Vienna’s vistas, bejewelled cathedrals and easy-going café culture are calling.

Discover Local in Vienna

In the 10th district of Vienna lies Amalienbad, an indoor swimming pool that was architecturally inspired by Roman baths. Inside, the art deco and art nouveau design creates a stunning effect. This is swimming next level. Especially the tiling in the women’s sauna is particularly eye-catching. You can spend a full day here, enjoying the pool and bubble bath and afterwards relax in one of the saunas. If you are lucky, or just kept a close eye on the calendar of Amalienbad, you’ll find yourself ending up at a late-night pool party, including top-flight DJs and light installations. From young to old, this pool is for everyone who loves to swim at special places.

Dive into the cool water of Amalienbad

The market stands and restaurants are serving products and dishes from all over the world. From Viennese to Indian and from Vietnamese to Italian. This is the place to go to stock up on edible souvenirs like cheese, wine and sausages. Some popular places are Tewa for organic cuisine and Neni which serves Israeli-Oriental specialities from shakshuka to tabouleh. Fish lovers get their money's worth at Umar. Many people consider it to be the best fish restaurant in Vienna. Typical Viennese cuisine is available at Eiserne Zeit, the restaurant is an experience in itself. There is something for everyone at the Naschmarkt and at the weekends DJs are spinning records on their turntables. Remember to bring cash before you head in, as many places still don’t take cards.

Eat your way through the Naschmarkt

Zentralfriedhof  (Vienna’s central cemetery) is one of the largest cemeteries in the world by number of interred and is the most well-known cemetery among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries. It stretches over more than two square kilometres so if you are looking for a destination to have a long walk or run, this tranquil place is one to consider. Zentralfriedhof hosts perhaps the world's largest concentration of memorials honouring the dead. Among those interred there are Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss and Johannes Brahms. It’s worth visiting the Jewish section, too – vandalised by Nazi sympathisers after Austria was annexed, it’s been kept as it was left as a reminder of the horrors of fascism. Also, the cemetery is a habitat of deer, field hamsters, squirrels, badgers, martens, kestrels, and many others that value this huge area as much as the Viennese. If you want to explore it all, we recommend taking an audio tour.

Famous deads at Zentralfriedhof

Grandiose apartments, classy dresses, and a glimpse into historic times. Learn all about the life and macabre death of the ‘Princess Diana’ of the Habsburg Empire: Empress Elisabeth. At the former imperial palace Hofburg, you’ll find everything that has something to do with Elisabeth at the Sisi Museum. But that’s not all you’ll find at the Hofburg. This former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty is located in the center of Vienna and was built in the 13th century. A walk through the Hofburg offers a potted history of Austria itself. Go to the Prunksaal (State Hall) to admire the Baroque splendor of the Austrian National Library and see where Hitler held his Anschluss speech. Do you love horses? Then seek for the Spanish Riding School to admire the Lipizzaner horses performing their nifty dressage work.

See where Sisi lived at the Hofburg

Located at the Central Cemetery in Vienna, the Funeral Museum, or Bestattungsmuseum, celebrates death as death is inevitable. Most of the Viennese people will end-up at one of the city’s 50 cemeteries and while these places are often mistakenly viewed as scary, Vienna and the Funeral Museum disagree. And we do too. The museum is the perfect place if you want to learn more about the city's culture of the dead. One of our favourites is the display of a folding coffin from 1784, from the time of Joseph II, giving an idea of ​​how Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was buried in 1791 at the St. Marx cemetery. For many years the location of Mozart's remains was unknown, until 1855 when it is believed the grave was discovered at St. Marx.

Learn about death at the Funeral Museum

Trzesniewski is an institution that has shaped the Viennese attitude. It’s a place where students meet workers, court widows meet managers and actors meet office workers. In all of their branches across Vienna, they serve their famous open sandwiches, which are made from small slabs of rye bread with a wide variety of toppings. We especially recommend the one with egg, truffle and ham and the sandwich with lentils and beetroot. The Viennese snack is often accompanied by a Pfiff, a small beer. Together they form the perfect mid-morning snack. To complete the locality of the place, the freshly tapped beer is produced by the Viennese Ottakringer brewery. This is the place to be for people who are excited to immerse in the local way of life.