Vienna - Art & Entertainment

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Tourist offices in Vienna provide monthly listings detailing what's on in the city, but it's a good move to buy one of the weekly magazines with extensive listings such as City or Falter. Vienna, like many major European cities, has an excellent public transport system offering a reliable, clean and convenient service. Taking public transport around the city is considerably less stressful than dealing with Vienna's numerous one-way streets, constant traffic, oncoming trams, extensive pedestrian areas and expensive parking garages. So, whether day or night, this is a city in which to make good use of public transport.

Museums & Galleries

According to the Austrian writer Karl Kraus, the streets of Vienna are "paved with culture". Even though the streets are today plagued with traffic, perhaps shrouding the cultural landscape of the city, its multitude of museums reinforces the legacy of art, history and culture unique to Vienna. Its outstanding architecture, two examples of which are Naturhistorische Museum and the Kunsthistorische Museum, is testament to this history. Both are worth visiting and their prominent location at the Ringstrasse makes them easily accessible. The KunstHausWien is the antithesis of the classical museums, designed by the famous Austrian painter and sculptor Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The building itself is very inspirational, as are the exhibitions held here, featuring mostly 20th-century modern art. The Museumsquartier offers a couple of small galleries which also feature photographic exhibitions. A classic is the Belvedere gallery showcasing some of Austria's most valuable paintings, such as Klimt's The Kiss.

Theatre

The prime location in Vienna for theatre enthusiasts is the Burgtheater, which of course requires a certain standard of German to follow what's going on. A smaller version of the same stage is the nearby Volkstheater while the Theater an der Wien usually focuses on musicals. For performances in English, Vienna has its own English Theatre in Josefstadt (plays are cast and rehearsed in London) and the International Theater (mainly American). Satirical cabaret shows are staged all over town; a good place to go for this is Ronacher.

Music

Classical music is still the sound that pervades Viennese culture. The programme of musical events seems never-ending and this is the city in which to hear classical pieces. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra normally performs at the Musikverein, which is said to have the best acoustics of any concert hall in Austria (if not in the world). Just a stone's throw away is another famous concert hall, the Konzerthaus, which has the capacity to stage three performances simultaneously. Most programmes are classical, but you can also hear anything from ethnic music to jazz. The Schonbrunn Palace offers outdoor classical concerts in summer.

Nightlife

Some say Vienna is the old-fashioned capital of a small country. Its nightlife, however, proves the critics wrong. Everything from the cozy bar for a private tete-a-tete to a huge club for a night of dancing can be found here. The most popular area at night is the so-called 'Bermuda Triangle'-the area around Ruprechtsplatz, Seitenstettengasse, Rabensteig and Salzgries. There you will find bars such as First Floor, pubs like the Krah-Krah or live-music venues such as Der Neue Engel. The club-scene is spread out in Vienna; at places like Volksgarten or U4, you will find a young crowd dancing to commercial house and mainstream music. Spot the stylish and beautiful at Sophiensle, while at Flex the accent is on independent music, hip hop, drum and bass, trip hop and all sorts of electronic tunes Viennese style, of course.

Film

Film in Vienna means mainly Hollywood productions. Most of the cinemas screen the latest US-releases with a delay of between six months and a year. Films are generally dubbed, but exceptions do exist in the English Cinema Haydn or American Flotten Center. There is an annual film festival, the Viennale, which features a wide range of international films as well as local productions. Special cinemas setting the pace away from mainstream film can also be found; the Votiv or the Filmcasino screen mainly independent pictures.

Here are a couple of other things to put on your to-do-list whilst in Austria's capital

The Spanish Riding School (Spanische Hofreitschule) gives performances of the famous snow-white Lippizaner stallions.

The Vienna's Boys Choir (Wiener Sängerknaben), another famous institution dating back to 1498, sing every Sunday at the Burgkapelle (Royal Chapel) in the Hofburg.







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Volksgarten


Legendary club in the center of town
 Burgring 1
Vienna 1010
+43 1 532 42 41
http://www.volksgarten.at
Volksgarten
Krah Krah


Big pub with a Schanigarten
 Rabensteig 8
Vienna 1010
+43 1 533 81 93
http://www.krah-krah.at
Krah Krah
Flex


Independent classic Viennese club
 Donaukanal/Abgang Augartenbrücke
Vienna A-1010
+43 1 533 75 25
http://www.flex.at
Flex
Der Neue Engel


Exotic drinks on the menu
 Rabensteig 5
Vienna 1010
+43 1 535 41 05
Der Neue Engel
Votiv-Kino


Films from around the world
 Währinger Straße 12
(Türkenstraße)
Vienna 1090
+43 1 317 35 71
http://www.votivkino.at
Votiv-Kino
VIENNALE - Vienna International Film Festival


Austria's number one film festival
 Throughout the Inner-City
Vienna 1070
+43 1 526 59 47
http://www.viennale.at/
VIENNALE - Vienna International Film Festival
Court Palace


Former home of the emperor
 Michaelerplatz
Vienna 1010
+43 01 533 7570
http://www.hofburg.wien.info
Court Palace
The Burg Theater


Austria's most famous theatre
 Dr.-Karl-Lueger-Ring 2
(Rathausplatz)
Vienna A-1010
+43 1 514 44 4140
http://www.burgtheater.at/
The Burg Theater
Filmcasino


A mecca for Vienna's cinema enthusiasts
 Margaretenstraße 78
Vienna, Vienna A-1050
+43 1 5 8139 0010
http://www.filmcasino.at
Filmcasino
Volkstheater


A mix of theater
 Neustiftgasse 1
Vienna, Vienna A-1070
+43 1 52 1110
http://www.volkstheater.at/
Volkstheater
KunstHausWien


Highly discussed, most prestigious museum
 Untere Weissgerberstraße 13
Vienna, Vienna 1030
+43 1 712 0491
http://www.kunsthauswien.com
KunstHausWien
Museum of Natural History


Museum of Natural History
 Burgring 7
Vienna, Vienna 1010
+43 1 52 1770
http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/
Museum of Natural History
Osterreichische Galerie im Belvedere


Austrian and international art
 Oberes Belvedere Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 27
(Unteres Belvedere Rennweg 6a)
Vienna, Vienna 1030
+43 1 79 5570
http://www.belvedere.at/
Osterreichische Galerie im Belvedere
Art History Museum


Art history museum
 Maria-Theresien-Platz
Vienna, Vienna 1010
+43 1 52 5240
http://www.khm.at/
Art History Museum
U4


Legendary club
 Schönbrunner Straße 222
(Ruckergasse)
Vienna 1120
+43 1 815 83 07
http://www.u4club.at/
U4
Vienna
Vienna - Historical Background
Vienna - Where to Stay
Vienna - Neighborhood Guide
Vienna - Dining & Drinking
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