Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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Austria : Vienna - April 2010

Country Code: Dial for Austria

With the coming of spring, just pottering around Vienna becomes a pleasure, while the annual Spring Festival (on throughout April, visit wien.info for details) heralds the new season with a series of concerts by top ensembles from Austria and beyond. Nick Hodge listens in

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

Encircled by aptly named Ringstrasse (one of Europe’s grandest boulevards), the Innere Stadt is a treasure trove for gourmets, shoppers and history buffs. Make time to fully appreciate and enjoy everything that’s on offer.

Sleep soundly – The Radisson Blu Style Hotel (12 Herrengasse, 780, radissonblu.com/stylehotel-vienna, doubles from €165) offers smooth and contemporary comfort. Or for a traditional, nostalgic option with an equally good location, try the Pension Nossek (17 Graben, tel. , pension-nossek.at, doubles from €115).

Culture vultures – Many of the world’s greatest operas were premiered in Vienna, so head for the Wiener Staatsoper (2 Opernring, staatsoper.at) to tap into that heritage. For Imperial Austria’s answer to London’s Natural History Museum, meanwhile, make straight for the epic Naturhistorisches Museum (7 Burgring).

Must eat – With a sumptuous view on one of the city’s most famous streets, Meinl’s Restaurant (19 Graben, tel. ) is a place to splash out. Or grab an open sandwich at the elegant Zum Schwarzen Kameel (17 Sonnenfelsgasse, tel. ), where Beethoven once hung out.

Must drink – Head to the Onyx Bar (12 Stephansplatz) for a drink with a view, while the diminutive American Bar (10 Kärntner Durchgang), designed by legendary architect Adolf Loos, proves that small really is beautiful.

Shop til you drop – Woka (16 Singerstrasse) is a wonderful alternative to IKEA, with its reproductions of classic avant-garde lamps and furnishings from Vienna’s cultural heyday.

3RD DISTRICT

Spanning a considerable swathe south-east of the centre, this area might be home to both princely palaces and unassuming residential housing, but there’s a lot more going on than a tourist might usually hear about.

Sleep soundly – The Intercontinental Vienna (28 Johannesgasse, 1220, vienna.intercontinental.com, rooms from €280) continues to be a redoubtable option.

Culture vultures – The Belvedere Palace (27 Prinz-Eugen-Strasse) boasts paintings by Klimt, Kokoschka and Schiele, and spring chickens can also enjoy the extensive gardens. Or for something more surreal, check out the famed Hundertwasser Haus (43 Löwengasse) – it’s near the Kunsthaus (13 Untere Weissgerberstrasse), which was also designed by the eccentric Mr Hundertwasser.

Must eat – The ever popular Stadtwirt (45 Untere Viaduktgasse, tel. ) dishes up delicious Austrian cuisine in informal, cheery surroundings.

Dance the night away – Rockers in search of some head-banging action should repair to Arena (80 Baumgasse), a former slaughterhouse that’s now a killer venue.

Shop til you drop – For a mall with a difference, the gargantuan, revamped Gasometer (14 Guglgasse), with four post-industrial towers, is worth a look.

4TH DISTRICT

Nudging up against the hip Naschmarkt (like Place du Jeu de Balle in Brussels), the 4th District is getting steadily hipper. Head further east and there are also rich pickings.

Sleep soundly – Brit design guru Sir Terence Conran couldn’t resist putting a spin on Viennese style. His showpiece here is the snazzy Das Triest (12 Wiedner Hauptstrasse, 9180, dastriest.at, doubles from €218), a top-notch hotel with a delightful summer garden.

Culture vultures – Those with a soft spot for the macabre shouldn’t miss the Undertaker’s Museum (19 Goldegasse), which has such gems as a coffin with a bell pulley (in case of premature burial) plus Dracula-type pallbearer outfits.

Must eat – For an old-school Viennese culinary adventure, try the curiously named Ubl (7 Pressgasse, tel. ), offering fairly priced Austrian fare in a wood-panelled hideaway.

Must drink – With better weather on the cards, the Kunsthallencafe (2 Treitlstrasse) is a laid-back spot to sip a beer and listen to DJs spin tunes.

Compiled by Nick Hodge