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here’s a reason those in the know consistently rate Vienna as one of the world’s most liveable cities. Incredibly warm and welcoming, it balances lush green spaces and riverfront leisure with walkable neighbourhoods. And it’s blessed with a prime position at the heart of Europe – accessible from the east and west, with nonstop flights from practically everywhere.
British Airways flies from the UK to Vienna around five times a day, every day of the week and, with Vienna International Airport only a 16-minute train ride from the city centre, you’re guaranteed a smooth journey.
Those qualities of accessibility and liveability make themselves clear as soon as you arrive. The Viennese are an incredibly diverse bunch, attracting travellers young and old from Europe, the New World and beyond. Not to mention, life here is relatively affordable. And culture, when you crave it, is all around.
In terms of accommodation, British Airways Holidays’ number one partner, The Guesthouse, is a small boutique hotel in the city centre, convenient for the Albertina Museum. For four-star options, choose from the Hotel Kaiserhof, Austria Trend Parkhotel Schönbrunn – near the park and zoo – and Jaz in the City, in the Mariahilf district. Three to three-and-a-half star choices include the Ibis Wien Mariahilf and Hampton by Hilton Vienna Messe in the north of the city, which overlooks Prater Park.
Beyond magnificent imperial architecture, on show to all, the city offers the Vienna City Card. This bargain single-fee pass includes public transport for its duration and gives discounted access to around 200 attractions, from venerable palaces to offbeat art. And on those days when all you crave is a great cup of coffee, the city delivers – with a slice of strudel to boot.
With historical buildings, street art, fantastic parks and gourmet food and wine, you can’t go wrong with the Austrian capital
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Viennese whirl
Whether on water or land, the city offers visitors a unique experience
T
*Terms and conditions apply. Balance due seven weeks before departure
The art of a memorable holiday
1
Imperial heritage
You can’t miss it: the gently bowed Hofburg, or Imperial Palace, holds court at the centre of town. Walk beneath its coffered arches to enter the vast domed entrance, then immerse yourself in the opulent decor and compare the different architectural styles on display.
With each echoing step, you’ll learn about successive Habsburg emperors and their outspoken daughters and wives – like Maria Theresia (mother of Marie Antoinette) and the brave, free-spirited Elisabeth, known as Sisi. The Schatzkammer (treasury) displays Austria’s crown jewels while, beyond it, the Chapel of the Imperial Palace serves as a venue for visiting pianists and choirs.
Vienna Imperial Palace
The Ringstrasse
Vienna’s beautiful 19th-century ring boulevard is less a destination than an experience. Under Emperor Franz Joseph I, the three-mile loop around the city was built in place of the old walls, and ended up providing access to new monuments constructed on either side, not least the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts) and Naturhistorisches Museum (Museum of Natural History).
As well as being home to museums and palaces, the Ringstrasse takes in Volksgarten (with 400 different roses) and other parks of the Habsburg era. It also passes the elegant arches of the opera house. Then it skirts the Danube Canal, lined with trendy restaurants and bars. A path to every spire and dome worth seeing, the Ringstrasse represents an era of spectacular, unprecedented growth. Take it in sections on foot. Ride a tram or hire a bike to cover the entire circuit.
Jarosinski & Vaugoin
Of course, it’s celebrated for its architectural grandeur, yet Vienna is just as admired for what lies behind each palace door. The city’s reputation for handcrafted design is as strong today as it was when Vienna reigned supreme, and many of its heritage brands go back centuries.
Take Jarosinski & Vaugoin. The family behind it has been hand-forging fine silverware since 1847, supplying emperors from its small workshop and even exhibiting at the Vienna World’s Fair in 1873.
Today’s sixth generation Vaugoins are among the last silversmiths in the world still working by hand. They keep the brand relevant by re-releasing favourite designs from the past while collaborating with contemporary artists from across Europe. But you can judge for yourself with a visit to the atelier in the historic Neubau district.
2
A very exciting city
The “jungle” of Vienna – the Lobau section of the Donau-Auen National Park – is just over half an hour from the Ringstrasse, and yet not a single tower or spire is visible on its green horizon. Its protected beauty encompasses forest, wildflower fields and a 2,300-hectare floodplain landscape, a rare thing in central Europe today.
City folk cycle in along the Danube – or Donau – and children run, barely seen, through the tall grasses. But most importantly, this park attracts hundreds of species, from kingfishers (the national “flying gem”) to beavers, eagles and praying mantises. On a pleasant day this veritable water world, accessed by networks of boardwalks and bridges, becomes as widely sought as any café or club. Though, on any given day, you can do all three.
Donau-Auen National Park
Picnic at am Himmel
Vienna’s Pfaffenberg “mountain” gives views over the city, past rows of vineyards, lush orchards and quirky public art. More than a viewpoint, the 400-metre-high meadow is a meeting place for friends, musicians, performers and pilgrims, and is close to a café and the milky-white Sisi Chapel.
Pack some provisions in a bag, then set off in the afternoon on the 38A bus from Heiligenstadt. Walking the final stretch from Cobenzl is hard work on a hot day, but well worth it for the fresh air and bird’s-eye views. As the sun sets behind the woodland, the city lights will emerge down below to put on their free show – really all the entertainment you need.
Millions of people in hundreds of towns claim the Danube as their own, but none is lucky enough to have a panorama as dramatic as Vienna’s – or one as rich in history. So, if you’re going to sail it, sail it here.
Just seven subway stops away from the centre, the Old Danube is a calm, idyllic side arm of the main river that’s well loved by locals. Here you can hire a rowing or electric boat to enjoy a relaxing afternoon – or go swimming or stand-up paddleboarding. Seeing the city from the river is a wonderful way to take it all in.
Boat ride on the old Danube
3
Arts and culture
While you can walk the length and breadth of the city in a day, watching the streetscape change with the vibe of the crowd, there is much more to explore further out. Over the Danube Canal to the northeast, young families assemble around Karmelitermarkt for their morning pastries, replaced by a more bohemian crowd as casual bistros open for dinner.
Comb the Seventh District, or Neubau, for more innovative dining – plus pungent cocktails and elegant boutiques that define the city’s fashion. The MuseumsQuartier is for modern art buffs, or for lounging alfresco among architectural marvels. After dark, everyone heads west, toward Yppenplatz, full of trendy meeting places, exciting restaurants – not least the former launderette, Wetter – and hip bars.
BEYOND THE CITY CENTRE
The 150th anniversary of the groundbreaking World’s Fair hasn’t gone unnoticed among the city’s culture vultures. It’s the perfect opportunity to look back at the artistic supremacy of the time, with exhibitions celebrating the makers and masters of Vienna’s cultural boom.
But there’s more. The Albertina Modern’s autumn exhibition (September 1 to January 21) is dedicated to outstanding artists from Austria and Germany who are linked by a long history – they include Maria Lassnig and Georg Baselitz, Wolfgang Hollegha and Katharina Grosse, Arnulf Rainer and Gerhard Richter.
Close by, the Albertina proper is set to display Michelangelo’s nudes from September 14 to January 14. Expressionist Max Oppenheimer gets his long-awaited retrospective at the Leopold Museum, from October 6 to February 25. And the Bank Austria Kunstforum spotlights Robert Motherwell, the abstract expressionist who wowed 20th-century New York.
Vienna’s exhibition highlights
Vienna has been waiting nearly five years to see how local architects Certov, Winkler + Ruck will transform its postwar city museum, originally designed by Oswald Haerdtl. And in December they’ll get their wish. The new team has expanded and refaced the mid-century building, adding a glass foyer, graceful open stairwells and a 25-metre-high atrium.
The renovated galleries will accommodate additional artefacts and art from Roman times to the present day. But the tour de force is undoubtedly the added upper level, a “floating” concrete cube linked to the museum below by banks of glass and a vast public terrace. The stylish concrete volume will house rotating exhibitions and a new café.
Reopening of
the Wien Museum
The Viennese have a talent for embracing old and new, from ancient statuary and gilt-framed oils to abstract installations. So there’s a real buzz around the 300th birthday of Belvedere Palace this year. The programme highlights the different facets of the historic complex – two baroque palaces (Upper and Lower Belvedere) and the postwar modernist Belvedere 21 – all straddling acres of gardens south of the centre.
The Belvedere: 300 Years a Place of Art showcases its world-famous artworks, ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day. Taking centre stage is the world’s largest Klimt collection, including The Kiss.
300 years of
Belvedere Palace
One of two monumental domed buildings flanking Maria-Theresien-Platz on the Ringstrasse, the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) is as gloriously grand itself as the antiquities within. The central hall, blanketed in frescoes, marble relief and gilded columns, is baroque in the extreme.
But the collection is the thing here, amassed over centuries by the ruling Habsburgs. Their riches span three millennia, from Egyptian sarcophagi, Greek marbles and Roman urns to medieval vases and Renaissance paintings. A temporary exhibition, Gold & Silk, launching September 26, will highlight monumental tapestries based on designs by Raphael, commissioned here in Vienna. These fine silk wall hangings threaded with precious metallics will accompany other historical tapestries from the KHM’s permanent collection – which, for conservation reasons, can seldom see the light.
Kunsthistorisches Museum
Its sterling reputation and excellent schools has drawn artists to Austria’s capital for centuries. Their work is everywhere – and nowhere more accessible than on the urban fabric.
For nearly two decades, street art has been positively welcomed throughout the city. The Vienna Wall project earmarked dozens of buildings' walls in 13 districts for spray-painted masterpieces, from underpasses and metro stations to the ends of historic terraces.
A stroll along the Danube Canal is like walking through a contemporary art museum, inspired by the prolific European artists Kobra and Kruella d’Enfer. And now the city hosts its own street art festival, Calle Libre, for a week each summer.
Street art in Vienna
4
Music
The end of the workday is a cue for thousands of Viennese to climb into their finery and head to venues around the historic centre. On any night of the week, there’ll be 10,000 music enthusiasts listening to live classical performances in Vienna – something that’s unheard of in any other city in the world.
The grand Konzerthaus and State Opera are hot tickets for fans of classical music. The Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year concert at the Musikverein is a wildly popular ritual that is broadcast worldwide.
Live classical music
Austria's most famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, died at the age of 35 while working on the Requiem Mass at his home on Rauhensteingasse. Today, 232 years later, the house where he lived is a modern glass building that’s a memorial and multimedia tribute to the man and his extraordinary music.
The Mythos Mozart experience begins with a funereal staging of the Requiem, in a room lit by 1,500 candles. Visitors then explore a digital recreation of Mozart’s world, taking in views of the city while images churn around them. The maestro’s music is supplemented with soundscapes by musical director Walter Werzowa, who brings the show to a theatrical finish.
Mythos Mozart
The Staatsoper, or State Opera, is both a building and a symbol of Vienna’s 19th-century artistic supremacy. It flourished under artistic director Gustav Mahler, who in his day lured heralded artists to the stage for spectators who travelled from across Europe.
Things are hardly different today. The Renaissance-style palace is a world-class opera venue and stands at the centre of the action, flaunting multiple bronze statues that represent the emotions evoked by song. And it still attracts top conductors and performers. In autumn, the stage will feature Philippe Jordan’s treatment of Il Trittico and a performance of Turandot – both by Puccini – followed by Alexander Raskatov’s Animal Farm, conducted by British maestro Alexander Soddy.
The ballet programme includes Giselle, starring Hyo-Jung Kang, and Don Quixote, with Liudmila Konovalova and Davide Dato.
Vienna State Opera
5
Gastronomy
The remarkable diversity of this capital announces itself in the marketplace. Vendors from eastern and western Europe do battle with pastries and pastas. Asian and Middle Eastern chefs add spice – and enticing aromas – to the proceedings. You’ll find them all at Naschmarkt, a strip of kiosks near Karlsplatz, where young professionals lounge alfresco with dim sum, gelato and Israeli falafel.
Karmelitermarkt is calmer: a produce and meat market invaded by coffee houses and young chefs. Brunnenmarkt is Vienna's largest street market and caters to an edgier crowd near Yppenplatz. And this year a new gourmet food hall called Gleisgarten will launch in a converted tramshed in the city’s 12th district.
Viennese markets
Wine is an important part of the culture in Vienna – the only capital in the world to have significant wine production within city limits. Wiener Gemischter Satz is a field blend (varieties planted and grown together) that takes grapes from the surrounding hillsides. Where to find it? Wine parlours called heurigers pop up after the harvest to introduce locals to the current year’s vintage.
Located around the city limits, close to vineyards like Christ and Edlmoser, they serve at simple tables in the open air. The warmth comes from the bottle. You can sample the native grape closer to your hotel, at cosy wine bars like Heunisch & Erben in the Landstrasse neighbourhood, or Vis a Vis, in the old city. Then there’s Bruder, a restaurant and bar in Mariahilf that displays its home-brewed liquors and prosecco in clear jars stacked up the walls.
Viennese wine
and heurigers
This one’s for serious oenophiles who love the outdoors: an autumn weekend (September 23-24 in 2023) when Vienna’s 140 vintners fling open their doors to anyone hardy enough to walk there.
Wine Hiking Day has popularised a local wine trail across 600 hectares that you can undertake in moderate portions. The smallest routes run from Wilhelminenberg Palace, west of the city, or cut through the gentle hills around Neustift am Walde, past three famous wineries.
Hardier types can travel south to Strebersdorf for the striking six-mile hike to Stammersdorf, and those who prefer to stay in town can explore the leafy suburb of Maurer, drinking at some of the city’s best-known heurigers.
Vienna Wine Hiking
With access to first-rate ingredients – and the biggest talent – from across the continent, there’s little Vienna’s chefs can’t whip up with panache. Michelin has long since taken notice. It’s awarded stars to a bevy of hotspots, including Fabian Günzel’s minimalist, fish-forward restaurant Aend and the legendary Steirereck, a glassy cabin in the Stadtpark.
Order from the gourmet vegetarian menu at Tian or a multi-course smorgasbord at the gastro-Korean restaurant Kim Kocht and you’ll get amazing quality for the price – especially if you go for a long, leisurely lunch, when menus are less expensive. Embraced by the typically warm Viennese staff, you’ll have an experience you’re unlikely to forget.
Fine dining
Go for a schnitzel, sure! Vienna’s most sought-after bistros, or beisls, serve tender, lightly breaded cutlets that spill over the edge of your plate. But make sure to save room for longtime favourites like frittatensuppe (soup with pancake noodles) or goulash, followed by palatschinken and kaiserschmarren pastries for pud.
Glacis Beisl has one of the loveliest gardens in which to linger over a glass of Gemischter Satz and a plate of classic potato pierogies. Or book a table in the woody confines of Gasthaus Wild for fried perch fillet and a dessert of chestnut marzipan mousse.
The Viennese bistro
Vienna offers something for everyone
Joy in the heart
of Europe
There are so many reasons to book your Vienna escape with British Airways Holidays. With up to 27 direct flights a week from London Heathrow to Vienna and a 23kg baggage allowance per person, there’s so much flexibility (with no nasty extras). And a huge range of hotels for every budget and style. Secure your booking with a low £60pp* deposit, plus there’s the option to both collect and part pay with Avios points. Holidays booked with British Airways Holidays are Atol and Abta protected, and there’s also a 24/7 helpline if there are problems while you’re away.
Secure your 2023 British Airways Holidays escape to Vienna now with a low deposit at ba.com/vienna
Illustration Stephanie Ginger @ Making Pictures
© WienTourismus
© WienTourismus/Paul Bauer
© WienTourismus/Christian Stemper
© WienTourismus/Paul Bauer
© WienTourismus/Gregor Hofbauer
© WienTourismus/Paul Bauer
© WienTourismus/Paul Bauer
© WienTourismus/Paul Bauer
© WienTourismus/Paul Bauer
© Kollektiv Fischka, Wien Museum
© WienTourismus/Paul Bauer
© WienTourismus/Paul Bauer
© WienTourismus/Paul Bauer
© WienTourismus/Peter Rigaud
© WienTourismus/Paul Bauer
© WienTourismus/Paul Bauer
© WienTourismus/Julius Hirtzberger
© WienTourismus/Julius Hirtzberger
© WienTourismus/Julius Hirtzberger
© WienTourismus/Paul Bauer
© Mythos Mozart
*Terms and conditions apply. Balance due seven weeks before departure
Secure your 2023 British Airways Holidays escape to Vienna now with a low deposit at ba.com/vienna
There are so many reasons to book your Vienna escape with British Airways Holidays. With up to 27 direct flights a week from London Heathrow to Vienna and a 23kg baggage allowance per person, there’s so much flexibility (with no nasty extras). And a huge range of hotels for every budget and style. Secure your booking with a low £60pp* deposit, plus there’s the option to both collect and part pay with Avios points. Holidays booked with British Airways Holidays are Atol and Abta protected, and there’s also a 24/7 helpline if there are problems while you’re away.
The art of a memorable holiday
5
Gastronomy
The remarkable diversity of this capital announces itself in the marketplace. Vendors from Eastern and Western Europe do battle with pastries and pastas. Asian and Middle Eastern chefs add spice – and enticing aromas – to the proceedings. You’ll find them all at Naschmarkt, a strip of kiosks near Karlsplatz, where young professionals lounge al fresco with dim sum, gelato and Israeli falafel.
Karmelitermarkt is calmer: a produce and meat market invaded by coffee houses and young chefs. Brunnenmarkt is Vienna's largest street market and caters to an edgier crowd near Yppenplatz. And this year a new gourmet food hall called Gleisgarten will launch in a converted tramshed in the city’s 12th district.
Viennese markets
Wine is an important part of the culture in Vienna – the only capital in the world to have significant wine production within city limits. Wiener Gemischter Satz is a field blend (varieties planted and grown together) that takes grapes from the surrounding hillsides. Where to find it? Wine parlours called heurigers pop up after the harvest to introduce locals to the current year’s vintage.
Located around the city limits, close to vineyards like Christ and Edlmoser, they serve at simple tables in the open air. The warmth comes from the bottle. You can sample the native grape closer to your hotel, at cosy wine bars like Heunisch & Erben in the Landstrasse neighbourhood, or Vis à Vis, in the old city. Then there’s Bruder, a restaurant and bar in Mariahilf that displays its home-brewed liquors and prosecco in clear jars stacked up the walls.
Viennese wine
and heurigers
With access to first-rate ingredients – and the biggest talent – from across the continent, there’s little Vienna’s chefs can’t whip up with panache. Michelin has long since taken notice. It’s awarded stars to a bevy of hotspots, including Fabian Günzel’s minimalist, fish-forward restaurant Aend and the legendary Steirereck, a glassy cabin in the Stadtpark.
Order from the gourmet vegetarian menu at Tian or a multi-course smorgasbord at the gastro-Korean restaurant Kim Kocht and you’ll get amazing quality for the price – especially if you go for a long, leisurely lunch, when menus are less expensive. Embraced by the typically warm Viennese staff, you’ll have an experience you’re unlikely to forget.
Fine dining
This one’s for serious oenophiles who love the outdoors: an autumn weekend (September 23-24 in 2023) when Vienna’s 140 vintners fling open their doors to anyone hardy enough to walk there.
Wine Hiking Day has popularised a local wine trail across 600 hectares that you can undertake in moderate portions. The smallest routes run from Wilhelminenberg Palace, west of the city, or cut through the gentle hills around Neustift am Walde, past three famous wineries.
Hardier types can travel south to Strebersdorf for the striking six-mile hike to Stammersdorf, and those who prefer to stay in town can explore the leafy suburb of Maurer, drinking at some of the city’s best-known heurigers.
Vienna Wine Hiking
Go for a schnitzel, sure! Vienna’s most sought-after bistros, or beisls, serve tender, lightly breaded cutlets that spill over the edge of your plate. But make sure to save room for longtime favourites like frittatensuppe (soup with pancake noodles) or goulash, followed by palatschinken and kaiserschmarren pastries for pud.
Glacis Beisl has one of the loveliest gardens in which to linger over a glass of Gemischter Satz and a plate of classic potato pierogies. Or book a table in the woody confines of Gasthaus Wild for fried perch fillet and a dessert of chestnut marzipan mousse.
The Viennese bistro
4
Music
The end of the workday is a cue for thousands of Wieners to climb into their finery and head to venues around the historic centre. On any night of the week, there’ll be 10,000 music enthusiasts listening to live classical performances in Vienna – something that’s unheard of in any other city in the world.
The grand Konzerthaus and State Opera are hot tickets for fans of classical music. The Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year concert at the Musikverein is a wildly popular ritual that is broadcast worldwide.
Live classical music
Austria's most famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, died at the age of 35 while working on the Requiem Mass at his home on Rauhensteingasse. Today, 232 years later, the house where he lived is a modern glass building that’s a memorial and multimedia tribute to the man and his extraordinary music.
The Mythos Mozart experience begins with a funereal staging of the Requiem, in a room lit by 1,500 candles. Visitors then explore a digital recreation of Mozart’s world, taking in views of the city while images churn around them. The maestro’s music is supplemented with soundscapes by musical director Walter Werzowa, who brings the show to a theatrical finish.
Mythos Mozart
The Staatsoper, or State Opera, is both a building and a symbol of Vienna’s 19th-century artistic supremacy. It flourished under artistic director Gustav Mahler, who in his day lured heralded artists to the stage for spectators who travelled from across Europe.
Things are hardly different today. The Renaissance-style palace is a world-class opera venue and stands at the centre of the action, flaunting multiple bronze statues that represent the emotions evoked by song. And it still attracts top conductors and performers. In autumn, the stage will feature Philippe Jordan’s treatment of Il Trittico and a performance of Turandot – both by Puccini – followed by Alexander Raskatov’s Animal Farm, conducted by British maestro Alexander Soddy.
The ballet programme includes Giselle, starring Hyo-Jung Kang, and Don Quixote, with Liudmila Konovalova and Davide Dato.
Vienna State Opera
3
Arts and culture
While you can walk the length and breadth of the city in a day, watching the streetscape change with the vibe of the crowd, there is much more to explore further out. Over the Danube Canal to the northeast, young families assemble around Karmelitermarkt for their morning pastries, replaced by a more bohemian crowd as casual bistros open for dinner.
Comb the Seventh District, or Neubau, for more innovative dining – plus pungent cocktails and elegant boutiques that define the city’s fashion. The MuseumsQuartier is for modern art buffs, or for lounging alfresco among architectural marvels. After dark, everyone heads west, toward Yppenplatz, full of trendy meeting places, exciting restaurants – not least the former launderette, Wetter – and hip bars.
BEYOND THE CITY CENTRE
The 150th anniversary of the groundbreaking World’s Fair hasn’t gone unnoticed among the city’s culture vultures. It’s the perfect opportunity to look back at the artistic supremacy of the time, with exhibitions celebrating the makers and masters of Vienna’s cultural boom.
But there’s more. The Albertina Modern’s autumn exhibition (September 1 to January 21) is dedicated to outstanding artists from Austria and Germany who are linked by a long history – they include Maria Lassnig and Georg Baselitz, Wolfgang Hollegha and Katharina Grosse, Arnulf Rainer and Gerhard Richter.
Close by, the Albertina proper is set to display Michelangelo’s nudes from September 14 to January 14. Expressionist Max Oppenheimer gets his long-awaited retrospective at the Leopold Museum, from October 6 to February 25. And the Bank Austria Kunstforum spotlights Robert Motherwell, the abstract expressionist who wowed 20th-century New York.
Vienna’s exhibition highlights
Vienna has been waiting nearly five years to see how local architects Certov, Winkler + Ruck will transform its post-war city museum, originally designed by Oswald Haerdtl. And in December they’ll get their wish. The new team has expanded and refaced the mid-century building, adding a glass foyer, graceful open stairwells and a 25-metre-high atrium.
The renovated galleries will accommodate additional artefacts and art from Roman times to the present day. But the tour de force is undoubtedly the added upper level, a “floating” concrete cube linked to the museum below by banks of glass and a vast public terrace. The stylish concrete volume will house rotating exhibitions and a new café.
Reopening
of the Wien Museum
The Viennese have a talent for embracing old and new, from ancient statuary and gilt-framed oils to abstract installations. So there’s a real buzz around the 300th birthday of Belvedere Palace this year. The programme highlights the different facets of the historic complex – two baroque palaces (Upper and Lower Belvedere) and the post-war modernist Belvedere 21 – all straddling acres of gardens south of the centre.
The Belvedere: 300 Years a Place of Art showcases its world-famous artworks, ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day. Taking centre stage is the world’s largest Klimt collection, including The Kiss.
300 years of
Belvedere Palace
One of two monumental domed buildings flanking Maria-Theresien-Platz on the Ringstrasse, the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) is as gloriously grand itself as the antiquities within. The central hall, blanketed in frescoes, marble relief and gilded columns, is baroque in the extreme.
But the collection is the thing here, amassed over centuries by the ruling Habsburgs. Their riches span three millennia, from Egyptian sarcophagi, Greek marbles and Roman urns to medieval vases and renaissance paintings. A temporary exhibition, Gold & Silk, launching September 26, will highlight monumental tapestries based on designs by Raphael, commissioned here in Vienna. These fine silk wall hangings threaded with precious metallics will accompany other historic tapestries from the KHM’s permanent collection – which, for conservation reasons, can seldom see the light.
Kunsthistorisches Museum
Its sterling reputation and excellent schools has drawn artists to Austria’s capital for centuries. Their work is everywhere – and nowhere more accessible than on the urban fabric.
For nearly two decades, street art has been positively welcomed throughout the city. The Vienna Wall project earmarked dozens of building walls in 13 districts for spray-painted masterpieces, from underpasses and metro stations to the ends of historic terraces.
A stroll along the Danube Canal is like walking through a contemporary art museum, inspired by the prolific European artists Kobra and Kruella d’Enfer. And now the city hosts its own street-art festival, Calle Libre, for a week each summer.
Street art in Vienna
2
A very exciting city
Picnic at am Himmel
Vienna’s Pfaffenberg “mountain” gives views over the city, past rows of vineyards, lush orchards and quirky public art. More than a viewpoint, the 400-metre-high meadow is a meeting place for friends, musicians, performers and pilgrims, and is close to a café and the milky-white Sisi Chapel.
Pack some provisions in a bag, then set off in the afternoon on the 38A bus from Heiligenstadt. Walking the final stretch from Cobenzl is hard work on a hot day, but well worth it for the fresh air and bird’s-eye views. As the sun sets behind the woodland, the city lights will emerge down below to put on their free show – really all the entertainment you need.
The “jungle” of Vienna – the Lobau section of the Donau-Auen National Park – is just over half an hour from the Ringstrasse, and yet not a single tower or spire is visible on its green horizon. Its protected beauty encompasses forest, wildflower fields and a 2,300-hectare floodplain landscape, a rare thing in Central Europe today.
City folk cycle in along the Danube – or Donau – and children run, barely seen, through the tall grasses. But most importantly, this park attracts hundreds of species, from kingfishers (the national “flying gem”) to beavers, eagles and praying mantis. On a pleasant day this veritable water world, accessed by networks of boardwalks and bridges, becomes as widely sought as any cafe or club. Though, on any given day, you can do all three.
Donau-Auen National Park
Millions of people in hundreds of towns claim the Danube as their own, but none is lucky enough to have a panorama as dramatic as Vienna’s – or one as rich in history. So, if you’re going to sail it, sail it here.
Just seven subway stops away from the centre, the Old Danube is a calm, idyllic side arm of the main river that’s well loved by locals. Here you can hire a rowing or electric boat to enjoy a relaxing afternoon – or go swimming or stand-up paddleboarding. Seeing the city from the river is a wonderful way to take it all in.
Boat ride on the old Danube
1
Imperial heritage
You can’t miss it: the gently bowed Hofburg, or Imperial Palace, holds court at the centre of town. Walk beneath its coffered arches to enter the vast domed entrance, then immerse yourself in the opulent decor and compare the different architectural styles on display.
With each echoing step, you’ll learn about successive Habsburg emperors and their outspoken daughters and wives – like Marie Theresia (mother of Marie Antoinette) and the brave, free-spirited Elisabeth, known as Sisi. The Schatzkammer (treasury) displays Austria’s crown jewels while, beyond it, the Chapel of the Imperial Palace serves as a venue for visiting pianists and choirs.
Vienna Imperial Palace
The Ringstrasse
Vienna’s beautiful 19th-century ring boulevard is less a destination than an experience. Under Emperor Franz Joseph I, the three-mile loop around the city was built in place of the old walls, and ended up providing access to new monuments constructed on either side, not least the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts) and Naturhistorisches Museum (Museum of Natural History).
As well as being home to museums and palaces, the Ringstrasse takes in Volksgarten (with 400 different roses) and other parks of the Habsburg era. It also passes the elegant arches of the opera house. Then it skirts the Danube Canal, lined with trendy restaurants and bars. A path to every spire and dome worth seeing, the Ringstrasse represents an era of spectacular, unprecedented growth. Take it in sections on foot. Ride a tram or hire a bike to cover the entire circuit.
Jarosinski & Vaugoin
Of course, it’s celebrated for its architectural grandeur, yet Vienna is just as admired for what lies behind each palace door. The city’s reputation for handcrafted design is as strong today as it was when Vienna reigned supreme, and many of its heritage brands go back centuries.
Take Jarosinski & Vaugoin. The family behind it has been hand-forging fine silverware since 1847, supplying emperors from its small workshop and even exhibiting at the Vienna World’s Fair in 1873.
Today’s sixth generation Vaugoins are among the last silversmiths in the world still working by hand. They keep the brand relevant by re-releasing favourite designs from the past while collaborating with contemporary artists from across Europe. But you can judge for yourself with a visit to the atelier in the historic Neubau district.
Viennese whirl
Whether on water or land, the city offers visitors a unique experience
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With historical buildings, street art, fantastic parks and gourmet food and wine, you can’t go wrong with the Austrian capital
Vienna offers something for everyone
Joy in the heart
of Europe
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There’s a reason those in the know consistently rate Vienna as one of the world’s most liveable cities. Incredibly warm and welcoming, it balances lush green spaces and riverfront leisure with walkable neighbourhoods. And it’s blessed with a prime position at the heart of Europe – accessible from the east and west, with non-stop flights from practically everywhere.
British Airways flies from the UK to Vienna around five times a day, every day of the week and, with Vienna International Airport only a 16-minute train ride from the city centre, you’re guaranteed a smooth journey.
Those qualities of accessibility and liveability make themselves clear as soon as you arrive. The Viennese are an incredibly diverse bunch, attracting travellers young and old from Europe, the New World and beyond. Not to mention, life here is relatively affordable. And culture, when you crave it, is all around.
In terms of accommodation, British Airways Holidays’ number one partner, The Guesthouse, is a small boutique hotel in the city centre, convenient for the Albertina Museum. For four-star options, choose from the Hotel Kaiserhof, Austria Trend Parkhotel Schönbrunn – near the park and zoo – and Jaz in the City, in the Mariahilf district. Three to three-and-a-half star choices include the Ibis Wien Mariahilf and Hampton by Hilton Vienna Messe in the north of the city, which overlooks Prater Park.
Beyond magnificent imperial architecture, on show to all, the city offers the Vienna City Card. This bargain single-fee pass includes public transport for its duration and gives discounted access to around 200 attractions, from venerable palaces to offbeat art. And on those days when all you crave is a great cup of coffee, the city delivers – with a slice of strudel to boot.