Ten Reasons to Visit Vienna Now

VIENNA's ALLURE
Montreal Gazette, April 15, 2006

Vienna often surprises visitors with its inimitable mix of old and new. Century-old cafes with plush upholstery and tuxedoed waiters now offer wi-fi. A new contemporary arts centre has given the formidable Ringstrasse area a place to chill out and experience cutting-edge art. Boutique hotels and chic restaurants are popping up all over. This former Imperial capital, renowned for grand Mitteleuropa charm, is jumping headlong into the 21st century, giving Vienna a cool edge to its Old World allure. Here are just some of the reasons, old and new, to go to Vienna in 2006:

1. Café culture
Forget Paris; the Viennese have café-culture down to a fine art. There seems to be a Kaffeehaus on every corner and they are usually bustling with everyone from statesmen to students. All serve frothy coffee and scrumptious sweets in an atmosphere of Old World insouciance. Café Diglas’ (Wollzeile 10) red velvet banquettes, crystal chandeliers and decadent cakes make it one of most popular in town. The 1950’s styling of Café Pruckel (Stubenring 24) adds to its smoky, bohemian feeling. Trendy, glass-walled Café Leopold (in the eponymous modern art museum) is the place for an updated café experience. And no self-respecting sweet-tooth could leave Vienna without a visit to Demel (Kohlmarkt 14): the entrance to this 200 year old café is occupied by a huge glass case filled with every type of torte and strudel known to mankind. Picking just one is a challenge.

2. A new twist on an old art scene
Renowned for its Old Master (Bruegels, Rubens, Raphael, etc.) at the Museum of Fine Arts (www.khm.at) and oodles of Gustav Klimts and Egon Schieles at the Belvedere Palace (www.belvedere.at), Vienna is now also a major centre of contemporary art. The Museums Quarter, or MQ, (Museumsplatz 1, www.mqw.at) has turned the 18th century Imperial stables of the Hofburg into an avant-garde complex of architecture, art museums and performance spaces. Controversial at first, the Viennese have begun to embrace the MQ. In summer, its massive courtyard is the place to be, with Dj music and packed cafes terraces.

3. Viennese cuisine
Wiener Kuche (Viennese cooking) is no longer just Wiener schnitzel. Fashionable, gourmand restaurants are found citywide. A new breed of Beisl (traditional Viennese restaurants) are serving updated classics in contemporary surroundings such as Tancredi (Grosse Neugasse 5, +43 1 941 0048) whose regularly changing menu features local organic produce. Vegetarians delight in gourmet restaurants such as Wrenkh (Bauernmarkt 10, +43 1 533 1526). The weekend brunch crowd often heads to Dasmobil (Burgasse 10, +43 1 524 9497, www.dasmobil.at), a trendy café/restaurant furnished entirely with work by local interior designers. And for those who crave an old-fashioned classic, drop into the classic restaurant, Zu den Zwei Lieseln (Burgasse 63, +43 1 523 3282), for beer on tap and the best schnitzel in town.

4. The Third Man
Fans of the classic Orson Welles movie can walk the same foggy streets (and sewers!) as Harry Lime on a guided walking tour (see www.viennawalks.com) or visit the Third Man Museum (Pressgasse 25, www.3mpc.net), full of movie memorabilia, including one of the zithers used to make the film’s haunting music. Then seen the original 1948 movie, which still plays regularly at the Burgkino (Opernring 19, www.burgkino.at).

5. An Architectural hotspot
From medieval St. Stephan’s cathedral to Olbrich’s Jugendstil Secession (1897-98) to the colourful Alice-in-Wonderland curves of the Hunterwasserhaus (1982-85) to recent works by star architects like Jean Nouvel and Zaha Hadid, Vienna is filled with interesting and sometimes controversial architecture. Architecture buffs should visit the new Architekturzentrum (www.azw.at) housed under the baroque arches of the Museum Quarter, which holds exhibits and tours on local architecture. For more information visit www.wienarchitektur.at.

6. Nightlife
Yes, Vienna’s staid reputation falls apart with a visit to its notorious ‘Bermuda Triangle’ (in the Old City near Schwendenplatz) or the newly revamped Gurtel area where popular bars and clubs have opened up in the S-bahn railway arches designed by Otto Wagner. On August 26 the clubs will pour out into the street for the Gurtel Night Walk (www.gurtelnightwalk.at) with live performances and free admission. See the website www.coolcapitals.com for the latest place to be.

7. A Walk in the park
Vienna is 50% green space; the centre is dotted with former Imperial gardens and parks, such as at the Schönbrunn or Belevdere Palace, that make for a regal stroll. Or take a tram ride out to the famed Wienerwald (Vienna Woods) and join locals out for an afternoon walk across rolling hills and vineyards with panoramic views of Vienna and the Danube.

8. Viennese wine
Vienna is surrounded by seven square kilometres of vineyards, making it the world’s largest wine-growing city. The best place to try some of Vienna’s crisp whites - Riesling, Müller Thurgau, Grüner Veltliner - is at a Heuriger, restaurants found in Vienna’s wine-producing suburbs, such as Neustift and Nussdorf. Incredibly popular with locals, Heurigen are often located right next to the vineyards and, in warm weather, outdoor terraces fill with the clink of glasses. Some popular spots in Neustift are the Schreiberhaus (Rathstrasse 54) and tiny but charming Dorfshenke (Dreimarksteingasse 1); and in Nussdorf, Sirbu (Kahlenbergerstrasse 210) has tables with Danube views.

9. Vienna hotels: palatial splendour, boutique chic or rustic idyll
Vienna hotels run the gambit. Queen Victoria’s uncle built a palace in 1847 on Vienna’s 16th-century fortifications and today it houses the luxurious Hotel Palais Coburg (www.palais-coburg.com). The fashionable pension Hollmann Beletage (www.hollmann-beletage.at) has seven cosily chic rooms not far from the nightlife near Schwenplatz. Or experience life in the vineyards at Pensione Bramhas & Scholz (www.apartment.at ), which rents a charming house (for 2 to 4 persons) overlooking Vienna, high in the vineyards of Neustift.

10. Music, music, music
It’s Mozart’s 250th birthday in 2006 and his life and music are being celebrate everywhere from theatres to museums. The Mozarthaus, a museum to his life and music, opened this January in a house just behind St. Stephen’s cathedral (Domgasse 5) where Mozart once lived. The Albertina Museum will host an exhibition on Mozart from March 17 to September 20 and Vienna’s Jewish Musuem will present an exhibit on Mozart’s librettist, Lorenzo da Ponte. But the main celebrations are all about music. The famed Staatoper, the Theatre an der Wien (founded in 1801 by one of Mozart’s librettists, Emanuel Schikaneder) and the Burgtheatre will present several Mozart operas throughout 2006. Several international alternative dance and theatre troops will present original works inspired by Mozart. One of the year’s musical highlights will be the Wiener Festwochen (May 12 to June 18), the city’s annual classical music festival, which will overflow with Mozart, including provocative director Peter Sellars’ version of Mozart’s unfinished opera ‘Zaide.’ (May 21-27). For details on Mozart events and schedules, visit: www.wienmozart2006.at.


VIENNA
How to get there: Austrian Airlines (www.aua.com, reservations: 1-888-817-4444) flies to Vienna from Toronto several times a week and beginning May 25th through the summer months there will be daily flights.

For further information on visiting Vienna, including accommodation information, contact the Austrian Tourist Office (www.austria.info) or the Tourist Office of Vienna (www.info.wien.at).