Experience a real looping star in Vienna

Posted by on

Are you in for some action and adrenaline while in Vienna? Prater is for sure a place you should visit during your stay.

We have earlier written about how you can get to the Familypark by the Neusiedler see from Vienna. But, you do not have to travel there to get adrenaline and experience some fun. Prater, also known as Wurstelprater, is a fantastic area in the city of Vienna, and here you will find fun for people of all ages. Just take a look at the fantastic ride at the picture beneath.

The Olympia Looping in Prater Vienna

The Olympia Looping in Prater Vienna

The Olympia Looping is one of the most famous rides available in the park. It has been rumored that it will retire soon, but it is still there, and you better try it if you like such kind of rides. It first saw the light of day in 1989, and it has been at several locations in Europe before it ended up in Prater.

The price for a ride is 8,50 Euro, and for this money, you will get one minute packed with action. There is a total of 5 loops during the ride, and the highest speed during the ride is 100km.

Since you buy tickets individually for all rides in the park, there is normally no line and you can go ahead and enjoy a ride at once without standing in line!

Does this look like a nice ride to you? We have tried it… it’s amazing!

A short stay in NH Hotel Wien City

Posted by on

Are you going to visit Vienna and dream of spending a lot of time in Mariahilferstrasse, the most popular shopping street in Vienna? NH Hotel Wien City might be exactly the hotel you are looking for!

NH Hotel Wien City is a four-star hotel, located just by the popular shopping street. The hotel doesn’t have their main entrance from the street, but walking through a short tunnel you can get to the main entrance, and living in the hotel, it feels like you live in the shopping street.

NH hotel Wien

The hotel is perfect if you want to spend most of your time outdoors, but if you are looking for a hotel with lots of indoor services, you should probably book a room somewhere else. But, as a four-star hotel with a perfect location in Mariahilferstrasse, this hotel will be more than enough for most people.

The rooms are nice (and not that small), and the people working in the reception are nice. The hotel has a parking lot available, but they do not have space for lots of cars, so you might be unlucky and discover that the parking lot is fully booked upon arrival.

The biggest minus with NH Hotel Wien City

Before arrival, we read that NH Hotel Wien City has splendid free WiFi available in the hotel, but that is very far from the truth. They have free WiFi, but it is so slow and terrible, that I would not even dare to call it free WiFi. It reminded me of the days when I used a modem to connect to the Internet, only slower. There were times when I couldn’t even download my emails due to the speed.

There was, of course, a way to get faster Internet, but you would have to pay 10 Euro a day for that service. In other words, what NH Hotel Wien City call free WiFi is similar to calling a dog-poop a chocolate.

NH Hotel Wien City summary

The hotel was perfect for some days of shopping and sightseeing in Vienna. We had a great stay, and we would have no problem returning. But, the WiFi was a big disappointment, so if that is important to you, prepare to pay or to live somewhere else.

Pieter Bruegel in Vienna

Posted by on

The Museum of Fine Arts (Kunsthistorisches Museum) in Vienna will host the most fantastic Pieter Bruegel exhibition ever in the period between October 2nd (2018) and January 13th (2019). 

During this amazing event in the most famous of all museums in Vienna, you can see more than half of the extant works of Pieter Bruegel the Elder on display. All in all, a total of forty paintings, sixty drawings and eighty prints can be attributed to him today. This exhibition is taking part in commemorating this fantastic artist, as it is 450 years since his death in 2019.

One of the most famous works of Pieter Bruegel - The Tower of Babel

One of the most famous works of Pieter Bruegel – The Tower of Babel

This exhibition will put pictures and works on display that has never ever been exhibited outside their own “hometowns” earlier.

What makes Pieter Bruegel so interesting is the fact that his images are easy to like and enjoy. He was a storyteller, a social critic, and a satirist at the same time.

There will be daily guided tours presenting this exhibition at the museum at 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00 and 16.00. This is ideal for those who want to get an even deeper dive into Pieter Bruegel and his works during this exhibition.

Enjoy this fantastic exhibition in Vienna. For more information about other exhibitions, events, and interesting things happening in Vienna, read in our Vienna Guide. You can read more about the Museum of Fine Arts in Vienna here.

Getting to the Familypark from Vienna

Posted by on

I have just read the following article about the Familypark in Vienna and would love to pay it a visit. How can I easily get to the Familypark from Vienna?

That is a brilliant question and a question that many people ask themselves. Luckily, it is quite easy to get to the Familypark from Vienna. In the article, the author decides to rent a car and travel to the Familypark on his own. That is for sure the easiest way to visit the park, and the ride should take between 60-75 minutes, depending on where you are staying in Vienna.

The exact address and coordinates of the park are:

Märchenparkweg 1
7062 St. Margarethen
GPS-Data: 47° 48′ 6.785” N ,16° 38′ 51.078” E

How to get to the Familypark from Vienna

How to get to the Familypark from Vienna – Source

How to get to the Familypark with public transportation?

But, most people reading this and asking the same question probably wants to get there without renting a car.

To get to the Familypark, get to Vienna Hauptbahnhof first (you can easily get there using the metro system in Vienna). There you will have to find bus 200 and travel to Eisenstadt/Domplatz. When you get there you have to change to bus 285 which will travel to the Familypark during the opening times of the park.  There is a dedicated bus stop outside the park.

The bus ride from Vienna to Eisenstadt normally takes around 1 hour an 20 min.

We hope these answers will help you out. If you have further comments or questions, use the comment field beneath.

Vienna Night Run 2018

Posted by on

Do you want to discover the beauties of Vienna while running? Join in on the Vienna Night Run as it is arranged on September 25th in 2018!

There are running competitions and marathons arranged in most big cities in Europe every year. But, if you don’t feel like running a marathon (as it is too long), or you would rather run when it is dark outside, then the Vienna Night Run might be exactly what you are dreaming about! It is arranged annually in Vienna, and it is one of the best running competitions there is.

Vienna Night RUn 2018

Join the Vienna Night Run on September 25th in 2018 – Source

Vienna Night Run is arranged by Erste Bank, and it will be arranged on September 25th in 2018. The first run will start at 19.50 (for those who can and will run 5km in less than 25 minutes). Those who believe they will run slower can join in on a later start time, and at 21.00 it is time for those who want to do the race in nordic-walking style to give it a try. Everyone needs to reach the finish line by 22.30, as that is when the streets will be used for normal traffic again.

Vienna Night Run will start from  Universitätsring/Ecke Grillparzerstraße. The route will be along the ring, and it will let you see some of the most beautiful areas of Vienna as you run.

The route of the Vienna Night Run

The full route is Universitätsring – Schottenring – Franz–Josefs-Kai – Stubenring – Parkring – Schubertring – Kärntner Ring – Opern Ring – Burgring – Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring.

Doesn’t that sound like a fantastic route for an evening run on September 25th? I feel tempted to join myself, but I cannot promise anything. If you sign up at the very moment, the price is approximately 30 Euro to take part. More information about the race (in German) and a sign-up site can be found here.

The winner in 2017 ran the 5km track on 15:39 minutes, giving him an average pace of 3:08/km. Can you beat that? Join in this year to find out!

Want to know more about other events taking place in Vienna? Check out our Vienna events calendar.

Christmas markets in Vienna in 2018

Posted by on

The fantastic Christmas markets will return to Vienna again in 2018. Here are the most important dates and some useful information.

A photo from the Christmas market in front of the City Hall in Vienna – Shutterstock / Burben

There are lots of beautiful cities worth visiting before Christmas, but we dare to say that Vienna is the most beautiful of them all before Christmas. The reason is simple, Vienna is a giant Christmas market in itself. There are some beautiful Christmas markets worth visiting, but as you walk around in the city, you will discover small and larger markets everywhere. You will find people drinking hot wine everywhere, and the city is simply stunning. If you haven’t been to Vienna before Christmas, 2018 is your year!

Want to know more about some of the most famous Christmas markets in Vienna? Check our short descriptions of the different Christmas markets in Vienna here.

Vienna Christmas market dates 2018

  • The biggest and most famous Christmas market in Vienna is the one in front of the City Hall (Rathaus). This will be open from November 17th till December 26th in 2018.
  • Another very nice Christmas market is the one by Belvedere. This will be open between November 23rd and December 26th in 2018.
  • There is an annual Christmas market at Maria-Theresien Platz (between the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Natural History). This will be open from November 21st till December 26th.
  • If you haven’t been to Schönbrunn yet, visit the castle between November 18th and December 26th to enjoy the Christmas markets there.
  • The most special Christmas market in Vienna is located in Spittelberg. Here you have several small streets with stands everywhere. So, it is not a giant market, but lots of small streets making the entire area into a Christmas market maze (almost). It is absolutely worth a visit. It will be open from November 16th till December 23rd.

These are the most important dates and Christmas markets in Vienna. Are you looking forward to these markets already? As you plan your trip, read through our list of recommendations for those coming to Vienna for the Christmas markets. These are useful pieces of advice that might give you a helping hand as you plan your trip.

Have you got any questions related to the Christmas markets in Vienna? Write a comment and we will do our best to help you out!

Claude Monet exhibition in Vienna

Posted by on

Claudio Monet lived between 1840 and 1926, and he is among the most famous painters ever. He is the greatest character within the impressionist movement, and from September 21st you can an exhibition in Albertina dedicated to him.

Beautiful Monet art in Albertina - Source: Albertina.at

Beautiful Monet art in Albertina – Source: Albertina.at

Vienna is a city for art lovers. Not only do they have the fantastic Museum of Fine Arts, but they also have the Albertina museum. The latter has some Monet works in their permanent exhibition as well, but for this temporary exhibition, they will bring in even more Monet works from other art galleries and collections worldwide.

The gardens of Giverny are famous among people who love art today, but they would never have been so if it wasn’t for Monet. But, how did Monet end up being the number one impressionist in the world? If you visit the Claudio Monet exhibition in Albertina you can see how he went from being a realist painter to become an impressionist. No longer did he only paint what he saw, but he also set a new trend in creating abstract art.

Want to visit the Monet exhibition in Vienna? It will be on display in Albertina from September 21st until January 6th in 2019.

You can read more about the exhibition in the official press release here. Want to know more about Vienna? Visit our Vienna Guide for more information, news, and beautiful pictures.

How and where to watch the FIFA World Cup in Vienna?

Posted by on

Would you like to watch the FIFA World Cup in Vienna? The city is a gorgeous city, but during the FIFA World Cup, you will want to see more than just Schönbrunn, Hofburg, and the Parlament while in town. You want to watch football. How and where can it be done?

How and where to watch the FIFA World Cup in Vienna

We have great news for you. It is very easy to watch the World Cup in football while in Vienna. The least social way to watch the event is by turning on the TV in your hotel room and watch the event on ORF, a free TV channel. You can also visit orf.at and watch the matches online there.

If you want to be more social and watch the matches together with others, then you can walk around and see the matches broadcast in about any pub around town. Lots of restaurants will also broadcast the event, and if you live in a hotel like the Marriott Hotel, you can find a sports-pub next to the entrance where you can watch all the matches and eat some great steaks while watching.

There will also be public screenings of the World Cup in Vienna. On such spots, you can watch the matches outdoor on giant screens.  Here are some of the places at which you can watch the World Cup outdoors in Vienna.

  • Strandbar Herrmann, Herrmannpark (Donaukanal-Urania), 1030 Wien
  • Summer Stage, Donaukanal, U4 Rossauer Lände, 1090 Wien
  • Badeschiff, Donaukanal (Schwedenplatz/Urania), 1010 Wien
  • Adria Wien, Donaukanal, Obere Donaustraße/Salztorbrücke, 1020 Wien

Sounds good, doesn’t it? If you want to watch the World Cup online in your own language (and not with German commentators), you can read more about how to watch the World Cup online in this article. At the site, you can also find a detailed schedule for the FIFA World Cup.

We hope you will enjoy your stay in Vienna!