simply Raw Bakery, Drahtgasse 2, 1010 Vienna, www.simplyrawbakery.at
Peti Pari, Otto-Bauer-Gasse 2, 1060 Vienna, www.petipari.at
Crème de la Crème, Lange Gasse 76, 1080 Vienna, www.cremedelacreme.at
Vienna Ice Dream, Rathausplatz, 1010 Vienna, www.wienereistraum.com
Kunsteisbahn Engelmann, Syringgasse 6-14, 1170 Vienna, www.engelmann.co.at
Wiener Eislaufverein, Lothringerstrasse 22, 1030 Vienna, www.wev.or.at
MuseumsQuartier, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna, www.mqw.at
Jesuitenwiese, Prater, 1020 Vienna
Kurpark Oberlaa, Kurbadstrasse 10, 1100 Vienna, www.wien.gv.at
Dehnepark, Dehnegasse, 1140 Vienna
Satzberg, 1140 Vienna
Steinhof recreation area, Baumgartner Höhe, 1140 Vienna
Wolfersberg, 1140 Vienna
Hohe Wand Wiese, Mauerbachstrasse 174-184, 1140 Vienna