When the first rays of sunshine hit the Austrian capital and the city slowly starts to wake up, the animals at Schönbrunn Zoo are being fed, the display items are being prepared at Belvedere Palace and the Imperial Silver Collection at Hofburg Palace is being polished. Vienna‘s classic culture can be felt throughout the city, with glimpses often coming from the most unexpected corners. The coffee house culture and directness of the old Viennese are always a highlight for visitors. Vienna‘s young cultural development picks up on these typical characteristics to create an inspiring new world. While marvelling at the city‘s history, you shouldn‘t disparage the new and young Vienna. After all, it elevates the beauty and cosmopolitan attitude of the city to new heights.
MuseumsQuartier
The place where the new generation really comes together with the classic world is the MuseumsQuartier (MQ). Anyone passionate about art can quench their thirst by visiting the mumok - Museum of Modern Art - or the Leopold Museum with the world‘s largest Schiele collection, as well as the Vienna Kunsthalle or Architekturzentrum. Just opposite the MQ, performing arts, music and nightlife all come together in the Rote Bar in the Volkstheater. During both the „Summer in the MQ“ and „Winter in the MQ“ events the courtyards of the popular Vienna MuseumsQuartier become home to concerts, lighting installations, readings and much more. Yet this breath of fresh air extends beyond the culture and art scene.
The city beach along the Danube
For many years, Vienna did not have a particularly intimate relationship with the Danube Canal - a small tributary of the Danube that flows directly past the city centre, with its quays reserved for pedestrians and cyclists.
However, this relationship has seen quite a change over the course of the last few years. With a host of new venues along its banks, the Danube Canal has developed into one of the most exciting and attractive locations in the city, especially in summer. Modern bars, restaurants and ever changing pop-up eateries, combined with Otto Wagner‘s over 100-year-old Schützenhaus bring the old and new together. The Badeschiff is the perfect place for a swim on hot summer days, as well as for a game of curling in winter. It is the hotspot for locals and an absolute insider tip for anyone visiting the city. The perfect place not only to observe, but also experience Viennese culture. However, the focus is not only on new locations, as new life is also being breathed into old traditions.
The old and new Karmelitermarkt
The Karmelitermarkt, established in 1671, is one of the oldest markets that continues to be held in Vienna to this day. Boasting 80 market stalls and welcoming some 7,500 visitors per week, it is one of the top tips for those looking to enjoy Vienna‘s markets. The Karmelitermarkt sits at the heart of an old, formerly Jewish district on the other side of the Danube Canal. Located just a few minutes from the city centre on foot, many of the former market stalls have been turned into exciting new eateries. It is definitely worth paying a visit to the farmer‘s market and the stalls of the slow food movement on Fridays and Saturdays. Culinary Hotspots as far as the eye can see - alongside international speciality cheeses and meats, visitors can also buy ripe fruit, crisp vegetables and a whole host of tasty organic delicacies such as salted and smoked meat, as well as various dairy products. Following a balanced breakfast, you should also take the opportunity to pay a visit to the Vienna Crime Museum. Quirky insights into rather sinister crimes, and the sometimes equally gruesome methods of punishment handed out over several centuries, offer visitors an idea of what it must have been like to live in eras gone by.
Snacks and culture at the Naschmarkt
Over 100 market stalls, restaurants and bars offer fresh food and specialities between the Kettenbrücke and Karlsplatz. As the sellers are so passionate about their produce, you can enjoy samples of almost everything on offer and then purchase your favourites to take home with you. Get a feel for different countries and cultures and enjoy a culinary world tour right in the heart of Vienna! For those who have built up an appetite after enjoying all the art, Café Anzengruber has been an institution for many years, while Café Vollpension with its homemade cakes is the ideal address for stylish „grandma kitsch“ in the Art Gallery District. The Albertina modern is due to open at the Künstlerhaus on Karlsplatz in March 2020. The new Vienna Museum of Contemporary Art showcases the extensive collection of contemporary art from the Albertina in various exhibitions. The „Stadtkino“ cinema, also located in the Künstlerhaus, is another good recommendation. The Stadtkino – Vienna‘s only municipal cinema – has been showing unmistakable national and international highlights from the film scene since 1981.
„Roll up, ladies and gentlemen!“
Last but not least, every visitor should take time to see the Vienna Prater with its unmistakable landmark the Riesenrad - the big wheel, famous not only due to Carol Reed‘s classic film „The Third Man“. The theme park in which it is located is steeped in tradition and remains just as popular today as ever. History buffs can learn all about this popular park in the Prater Museum where you can completely immerse yourselves in bygone times and feel like a child again when enjoying the old fortune telling machines, legendary entriloquist‘s dummy Maxi and many other attractions.
This old and stereotypical Vienna meets a new and young culture here with a vibrant bar and club scene that has developed around the Prater. It is the place where young and old meet to relax and have fun. Whether experimental electronic music and techno, through garage and industrial, all the way up to indie rock - everyone is sure to find something they like. Young Vienna really has something for everybody, no matter whether you enjoy a relaxing end to the evening or dancing through the night to your favourite music. It is now down to you to plan your next trip to Vienna, combining the classic with the modern!
Editor's tips
| Museums Quarter Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna www.mqw.at | Danube Canal Franz-Josefs-Kai, 1020 Vienna | Volkstheater and Die Rote Bar Philharmoniker Str. 4, 1010 Vienna | ||||||
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Stadtkino Akademiestr. 13, 1010 Vienna | Prater Museum Oswald-Thomas-Platz 1 (by the big wheel), 1020 Vienna www.prater.at | Crime Museum Große Sperlgasse 24, 1020 Vienna www.kriminalmuseum.at www.wien.info |
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