Contemporary dance & castle evenings: Summer in Vienna

- The Music Film Festival at the Vienna City Hall Park is certainly one of the Viennese’ favourite summer events: Free open air screenings of classical music concerts and culinary specialties from all over the world at numerous food stands on the Rathausplatz square. Open daily until the 30th of August. Rathaus metro station.

- The Impuls Tanz Festival runs from the 16th of July until the 16th of August and is Vienna’s nº1 festival for contemporary dance and performance. Venues include popular, urban Museumsquartir as well as traditional Volkstheater. Check out the program of the Vienna Impuls Tanz Festival 2009.

- Treat yourself with A Summer Evening at Schönbrunn – the theatre at Vienna’s famous Schönbrunn Castle opens its doors in summer and offers you a range of performances throughout the months of July and August. Enjoy a concert or play in a truly imperial setting. Get the full program for the Summer Evenings at Schönbrunn.

Vienna - "So Mystic & Soulful"

Baroque splendour…

Most visitors come to Vienna expecting to find Baroque architecture and classical music. They find both, but also discover a thriving modern city with a lot to more to offer than just the remains of an opulent past. Vienna, the capital of Austria and often described as the cultural capital of Europe, offers a wealth of possibilities for tourists.

Brimming with grandiose palaces and gardens and oozing romanticism, the city is steeped in history whilst also being one of the cleanest, safest tourist destinations in Europe with remarkably modern infrastructure. The Austrian capital, although not known as a party destination, does have some great nightlife hotspots and a growing alternative underground scene in contrast to the finery and tradition the city is associated with.

Coffee culture…

There is a long history of coffee drinking in Vienna and no trip to the city is complete without a visit to one of the many fine coffee houses where you can try the delicious, locally made cakes, the most famous of which has to be Apfelstrudel, next to the traditional Sachertorte.

Musical and artistic heritage...

All genres of art are represented in Vienna from the splendid architecture left as part of the Habsburg legacy to fine examples of Art Nouveau such as the Anchor Clock (Ankeruhr) situated on the oldest Square in the town, and over 100 museums, Albertina, Belvedere, Leopold Museum just to mention a few, displaying the works of Viennese and international artists. The Vienna Opera house and other music halls pay homage to the masters of classical music and citizens of Vienna like Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Johann Strauss.

A green city…

The Vienna woods and vineyards outside the centre offer a green place to escape the bustle of the city and enjoy many pleasant walks along the banks of the Danube River which divides the city in two with a total of 12 bridges crossing it. It has 23 districts and a very tourist friendly layout with the old centre built around the city’s most famous landmark, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, in the first district, encircled by
a ring road (Ringstraße) full of monumental buildings.

The trendy Mariahilferstraße, Hundertwasser House and the Hundertwasser Kunsthaus areas are where you will find the best shops, and the imperial palaces Hofburg and Schönbrunn (also home to the world's oldest zoo, Tiergarten Schönbrunn), a little further out of the centre, are regarded as very important tourist sights. Thanks to a very efficient public transport network, the whole city is easy to cover. Come to Vienna and let yourself be seduced by the sheer beauty of this ostentatious city!