Fun and entertainment Vienna

Timetable

Many establishments - restaurants and bars - close at 10 p.m., with opening hours generally extending to midnight or 1 a.m. on weekends. Discotheques open at 11pm and close at 4, 5 or even 6am. During the summer, there are many evening events. Many museums offer late-night openings, often on Thursdays. As elsewhere, happy hours in bars generally run from 6 to 8 pm.

Budget & Tips

Going out in Vienna is relatively expensive when it comes to going to the opera or the ball, attending a classical music concert or a play. In the evenings, restaurants don't have menus for smaller budgets. You can always buy opera seats for less, and choose happy hours in the bars for a cheap beer or cocktail. In addition, two major free festivals liven up the summer: the Danube Island Festival and the Musical Film Festival on City Hall Square. Another great idea is opera for all: operas and ballets can be followed live on a video wall in front of the Vienna State Opera. Last but not least, it's possible to buy Stehplätze(standing tickets) for a handful of euros on the day of the performance.

To be booked

During the tourist season, you can't expect to go to the opera or see a show at the Hofburg's Spanish Riding School without reserving your seat in advance.

Concerts by the prestigious Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at the Musikverein must be booked well in advance, and not just for the famous New Year's Day Concert!

As for the ball season, reservations are essential for the vast majority of balls. You need to buy your ticket in advance, directly from the various organizing institutions. Your travel agency will take care of the reservations for all ball-related holidays.

It's also a good idea to reserve your table in the trendiest restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

Night transport

Subways run daily from 5 a.m. to around midnight. Streetcars and buses generally stop earlier. Night buses run daily from 0.30 a.m. to 5.00 a.m., every 30 minutes. Metro lines run 24 hours a day on Fridays, Saturdays and the nights before public holidays, every 15 minutes. All Wiener Linien tickets and the Vienna City Card are valid for night buses and city trains within the city.

Age restrictions

Drinking alcohol supplied by parents is permitted from the age of 14. It is legally permitted to drink wine or beer from the age of 16, but for spirits it is advisable to wait until 18. In Austria, you will be fined if you drive with more than 0.1 g/l of alcohol in your blood.

What's very local

The evening starts early, at 6pm, or even 5pm, for aperitifs and meals. Late-night strolls along the river banks. You won't want to miss the Bermuda Triangle, or Bermudadreieck, in the Innere Stadt, a district with narrow streets full of good places to party. It's a great place to spend happy nights!

At most balls, and for evenings at the opera and some classical concerts in the larger halls, evening dress is de rigueur.

Smokers

Smoking is now banned in bars and restaurants. The same applies to nightclubs.