Vienna

Vienna city center on a public holiday in May: Universal artist André Heller strolls along Singerstraße in the long shadow of St. Stephen's Cathedral. An Asian bride and groom in honeymoon mood are being driven past St. Peter's Church in a horse-drawn carriage. In the shopping arcade of Palais Ferstel, strollers listen reverently to a harpist who accompanies the gentle splashing of the water at the Donaunixenbrunnen fountain with her dexterity. Chill out and have a picnic in the Burggarten ...

As business-as-usual as these city scenes may be, they have only recently condensed into an overall impression: Vienna as a must-see destination. None other than the renowned US magazine "Time" has named Vienna one of the "World's greatest places 2023". Another recent survey, this time by the Boston Consulting Group, put Austria's capital in second place in the category "Cities under three million inhabitants", just behind Copenhagen and ahead of Amsterdam. In terms of quality of life, Vienna is the undisputed number one. The Danube metropolis continues to attract not only locals and expats, but also city tourists: queues of people everywhere in the elegant first district, whether in front of the cult confectioner "Demel", the former literary café "Central", the Schnitzelwirt "Figlmüller", the Sisi Museum or the State Opera, and not just when Anna Netrebko is belting out her arias.

In March, 90 percent of pre-pandemic overnight stays were reached again, with the strongest growth among Italians and Americans. Now that the Asians are back in full force to enjoy the mix of old-world splendor, imperial and royal flair, waltzing bliss and more contemporary offers, the new hotels in the city will also make a lot of sense. In summer 2022, for example, the first "Rosewood" made its debut in the German-speaking region. The "Leo Grand" is also revitalizing the scene, as are the Ringstrasse hostels "Amauris" and "Almanac", which opened this spring.

Night at the museum - with dinosaurs

Austria's history can be viewed through virtual reality glasses at Schönbrunn Palace : As if you were sitting with Sisi and Franz Joseph at communion or watching Mozart compose. The special guided tour "Lay me at Your Majesty's feet" in the Sisi Museum in the Hofburg also exudes imperial nostalgia. Nearby, the venerable Natural History Museum has a fresh idea: An overnight stay in the dinosaur hall? The dinosaurs as slumber partners can be booked in a children's and an adult version. The Spanish Riding School, where 200 employees meticulously look after the famous Lipizzaner horses, also promises animal fun. The news magazine "profil" recently found a local inspection to be a hoot: "The white stallions stand in luxurious stables decorated with gold, each box is littered knee-high with straw and bears the name of the occupant in curved letters. In some retirement homes, the all-round care and staffing levels would probably make you green with envy."

Two anniversaries are also being celebrated without compromise this year: The Belvedere, the fabulous summer residence of Prince Eugene, is 300 years old, and there are also 150 years of the Vienna World Exhibition: opened by Emperor Franz Joseph on May 1, 1873, the six-month exhibition catapulted the Habsburg metropolis towards becoming a modern metropolis. With a diameter of 108 m, the central rotunda in the Prater grounds was so gigantic that it could even have accommodated the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. Burned down in 1937, it is now experiencing a resurrection as a new building, with 360-degree art on over 3,000 m2 from the fall.

A market with a gourmet restaurant

Hungry from sightseeing Fancy a stroll around the market? Then don't reflexively head for the overused Naschmarkt. Author and columnist Christian Sailer recommends the Karmelitermarkt instead, which always "mutates into Vienna's best market on Saturday mornings". A real insider tip can be found far from the center, in the 12th district - the Meidlinger Markt has gone from "clinically dead" to "hip" in just under 10 years: it boasts the first and so far only award-winning restaurant at a Viennese market, the "Wirtschaft am Markt". In general, the culinary spectrum in the capital city of 2 million inhabitants is gigantic. The spectrum ranges from fine dining to hearty street food - star chef Lukas Mraz affectionately dubs sausages "Viennese sushi". The "Steirereck" and the "Do & Co" high above Stephansplatz are still considered to be in the culinary premier league, and with almost bizarre consistency, the latter never changes its menu. Vegetarians get their money's worth at "Tian". See and be seen is the name of the game at "Fabios" or a few steps further on at "Schwarzes Kameel", where the signature dish is a ham roll with horseradish. Breakfast tigers are flooded with feelings of happiness at the "Meierei" in the Stadtpark, while fans of wine taverns look down on Vienna from the "Wieninger am Nussberg". Mick Jagger enjoyed himself at the "Bitzinger" sausage stand near the Albertina after the Stones' acclaimed stadium concert last year. "I can't get no satisfaction"? Not at all.
Rather "Vienna, Vienna, just you alone".

DIPLOMATISCHE VERTRETUNGEN

Austrian Embassy in Germany
Stauffenbergstraße 1, 10785 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 202870
Fax: +49 30 2290569
www.bmaa.gv.at

Austrian Embassy in Switzerland
Kirchenfeldstrasse 77/79, 3000 Bern
Phone: +41 31 3565252
Fax: +41 31 3515664
www.bmeia.gv.at/oeb-bern

Lage

Österreich

Fläche

414,6 km²

Bevölkerung

1,741 Millionen

Sprache

Deutsch (regionale Amtssprachen: Kroatisch, Slowenisch, Ungarisch)

Hauptstadt

Vienna

Religion

Around 74 percent of Austria's population is Roman Catholic, 5 percent Protestant, 4 percent Muslim and 12 percent non-denominational.

Weather

Österreich liegt in der gemäßigten Zone im Übergangsbereich von atlantisch beeinflusstem und kontinental ausgeprägtem mitteleuropäischem Klima.
Die durchschnittlichen Temperaturen liegen im Juli bei 20 °C und im Winter bei 0 °C. Die Höchsttemperatur im Sommer beträgt 35 °C , und im Winter gibt es Temperaturen bis -20 °C

Die sonnigsten und trockensten Monate sind von April bis September.

Durchaus sind auch in der trockenen Jahreszeit kurze, aber warme Regenschauer zu erwarten.

Beste Reisezeit

Juni bis Oktober und Januar bis April (Wintersport). Ideal für eine Reise nach Wien sind das späte Frühjahr oder der frühe Herbst.

Klima

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max. Temperaturen	1	3	8	14	19	22	25	24	20	14	7	3
Min. Temperaturen	-4	-2	1	6	11	13	15	15	11	7	3	-1
Sonnenstunden	2	3	4	6	7	8	8	8	7	5	2	1
Regentage	8	7	8	8	9	9	9	9	7	8	8	8

Zeitverschiebung

Mitteleuropäische Zeit (MEZ) mit europäischer Sommerzeit

Währung

Euro

Visa

Ab einem Aufenthalt über 3 Monate besteht für die meisten Nationalitäten eine Visumspflicht. Für einige auch schon darunter. Nähere Infos erfahren Sie direkt bei der Botschaft.

Vaccinations

Vaccination is not compulsory in Austria