Why Vienna?
The numbers speak for themselves: more than 800 traditional coffee houses, 100 museums and 50 theatres, of which four are opera houses. Vienna makes an entertaining European city break all year round.
Thanks to the variety of activities on offer, the city suits every budget and travel taste. Families will appreciate the numerous parks and pedestrian areas; foodies will delight in the range of traditional and eclectic restaurants; and digital nomads will find the ubiquity of free Wi-Fi quite appealing, as well as the laid-back coffee house culture.
Upon arrival at the airport, you can purchase a 72-hour Vienna Card for €19.90 (Dh99). The card grants unlimited travel on the city’s public transport and numerous discounts at cafes, museums and shops.
A comfortable bed
Sofitel Vienna (0043 1 906160; www.sofitel.com) is a masterpiece by the French star architect Jean Nouvel, who designed the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Built on the banks of the Danube Canal, the luxury hotel is only a short walk away from St Stephen's Square. All rooms and suites are monochromatic: white, grey or black. The top-floor restaurant, Le Loft, offers panoramic views of the city. Double rooms are available from about €200 (Dh991) per night.
Das Triest (0043 1 589180; www.dastriest.at) is a member of Design Hotels and is located near Naschmarkt, Vienna's eclectic, open-air market. About 300 years ago, the building was a coach station on the route from Vienna to Trieste – hence its name. In 1995, it launched as a renovated hotel. It was the first foray into hotel design by the renowned interior designer Sir Terence Conran. Doubles from about €300 (Dh1,486) per night.
Find your feet
A must-do route in central Vienna takes you from St Stephen’s Square to MuseumsQuartier, one of the world’s 10 largest cultural complexes, hosting contemporary art museums, galleries, cafes and shops. On your way, you’ll pass the Imperial Apartments museum, the Museum of Art History and the Museum of Natural History – to name a just few of the cultural highlights.
Lovers of nature and urban art will enjoy a stroll along the Danube Canal. An interesting starting point is Kunst Haus, an exhibition centre in the 3rd district (Landstrasse) designed by the late Austrian architect and painter Friedensreich Hundertwasser. An equally fascinating end to the walk is another Hundertwasser construction: the colourful trash incinerator in the 19th district (Döbling).
Meet the locals
Karmelitermarkt is an open-air market in Vienna’s 2nd district (Leopoldstadt), one of the city’s most culturally diverse areas. It’s particularly popular on Saturdays, when it hosts a farmers’ market. Stalls sell everything from fresh fruits to cheese and flowers. There are a few cosy cafes and restaurants that are open from morning until late afternoon.
With more than 30 branches scattered around town, Aida Café (www.aida.at) is the quintessential Viennese coffee-house chain where locals go to treat themselves to coffee and cake. Two of the chain's more popular coffee specialities are "Aida Mélange", coffee with milk and whipped cream, and "Kleiner Brauner", an espresso topped with whipped cream.
Book a table
Tian (www.tian-vienna.at) is a fine-dining restaurant in Vienna's inner district and is open from Monday to Saturday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In an elegant setting, the restaurant serves exclusively vegetarian dishes using organic produce. Tian's motto summarises the restaurant's sophisticated cuisine and interiors: "Experience taste." Highlights include the Venere risotto with Piedmont hazelnuts (€18 [Dh89]) and the vegan Sacher cake prepared with bitter chocolate and apricot (€13 [Dh64]).
Esstisch (www.esstisch.cc) is a small eatery where many locals working in the inner district go for a quick but healthy lunch. The menu changes every week and includes two soups of the day (€3.60 [Dh18] each), three different main courses (€4.90 [Dh24] each), six types of salads (€4.90; [Dh24] for two), and a dessert (€3.20 [Dh16]).
Shopper’s paradise
Vienna’s main shopping address is Mariahilferstrasse, the city’s longest shopping street, where you can find all of the major international brands and food chains. The bustling street stretches from MuseumsQuartier to Vienna’s most popular sightseeing attraction, Schönbrunn Palace.
Shoppers looking for luxury brands should head to the brand new Goldenes Quartier (www.goldenesquartier.at). Only a few steps away from St Stephen's Square, the "Golden Quarter" is home to the flagship stores of international designer labels such as Emporio Armani, Miu Miu, and Roberto Cavalli – with others to follow soon. You'll also find Europe's second-largest Louis Vuitton store.
What to avoid
Many of the souvenir shops just off St Stephen’s Square sell products of cheap quality at high prices.
Don’t miss
Vienna's Globe Museum (www.onb.ac.at/ev/globe_museum.htm) hosts the world's largest collection of globes and globe-related instruments that's open to the general public. Here, you can learn about the history and use of celestial globes, relief globes, thematic globes and numerous lesser-known instruments. It's one of the Austrian National Library's four museums, the other three being the Esperanto Museum, the Papyrus Museum and the State Hall. A weekly ticket for €12 (Dh59) will give you unlimited access to all four museums for an entire week.
Go there
A return flight with Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dubai costs about Dh2,200, including taxes. The city centre is only 15 minutes from the airport on the City Airport Train – a one-way ticket costs €12 (Dh60).
[ weekend@thenational.ae ]
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