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Austria : Vienna - July 2008

Country Code: Dial for Austria

Not many European cities combine cultural heritage and contemporary influences as comfortably as Vienna. And as summer blazes on, the capital starts to flourish – this month sees classical concerts held in Schönbrunn park, while ImPulsTanz, the international dance festival, kicks off on 10 July and runs until 10 August. Thomas Hochwarter reports.

Getting around

Vienna International Airport

Bus: A bus will take you to the city centre in 20 minutes, leaving every 30 minutes, with a return fare of €11.
Train: The City Airport Train (CAT) takes 16 minutes to reach the centre and leaves every 30 minutes. Return tickets cost €16. The regular municipal railway SBahn goes every 30 minutes and takes 24 minutes to reach the city centre. Single tickets cost €3.
Taxi: A trip to the city from the airport costs a standard fee of €31.
Tourist information: Vienna Tourist Office is at 38 Untere Augartenstraße and 1 Albertinaplatz (555, www.wien.info).

1ST DISTRICT

Most visitors to Vienna’s city centre head straight for its old-fashioned cafés, but the first district’s narrow streets are also lined with wonderful little shops.

Sleep soundly – Just a stone’s throw from Vienna’s most exclusive shops is Hotel Wandl, which has been owned by the same family since 1854.

Culture vultures – To escape the heat of Vienna’s city centre, take a chilly tour through the subterranean sepulchres of the Hapsburgs at Kapuzinergruft (2 Tegetthoffstrasse).

Must eat – Presided over by Austria’s top chef, Reinhard Gerer, Korso (2 Mahlerstrasse, ) sits opposite the Vienna State Opera and is one of the city’s finest restaurants. If your budget is limited, head to Restaurant Fadinger (29 Wipplingerstrasse, tel. ), which does a modern take on traditional Viennese recipes.

Must drink – Café Bräunerhof (2 Stallburggasse) is one of the district’s best-kept secrets.

4TH DISTRICT

The once working-class area of Wieden has recently undergone quite a transformation. There has been an influx of bohemian residents, and many small galleries and fashionable shops have sprung up here.

Sleep soundly – The Sir Terence Conran-designed Hotel Das Triest (12 Wiedner Hauptstrasse, 9180, dastriest.at, rooms from €273) is located close to Vienna’s picturesque Karlsplatz square. Small and intimate, the discreet hotel is frequented by celebrities such as Robbie Williams.

Culture vultures – Karlskirche (1 Kreuzherrengasse) straddles the 1st and 4th districts. Construction of the Roman Catholic church finished in 1737, and it remains one of the most impressive baroque buildings in Europe.

Must eat – The famous Naschmarkt boasts some lovely restaurants, great takeaways and Vienna’s best organic vegetable and fruit stands. Located on the Wienzeile canal, the 1.5km-long market has become the city’s most popular meeting place. If you haven’t got much time on your hands, Indian Pavillion (74-75 Naschmarkt, tel. ) is probably the best option.

Dance the night away – Xeno Café Bar (21 Schleifmühlgasse) has a lively, upbeat atmosphere and draws a mixed crowd.

19TH DISTRICT

Döbling is home to Vienna’s famous heurigen (old-fashioned taverns that serve home-made wine and lots of traditional Viennese dishes). The area around the Cobenzl and Kahlenberg hills, by the Vienna woods, is the perfect setting for a summer’s day spent outside, and from here you enjoy a splendid view of the whole city.

Sleep soundly – Sitting prettily among Vienna’s most desirable residential addresses, the four-star Hotel Park-Villa has ornate art nouveau rooms and gorgeous bosky grounds. Its stately sweep of garden looks more like a park – good for soaking up the mid-summer sun.

Culture vultures – Hohe Warte stadium (1 Klabundgasse) is Europe’s largest natural amphitheatre. With space for up to 80,000 spectators, it stages football and boxing matches, opera and pop concerts. If you’re not there when a game is on, taking a walk around the premises is almost as impressive an experience.

Must eat – Mayer am Pfarrplatz (2 Pfarrplatz, tel. ) is one of the city’s best heurigen. Composer Ludwig van Beethoven wrote parts of his Symphony No. 9 while living in the house in 1817. Today, its wonderfully quiet courtyard still pulls in plenty of visitors.

Compiled by Thomas Hochwarter