Vienna Nightlife: Places and Districts to Go Out in Vienna

  Sunset over Vienna

In keeping with its reputation for being ‘gemutlich’ (or ‘cozy’), the Vienna nightlife scene is held to be pleasant without ever getting really wild. As with most preconceptions, however, this is only partly true...

It’s fair to say, though, that - as befits a city that brought the world Mozart and Beethoven - nightlife in Vienna can be just a little on the staid side. Live music, while at the heart of the city's identity, tends to revolve more around classical and jazz concerts than cutting edge electro.

The first district of the city – the Innenstadt – has a number of popular nightspots, but they are on the more expensive side. Grinzig, a maze of crooked, traditional old streets at the edge of the Vienna Woods a short distance north-west of the center, is another popular nightlife district with a number of ‘heurigen’ (wine bars).

Here, atmospheric inner courtyards shelter drinkers and provide a great drinking environment. Elsewhere in the city, the areas of Neustift am Walde and Slevering in the fourteenth district, and Neuwaldegg in the seventeenth, are equally good.

For something a little more alternative, the area around Josefstadter Strasse and Nussdorfer Strasse is a good place to start. In the shadow of the U-bahn, and with a decidedly sleazy feel, hip little bars line the streets illuminated by the neon signs of sex-shops.

Another center of action in the city is the area between St Ruprecht's Church and the Fleishmarket known as the ‘Bermuda Triangle’. It’s so called because people can disappear there, reappearing what seems like days later, remembering absolutely nothing…

Although the city’s not known for its discounted nightlife, information on cheaper activities can be found in Wien Monatsprogramme (a free magazine that is available from tourist offices) as well as the listings magazine Falter. Tickets for various events can be purchased in advance - a good way of cutting down on cover charges.

In the summer months,much of the city’s streets and pavements are given over to outdoor seating. Sitting with a drink, admiring the spectacularly illuminated city around you, its charm and atmosphere more than make up for what it arguably lacks in full-on party credentials.

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