11 Things to Do in Vienna at Night

Although Vienna has a reputation for being a quiet city, it is actually quite lively at night and combines partying and a good atmosphere with the tranquillity and beauty of the night. On the one hand, the beautiful buildings in the historic centre are illuminated, encouraging visitors to take a stroll and enjoy the view. On the other hand, pubs and nightclubs open their doors for nightlife enthusiasts.

This versatility is one of the city's main advantages, as it offers something for everyone. That's why, in this post, I've put together what, in my opinion, are the best options for when the night comes, so read on!

If you are travelling to Vienna and you are looking for a different and unique night out, there is one option that shines above the rest of the alternatives. I'm talking about going to the Vienna Opera, the Wiener Staatsoper.

It's best to book your tickets in advance, but you can also buy them at the box office or even at the last minute on the same day. However, the longer you hurry, the longer the queues. The last tickets are standing tickets, but the prices are very cheap.

The best tickets for the Vienna Opera

There are always options to enjoy one of the quintessential experiences of the city of music. Here are some options for classical music concerts in Vienna:

• Tickets for Vivaldi's Four Seasons concert, from £29.
• Classical concert tickets for St. Peter's Church, from £38.
• Classical concert tickets for St. Anne's Church, from £28.
• Mozart concert tickets in Vienna, from £49.
• Mozart and Strauss concert tickets in Vienna, from £54.
• Tickets fora concert at Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna, from £48.
• Tickets for a concert atSchoenbrunn Palace Vienna with dinner and tour, from £123.

Booking a dinner cruise on the Danube in Vienna is one of the best plans you can make in the Austrian capital, either as a couple or with family or friends, to admire the impressive palaces, buildings and monuments such as the Vienna State Opera, the Danube Tower, the Schonbrünn Palace.

You will enjoy the most typical and traditional Austrian dishes such as schnitzel, Viennese sausages and apple strudel, while listening to live classical and folk music. Don't hesitate, feel the magic of the city on this approximately three-hour experience!

Vienna's city centre is filled with historic buildings of extraordinary beauty. Their baroque facades and architecture make strolling through the streets a real visual treat. This is even more so at night, when the illumination of the buildings makes them even more beautiful and the quietness of the streets makes an evening stroll through the city centre one of the best plans.

The list of buildings and monuments is extensive. However, the illumination of St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Staatsoper (Vienna's opera house), the Town Hall, the Parliament building and the church of St. Charles Borromeo are worth mentioning. Further away from the centre you can go to the area around the Belvedere Palace or even further away to Schönbrunn Palace.

However, it is also advisable to wander through the streets of Imperial Vienna without having to follow a fixed route. This way, you are sure to enjoy discovering the city's secrets just as much.

You could say that the Danube flows through Vienna twice. Apart from the river itself, a canal was built from the river itself, which runs through the old part of the city. The banks of the canal have been used to make walking areas and to put several terraces, restaurants and bars that make it a very pleasant place to stroll and dine.

In summer they even install a floating swimming pool on a boat and set up bathing areas. But it is at night that the canal is best used. As well as lighting up the bridges that cross it, the canal's bars and restaurants set up terraces with armchairs and chill-out areas to forget the hustle and bustle of the city. For all these reasons, it is one of the best places to enjoy Vienna at night.

The best tours to get to know the Danube in Vienna

If you want to enjoy the Danube at night some of the best options are:

• Book a private walking tour, from £137.
• Take a night bus tour, from £16.
• Take a guided bike tour, from £42.
• Take anight cruise on the Danube, from £49.

On Thursdays in Vienna, shops and museums have special opening hours, staying open until 9 p.m. or even 10 p.m. in some cases. This is quite late considering that they are usually only open until 5 or 6 pm. So it's time to take advantage and visit some of the shops.

One of the best shopping areas is Mariahilfer Straße, next to the train station. This is where most of the franchises and interesting shops are concentrated. It's also a good idea to leave Thursdays late to visit some museums to better organise your time, as the city has a lot to see.

Vienna's best museums

At the end of Mariahilfer Straße begins the so-called museum quarter, where you'll find some of Vienna's best museums. Many of them have extended opening hours until 9 p.m., among them:

• Mumok (the museum of modern art).
• Vienna Kunsthalle.
• Albertina Museum, from £17.
• Vienna Museum of Art History, from £18.
• Leopold Museum, from £15.

Vienna is synonymous with good beer and, therefore, good beer bars. The city is full of pubs scattered throughout its different neighbourhoods, but at night the best ones are concentrated in one area, Schwedenplatz. Around this square on the banks of the Danube, five minutes from St. Stephen's Cathedral, you'll find many of the city's best pubs.

When the weather is nice, the square is full of terraces and in the evening the pubs usually have their so-called "happy hour" when prices go down and the glasses of beer don't stop flowing.

In addition, as variety is the spice of life, Schwedenplatz is full of different types of pubs, such as Irish pubs, cocktail bars, German-style beer gardens and many more. There are also a number of street food stalls and a few restaurants in the area, such as the Hard Rock Café Vienna.

There is another alternative to the pubs on Schwedenplatz. In Vienna there are a number of bars known as the Stadtbahnbögen which were built under the arches of the city's former underground in an aqueduct-like arrangement. Most of them are located under line 6 between the stations Thaliastraße and Nussdorferstraße.

In general, these bars are of a quieter character, perfect for drinks with small groups as they are not very spacious. They are ideal for ending the day after a long walking tour of Vienna. In summer they have small terraces outside.

The exception to the quietness are some of these bars where small concerts are organised, especially in spring and summer when the weather is more pleasant. The best way to get to this area is to take advantage of the Vienna City Card and take the tram to the Alser Strabe stop in the north of Vienna's city centre.

The Prater Park is one of the symbols of Vienna. This vast park in the eastern part of the city is a huge green area with many facilities including an amusement park.

It is here that you will find and can enjoy tickets to the Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel. Built in 1897, this Ferris wheel is also an emblem of the city and, thanks to its 65-metre height, has one of the best views of the Austrian capital.

Luckily, both the amusement park and the Ferris wheel are open when night falls, which allows us to see the views I was telling you about, but with the city illuminated under the night sky. It's a highly recommended experience that can also be sweetened with a ride on the park's attractions.

Vienna is a city with a long tradition of pastry and ice cream. In fact, one of the best things to do in Vienna for the Viennese is to have an ice cream in one of the ice cream parlours to accompany a stroll through the streets of the city. So much so that it can almost be considered a tradition. Of all the ice-cream parlours in Vienna, two stand out:

• Tuchlauben Ice Cream Parlour: located in the heart of the city centre, very close to St. Stephen's Cathedral.
• Zanoni & Zanoni: even closer to the Cathedral, on the same street as Vienna's Hard Rock Café.

The ice cream at both is top quality and comes in a huge variety of flavours. The best accompaniment to a leisurely evening stroll through the centre of Vienna. A perfect plan to enjoy after the Vienna night bus tour.

Vienna has a reputation for being a very romantic city, especially at night. That's why dinners in special places are quite popular in the Austrian city.

There are few more special places to dine than at the top of the Danube Tower. This iconic 250-metre-high building has a restaurant at the top with the best views of the entire city, or at least the most complete views.

The tower is in the centre of what is known as Danube Island and, in addition to the restaurant, at the top there is a 360-degree mobile observation deck so you won't miss any of the city's sights. The restaurant is a bit pricey, but for the views and to celebrate a special occasion it's worth it.

Nightlife is synonymous with partying, and that's also true in laid-back Vienna. In fact, the city is home to some of Europe's most prestigious nightclubs. This is surprising given the reputation of the Austrian capital.

Apart from the pubs and bars we have already reviewed above, the best places to party in Vienna are:

• The Titanic, located in the 6th district, is a popular old-fashioned nightclub.
• The Pratersauna, which, paradoxically, used to be a spa and sauna and is now one of Vienna's best and liveliest nightclubs.
• The Flex, a club built in an old underground station, is reputed to have the best sound in Vienna and one of the best venues in Europe.

In addition to these, there are many more nightclubs that will delight nightlife enthusiasts.