WEEKEND ... in Vienna
Short on time in Austria’s capital? Valeriya Safronova plots out an itinerary.
Vienna, the Austrian capital, clings to tradition — just smell the timeless fragrances of roasting chestnuts and spiced wine at the Christmas markets that spring up all around the city every December.
For many visitors, the city is often a brief stop on a whirlwind tour of Central Europe, leaving little time to explore much beyond the historic centre, called the First District. However, there is plenty to see and do in its other districts.
FRIDAY, 4p.m. EXPLORE MILLENNIA
The Wien Museum, focused on the city’s history, is a sweeping plaza with a Baroque church, several new wings and a large terrace, nearly doubling its former size. The museum’s straight lines and white concrete set it apart from the opulent marvels erected by the Hapsburgs, the dynasty that ruled Austria for more than 600 years, like the Belvedere and Kunsthistorisches Museum. The new permanent exhibition (free admission) traces Vienna’s history through objects, including the exterior wall of a store that a Jewish businessperson was forced to liquidate before he fled Austria, after the country was annexed by Nazi Germany. Regular Viennese people are as much of a focus here as the elites; a Gustav Klimt painting, for example, hangs near an early-1900s folding bed used by servants.
6.30p.m. TRY JAPANESE SNACKS
Sure, schnitzel is good. But Vienna’s culinary scene has far more to offer than breaded veal. Take, for example, Kikko Ba, an izakaya where the menu features Japanese snacks made with Austrian ingredients. Beef tartare (€16.90, or about $30) comes with dabs of artichoke cream and pieces of crisp kombu (dried kelp); a bath of sturm, a fermented grape juice, with citrus juices, transforms raw sea bass into a bright ceviche (€16.90); and a creamy udon carbonara (€15.90) is topped with chives (ubiquitous in Austrian cuisine), bonito flakes and dried seaweed. Natural wines and cocktails like a yuzu spritz and a basil-and-melon margarita complement the food’s sophisticated playfulness.
8.30p.m. SIP IN A PALACE GARDEN
All of Vienna’s 17 or so Christmas markets are one-stop shops for holiday gifts, comfort food and hot drinks, but each has its own personality. In the high-ceiling rooms and the garden of a centuries-old Baroque palace, the Palais Freiluft market screams luxury. Inside, vendors sell paintings, hand-poured candles and Austrian honey. Outside, heat lamps offer shelter while you sip a hot cocktail, like a Moscow Mule (€7.80), and nosh on a kasekrainer, a sausage stuffed with cheese (€13.90), or on buckwheat galettes (€13.50), folded crepes stuffed with fillings. A curling sheet allows up to 10 players (€5 per person for 30 minutes).
11p.m. CRAWL THE GURTEL
Along one long section of the Gurtel, the ring road separating Vienna’s inner and outer districts, the
U-bahn runs on top of a viaduct and below, among the arches, grungy clubs and bars have made their home. On weekends, live music spills on to the street, along with party-goers. Rhiz, a cozy bar with arched brick walls and cheap drinks (€3.70 for a small draught beer) draws a laid-back crowd, indie bands and DJS (concert tickets, about €10 to €15). A 15-minute walk north is Venster 99, a compact bar with graffitied walls that often features punk or alternative performances (entry is pay-as-youwish). Between the two are plenty more places to drink, dance or chill; let your ears guide you.
SATURDAY, 9a.m. SAVOUR VIENNESE BREAD
Austrians take pride in their bread — and rightly so. A loaf of dense, seeded brown bread is to Vienna what a baguette is to Paris. Some bakeries in the city, including chains like Offerl, Joseph Brot and Felzl, offer full breakfast menus. One of Offerl’s bakery-bistros, in the Third District, which has a minimalist design palette of concrete and neutral colors, offers breakfast until 6.30p.m. Here, the backerfruhstuck, or baker’s breakfast (€17.50), includes rolls, sour-cream butter, marmalade, cheese from the Alps and ham. The vegetarian version (€15.50) swaps out the ham for goat’s cheese balls.
10.30p.m. BUY UPCYCLED GOODS
In the stylish Seventh District, where trench coats are plentiful and sweaters are chunky, the Spittelberg Christmas Market. There are many antique shops and boutiques nearby, including Volta Vienna, a home goods store selling monochromatic sculptural vases, mugs, candelabra and more; Graf & Grafin, with soft leather bags, delicate gold jewellery and eccentric goodies like candles in the shape of women’s bodies; and Luv the Shop, which sells brightly coloured clothing, including knit sweaters and party dresses, from Scandinavia.
1p.m. SKATE INTO THE HOLIDAYS
Glide along the narrow, winding ice-skating paths that unfurl amid the trees of one of the most prominent Christmas markets in Vienna, in front of City Hall. Lights twinkle in the trees and vendors selling mulled wine, gingerbread, and sweet rolls with jam and vanilla sauce (“buchteln”) set a holiday mood. After the Christmas market closes on December 26, several additional rinks open in mid January under the name Wiener Eistraum, or Viennese Ice Dream, nearly tripling the total amount of area available for ice skating and taking over the entire plaza in front of City Hall.
3.30p.m. MEET THE STRAUSSES
Classical music might seem old-fashioned, but 200 years ago, it was anything but. There were few things the 19th-century Viennese loved to do more in their leisure time than hit the dance floor for a romantic waltz or an energetic gallop. The House of Strauss, a museum and music hall in a beautifully restored 19th-century building, deftly uses technology, historical images and audio to share the story of an iconic Viennese family. Johann Strauss and his son, Johann Strauss II, the composer of the Blue Danube waltz, are considered by some historians as the world’s first pop stars (€23 for adults).
6.30p.m. ENJOY AN APERITIVO
Italian influences run strong in Austria; after all, the two countries share a border. Stop by Monte Ofelio, a bar and cafe in the Second District, for a perfectly executed Negroni Sbagliato, a cocktail made with vermouth, prosecco and Campari, or a glass of wine. Continue with the Italian theme at Skopik & Lohn, an example of one of Vienna’s new-style “beisln”, Viennese slang for traditional restaurants. Italian dishes beloved by Austrians are given extra flourish, like gnocchi, served with shaved truffle and parmesan foam (€22), and are enjoyed alongside classics like veal schnitzel (€26) and beef tartare (€15).
9p.m. TAKEINAVIEWONABOAT
Badeschiff Wien, a boat with a bar and restaurant, is moored in the long canal that runs through the centre of Vienna. From the deck, you can see the historic centre’s stately buildings against the graffitied walls of the canal, embodying Vienna’s opulent-yet-slightly-dishevelled feel. Believe it or not, you can swim in the unheated pool on the deck year-round, but if dipping into very cold water isn’t your thing, fret not: From November until March, the Badeschiff opens several curling sheets (€30 to €45 to rent a sheet for 30 minutes).
11.30p.m. PARTY UNTIL DAWN
Vienna is no Berlin when it comes to club culture, but there are a few places where it comes close. If you’re looking for a dance-until-dawn, hard-techno experience, Das Werk, on the banks of the Danube Canal, is the place to go. Here, the party doesn’t start before 11p.m, when the crowd becomes hypnotised by the D.J. If you take a break outside, check out the outdoor art gallery. Several years ago, street artists from around the world were invited to decorate the walls of the buildings around Das Werk with large murals.
SUNDAY 9am TIME-TRAVEL OVER COFFEE
Vienna’s coffeehouse culture dates back to the 17th century; in 2011, it received a Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage designation. Guidebooks send tourists to Cafe Central, where Sigmund Freud was a customer, and Cafe Landtmann, a meeting point for politicians. In Cafe Rudigerhof, established in 1902, newspapers rest on old-school wooden holders and breakfast is a simple affair. A melange (coffee with steamed milk and foam), with an egg and two rolls with butter and marmalade or honey, will set you back €7.10. Don’t miss a Viennese classic: two peeled, soft-boiled eggs served in a wide-rimmed glass with a spoon.