The Glass City Guide – Vienna

The Glass City Guide – Vienna

The Lowdown

Vienna – a feast of history, culture, music, architecture, elegance – seamlessly blending the past and future into its vibrant pulse. Fly to its pristine modern international airport, and a fast ride on the CAT train will take you right into the bustling city centre.

City Hall at Vienna

Sights

Start your exploration by hiring bicycles – the Citybike infrastructure is excellent and the city has a deep ingrained respect for cyclists. It’s rewarding and exciting to intersect and open up the city on two wheels. Streets turn into open spaces and parks, punctuated by the grandeur of Viennese architecture – with Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau buildings alongside world-class modern architecture.

Take time out in the 60,000m² Museumsquartier – the eighth largest in the world – where you can choose from over a hundred museums and galleries, interspersed with restaurants and shops. You could spend time in the Leopold Museum, home of the world’s most important and largest Egon Schiele collection, as well as artworks by Josef Hofmann and Kolo Moser – or maybe modern art in the MUMOK building is more to your taste, with major works from Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso.

All the while you’ll be soaking up the soul of Vienna – the warm and relaxed vibe of its people, the genuine peace and consideration for their neighbours, and the respect and happiness they bring to their environment. Its position as world number one city for Quality of Living is well deserved.

Concerts and festivals abound, so be sure to check what’s on. On our last visit, as we rode towards the large canal that intersects the city, we were engulfed by the Donaukanaltreiben Festival, igniting the waterside with a metropolis of stages, live concerts, DJ sets, readings, bars and music. The energy was infectious and all ages were enjoying a heady entertainment concoction, cooled by the flowing canal along which people sat, soaking up this unique atmosphere.

Donaukanaltreiben Festival

Be sure to explore the area between the canal and where the great river Danube carves a line through the city further north. Nestled in this area are the diverse Wurstelprater amusement park (usually simply called the Prater), the Ernst Happel Stadium and the Vienna University of Economics and Business.

The new university campus, home to 25,000 students, features striking architecture by six leading firms, including Zaha Hadid, Hitoshi Abe and CRAB Studio – presenting an array of international creativity next to its friendly Prater neighbour. Don’t miss the park’s amusements, especially the Giant Ferris Wheel of Vienna, a cultural and architectural landmark for the city for over a century and a masterpiece of 19^th century engineering, standing 64.75m high and giving views over the excitement and fun below.

Vienna has a host of hidden gems and is a great place for creatives and small businesses to flourish, so take a guided tour. We were privileged to have Lucie from shoppingwithlucie.com as our excellent guide. With her local knowledge and finesse she unearthed a hidden world filled with creativity and flair. Vienna’s exciting array of boutiques spotlights the city’s impressive raw talent and world class products, including Max Grün’s quirky RingKing collection, the Leschanz chocolate boutique, and the creative bags of Eva Blut.

The Giant Ferris Wheel of Vienna at the Wurstelprater amusement park

Eats

While in the park, don’t miss the Schweizerhaus restaurant, a bustling eatery showcasing the different taste notes of the Viennese palate, which champions baking and the clever preparing and cooking of meat. Make time to visit Huth Gastwirtschaft, another Austrian eating gem where you can experience the national speciality Wiener Schnitzel, a very thin, breaded and pan fried veal cutlet.

You can never wander far in Vienna without finding a stand selling a Viennese sausage snack served with bread, a culinary favourite we sampled from the Bitzinger Würstelstand.

For a real treat you mustn’t miss the Naschmarkt, a bustling collection of around 120 market stands populated by all generations and offering a colourful array of fresh fruit and produce, from Viennese local delicacies to Indian cuisine, along with antiques in a traditional flea market.

The Grand Ferdinand Hotel

Sleep

Our top choice is the Grand Ferdinand hotel, a Weitzer family masterpiece that champions tradition. With its impressive 188 rooms and three restaurants, it has a quiet confidence and ease in its style and attire that echoes the family’s experience and passion developed from a hundred years in the hotel business. One intriguing feature is the decision to include dorms into the hotel to give an inclusive environment for guests of all backgrounds and budgets.

The grand restaurant terrace at the Grand Ferdinand hotel

Start the day in the grand restaurant terrace on the top floor, looking out over the rooftops of Vienna. The breakfast is lavish and the service impeccable. Afterwards, why not take a dip in the hotel’s rooftop pool – a memorable experience.

You’ll find Vienna to be an unforgettable delight, a privilege and inspiration, full of culture, attention to detail, and warmth throughout.

by Ben Slater