Secret tip for music lovers!

Just discovered yesterday a fantastic venue for classical music concerts. It is definitely off the beaten track and it gives you a chance to enjoy great music performed by wonderful professional musicians.
Vienna is the capital of classical music and thousands come here to study, to work, be part of an ensemble etc. So there are actually quite a few venues where these musicians perform, and who are not the Musikverein or the Konzerthaus. If you're after authenticity, go there.

Where?
Geselschaft für Musiktheater
Türkenstrasse 19, 2nd floor (with lift), 1090 Vienna

It's in the 9th district, very close to the first district and to the Freud museum.

Program:
http://www.iti-arte.at/musiktheater/

Price:
You pay 25€ for a membership and then you can go to as many concerts as you like during one calendar month (1-31), without having to pay anything!! You can buy this membership just before the concert. Come about 15 minutes prior.

On the picture, Anastasios Strikos and Sophia Kyanidou , at the Geselschaft für Musiktheater on January 19, 2017, in a wonderful Lieder soirée.

Shopping in Vienna (part 1): opening times

Virtually all shops are closed on Sunday and on public holidays. You should check if there is a public holiday during your stay in Vienna to avoid surprises.

Grocery stores in Vienna usually open at 7.30 or 8 am and close at 7 or 8 pm(19h/20h). Bakeries open even earlier, some as early as 6am. Other kinds of shops may open at 9, more rarely at 10am. Shops in general also close earlier on Saturdays.

So what to do if you have an emergency on a Sunday or holiday? There is one grocery store open in each train station and at the airport. You will also find bakeries and other food shops open those days in these places. If you arrive on such a day it may be wise to do some petty shopping at the station or airport before heading to your accommodation.

Museums, palaces and other attractions are unaffected by Sundays and holidays, but they do have some closing days that vary, so it is always a good idea to check beforehand.

Sound levels in Vienna (part 2): noise in apartment buildings

Tenants in Viennese apartment buildings are generally very quiet and they are also very keen on this remaining so..
Legally it is not allowed to make any loud noises like loud talking, laughing, loud tv watching or music or (horrible word coming, don't read if you are overly sensitive)...partying (yuck!) after 10pm (22h) and until 6am.
Importantly, noise made by small children or babies crying are not legally considered as noise, so no worries if you have a small baby or a pair of very active small children.. the latter should be in bed at 10pm anyway.
So if you are a visitor in Vienna and want to know the etiquette, here you have it: keep noise levels low and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere while living in Vienna :-)

Air conditioning in Vienna vacation rentals and hotels

Why is there no air conditioning in our apartments? For that matter, why is there no air conditioning in 95% of vacation rentals or even in entire hotels in Vienna?

This is because the bulk of period buildings are protected and special laws apply to their general appearance. This includes a ban on satellite dishes but also the outside units of an air conditioning system. So that was that: no outside unit, no air conditioning.

Since global warming started to really make its effects felt, weather is unpredictable and there are every year a few days with quite high temperatures (35°Celsius or very rarely, even more) in Vienna. Usually totaling about one to two weeks and generally occurring in July or late June.

What to do? Did you know that we have dozens of kilometers of fine beaches in Vienna and that we do swim in the Danube river? Go to the Donauinsel, the Alte Donau or the Gänsehäufel (my personal favorite) for a swim. Water is generally warm 23-24° Celsius. This is totally out of the beaten track (for tourists, there are thousands of Viennese there...)

Sound levels in Vienna (part 1): construction sites

Vienna is much quieter than most big European cities I know. The general noise levels are way lower than in Paris or Rome for example. This is especially the case at night. Generally there is no noise at all at night; streets are starting to empty as early as 8pm (20h), traffic being very reduced.

However, Vienna is also a city that wakes up early in the morning. At 7am there are way more people and cars in the streets than at 8pm... 7 am is also the usual time when workers start their day on construction sites. And of course they will start first thing by doing the noisiest thing possible, especially if you, dear visitor, are sleeping in the building next door :-)

Vienna didn't get that beautiful and clean by chance: there are dozens, hundreds of construction sites all over the noble districts (1 to 9) from April-May to September-October, every year, everywhere. Yes, this is also the season when one likes to sleep with the windows open. There is no escaping this.

What to do?
1/ go stay in an ugly place full of 50's buildings where no construction works occur. Ever.
2/ get some earplugs from a local pharmacy if there is a construction site near your lodging
3/ do what Viennese do: wake up early and get used to it

Wrap up:
- Vienna is generally way quieter than most cities
- if there is noise, it is more likely to happen in the morning and in the summer

How to get a ticket for the New Year's concert in Vienna?

This is a question that many of our guests ask and I didn't have a clear answer until Sara D. an amazing British lady stayed in Concerto and went to the New Year's concert. She was so kind as to give us all the details of the process that she successfully went through.

The New Year's Concert is arguably the single most popular classical concert event in the world. It always takes place in the Großer Saal of the Musikverein, featuring the most famous conductors from all over the world (a different one each year).  Check the Wikipedia page for more information.

First of all, the "official" way of getting tickets involves registering for a lottery: check here the official page of the Wiener Philarmoniker. The probability of winning the lottery is vanishingly small.

Now to the real world possibility to get a ticket, real world meaning deep pockets of course.

There are ticket agencies who work as a middle-man between individuals who want to resell their tickets and the buyer. Sara, after an extensive research, went for www.viennaconcerts.com. But there are other agencies out there; just make sure that they are legitimate (check for reviews, call them on the phone..).

Here is the relevant part of Sara's email:

"The process was very smooth.  Viennaconcerts guarantee that the tickets are authentic and I made a direct bank transfer to the individual selling her tickets.  Even though the tickets are ridiculously expensive, the prices were stable for each category and didn’t keep increasing like they do on bidding sites like ebay.   We also had the option of collecting the tickets from their office, getting them delivered to our hotel, or getting them posted to us by secure courier."

Prices range from 2,200€ to 3,300€, per ticket (!).

I saw Sara and her family the day after the concert and they confirmed it was a once in a lifetime experience; they even managed to get an autograph from Daniel Barenboïm ;-)

This is a steep price to pay for one concert, no matter how good it may be; however Vienna does offer a range of extremely good quality classical concerts the whole year through at very affordable prices. Virtually all Viennese go regularly to concerts and the Opera.

What is your feeling? Have you been to the New Year's concert? Was it worth it?

Which are the best districts in Vienna?

First time visitors in Vienna will inevitably ask themselves in which district they should stay.

So here is what we suggest.

First of all one must understand the structure of Vienna:

The 1st district is the historic center, surrounded by the famous Ring street. Most sites are here.
Around the first district, one finds districts 2 to 9 which are also pretty central and are also partly historic. These districts are surrounded by the Gürtel: a very busy, large and ugly street, you want to keep away from this one.
And finally, districts 10 to 23 which are out of the Gürtel and partly extend far from the center, all the way to the woods or countryside.

Most visitors will want to stay in the first district. It is indeed the best way to discover Vienna without spending time in the transports. Distances are small and if you stay in the first district you'll easily be able to go back to your apartment/room for a break between museums. Most sites are a very easy walk in the 1st district. The first district also has thousands of shops, restaurants, cafes, you name it, you got it. Luxury brand stores are to be found only in the first district. Public transport from here is amazing. So staying in the first district is mostly positive but there are certain downsides too: it is very touristic, shops and restaurants are usually more expensive than in surrounding districts. This would be my first choice if I had the budget that goes with it.

The second district is partly very close to the center, and you will find a lot of cheap apartments and hotels in this district. And they are cheap for a reason. Except for the area surrounding the Augarten, a very nice, large park,  which is an enjoyable, laid-back neighbourhood, pretty much all the rest of the second district is clearly second choice, often ugly buildings from the 50s, not the safest part of Vienna either (but still safe enough, Vienna is a safe city in general). So except for the Augarten area, where public transport is not great unfortunately, this district would only be my last choice (but still a choice, some other districts I consider as no choice...).

The third district is only recommendable in its part closest to the Ring street. It is a district with no clear personality. Still, not a bad choice if you get a good deal very close to the Ring (200 meters max).

The 4th, 5th and 6th are nice districts: choose to stay near transports, and in the half that is closer to the Ring.

The 7th district is the bourgeois-bohème district of Vienna, very enjoyable, with loads of restaurants and cafes that offer good value, as well as Vienna's biggest shopping street, the Mariahilferstrasse.

The 8th district, is not very well served by public transport and it's a shame because it is very nice, with a very "small town neighbourhood" kind of feeling, that makes one just want to stay and live there forever...

The 9th district is large, and the area closest to the Ring is one of the nicest upper-market in Vienna. It has an amazing public transport network, and is very safe due to the presence of several Police headquarters.

A nice apartment/room near the Ring in districts 6 to 9 would be my second choice.

Districts 3 to 5 being my third choice.

Concerning the districts 10 to 23, well these are quite far from the sites and the center. Some of them are very nice indeed (13th, 19th), others are a mix of industrial zones and sponsored housing (10th, 11th). I wouldn't recommend the average visitor to stay in any of these districts.

That's it and it is only my opinion.

What do you think about Vienna's districts (in the perspective of a visitor)?

Safety in Austria

Austria is a very safe country.

Looking at the homicide rate it is just at 0,6 (/100,000) while the US rate is 8 times higher at 4,8 and European countries like France or the UK have double the rate at 1,1 and 1,2 respectively (source: Wikipedia).

Despite recent headlines that shocked the whole country Austria in general and Vienna in particular remain very safe places to be.

My feeling also as a Vienna resident is one of safety: I never heard of anyone being attacked or physically abused. Women, seniors can walk safely in the streets at night. That however doesn't mean one shouldn't watch for his belongings, because there are pick-pockets, especially in tourist areas. There are also home burglaries. No need to get paranoid but a little bit of common sense will get you a long way: keep your purses tight and always lock your room/apartment when going out.