Itinerary - Vienna´s Seasonal Must Sees
Spring
This is how diverse spring and early summer are in Vienna: By mid-April, the Easter markets set the mood – whether on Freyung or on Am Hof square in the Old City. In the middle of May, the Genussfestival in the Stadtpark presents selected culinary specialties from across Austria.
A big attraction for spectators and runners alike in April is the Vienna City Marathon, whose route is lined with the city’s most impressive sights. Vienna’s imperial glory can also be enjoyed to the fullest from the saddle of a bicycle – such as on one of the WienMobil bikes that can be rented at over 200 locations. And almost 1,300 km of cycle paths invite everyone to experience the city from new perspectives.
Even a part of Vienna’s cultural life moves outdoors in spring. For example, the Vienna Philharmonic gives a free open-air concert in Schönbrunn Palace Park in June.
In the early summer, Vienna’s party scene comes powerfully to the fore once again: In June, the Vienna Pride celebrates LGBTQ life in Vienna with numerous events and parties. Europe’s biggest free open-air party is held here every year in June during the Danube Island Festival.
Summer
Twenty-one kilometers of sand, grass and gravel beaches, including playgrounds and BBQ areas as well as restaurants, cafés and bars make summer days on Danube Island a real experience. The exciting combination of restaurant terraces, nostalgic beach pools and boat rentals defines the charm of the Old Danube.
And on the urban beaches along the Danube Canal in the Old City, cool drinks are served by Strandbar Herrmann, Badeschiff, Klyo Urania and Neni am Wasser. The Motto am Fluss, the café and restaurant at the mooring site of the Twin City Liner, offers the best view of the colorful hustle and bustle along the Danube Canal.
The MuseumsQuartier (MQ), an art area with important exhibition houses such as the Leopold Museum and the Museum of Modern Art, once again offers a vast array of cultural events in its extensive courtyards during “Summer in the MQ”. Cafés, restaurants and bars as well as the MQ Furniture, the futuristic loungers on the squares in the area, offer a superb opportunity to chill out. And it goes without saying in Vienna that the “Schanigärten” sidewalk seating areas in front of cafés and restaurants all over the city invite everyone to find a spot and watch the world go by.
The Film Festival at City Hall Square presents extraordinary film adaptations of outstanding concert and opera events from July to the beginning of September – accompanied by culinary greetings from around the world at a range of food booths.
Autumn
September and October are high season for Viennese wine. The harvest is over, and the “Junge Wiener” of the current vintage is poured in the simple “Buschenschenken” wine taverns of the wine growing towns on the edge of the city, as is the “Wiener Gemischte Satz”. The delicious wines can normally be enjoyed in a wine tavern with hearty home-made food from the buffet.
The Vienna Art Week in mid-November turns Vienna into a magnet for art fans with exhibitions and presentations. The domestic creative scene presents itself during Vienna Design Week and the Blickfang design fair.
From November, two ice skating rinks and light installations on City Hall Square and in the adjacent park set the mood for the Vienna Christmas World. Thousands of lights create a homey atmosphere as Christmas decorations in Vienna’s Old City and shopping streets. Romance and enjoyment come together at the Christmas markets in front of Schönbrunn Palace and the Kunsthistorisches Museum which enchant against an imperial backdrop, while the market on Spittelberg derives its charm from the ambience of the old Biedermeier district.
Winter
Three-four time dominates in Vienna in the first few weeks of the year. It all begins with the change of year, which is celebrated here with the New Year’s Eve Trail through the Old City. Sparkling wine and snacks are served at stands and colossal live acts on stages. And the waltz is danced on the squares in the Old City.
A real Eldorado of waltzing is then offered by the 450 balls held during the ball season in January and February. The season gets off to an elegant start with the New Year’s Ball in the Imperial Palace, and reaches its zenith with the famous Opera Ball at the end of February. The Philharmonic Ball, the Kaffeesieder Ball and the Zuckerbäckerball are other enjoyable highlights of the season.
The Ice Dream (January to mid-March) transforms City Hall Square into an 8,500 m² ice rink that permits everything from sporty moves to popular music hits as well as convivial walks on the rinks in the adjacent park.
Late winter is the ideal time for the coffee house. Not only because these oases of coziness are the place to round off a shopping tour of the shopping streets in comfort. Connoisseurs have long since discovered the café as an attractive place to have breakfast – or appreciate the combination of delicious pastries and lively music in the concert-café.
