11 Things to Do in Vienna at Night

Although Vienna has a reputation for being a quiet city, the truth is that it comes alive at night, combining partying and a great atmosphere with the tranquillity and beauty that the night offers. On the one hand, the beautiful buildings in the historic centre are illuminated, encouraging visitors to take a stroll and enjoy the views. On the other hand, pubs and nightclubs open their doors to nightlife enthusiasts. Read on to find out everything you can do in Vienna after sunset.

If you're travelling to Vienna and looking for a different and unique night-time activity, there's one option that stands out from the rest. I'm talking about going to the Vienna Opera, the Wiener Staatsoper.

It's best to book tickets in advance, but you can also buy them at the box office on the same day, even at the last minute. Of course, the closer you get to the performance, the longer the queues will be. The last tickets are for standing room, but the prices are very cheap.

The best tickets for the Vienna Opera

There are always options for enjoying 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 €34
• Tickets for a classical music concert at St. Peter's Church, from €39
• Tickets for a classical music concert at St. Anne's Church, from €34
• Tickets for Mozart concert in Vienna, from €69
• Tickets for Mozart and Strauss concert in Vienna, from €55
• Tickets for a concert at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, from €58
• Tickets for a concert at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna with dinner and tour, from €142

Booking a dinner cruise on the Danube in Vienna is one of the best things you can do in the Austrian capital, whether as a couple or with family or friends, to admire the impressive palaces, buildings and monuments such as the Vienna Opera House, the Danube Tower and Schönbrunn Palace.

You'll 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 in this approximately three-hour experience!

The centre of Vienna is full of historic buildings of extraordinary beauty. Their Baroque façades and architecture make strolling through its streets a real visual treat. This is enhanced at night, as the lighting projected onto the buildings further highlights their beauty and, combined with the tranquillity of the streets, makes a night-time stroll through the centre one of the best things to do.

The list of buildings and monuments is very extensive. But it is worth highlighting the lighting of St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Staatsoper (Vienna Opera House), the Town Hall, the Parliament building and the Church of St. Charles Borromeo. Further away from the city centre, you can visit the Belvedere Palace or, even further afield, Schönbrunn Palace.

However, it is also advisable to lose yourself in the streets of Imperial Vienna without a fixed destination. This way, you are sure to enjoy discovering the city's secrets just as much.

It could be said that the Danube passes through Vienna twice. Apart from the river itself, a canal was built from it that runs through the old part of the city. The banks of the canal have been used to create walking areas and several terraces, restaurants and bars, making 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 when the canal is at its best. In addition to illuminating the bridges that cross it, the bars and restaurants along the canal set up terraces with armchairs and chill-out areas where you can forget about the hustle and bustle of the city. For all these reasons, it is one of the best areas to enjoy Vienna at night.

The best tours to discover 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 €181
• Take a night bus tour, from €28
• Take a guided bike tour, from €51

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. These are quite late hours considering that they usually only open until 5 or 6 p.m. So, take advantage and visit some 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 located. It's also a good idea to leave Thursdays until the last minute to visit some museums so that you can organise your time better, as the city has so much to see.

The best museums in Vienna

Right at the end of Mariahilfer Straße is the so-called museum quarter, where you'll find some of Vienna's best museums. Many of them extend their opening hours until 9 pm, including:

• Mumok (the museum of modern art).
• Kunsthalle Vienna.
• Albertina Museum, from €20
• Vienna Museum of Art History, from €21
• Leopold Museum, from €19
• Upper Belvedere and the Gustav Klimt Permanent Collection, from €20

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

When the weather is good, the square is filled with terraces, and at night the pubs usually have their "happy hour" when prices drop and the beer keeps flowing.

What's more, as variety is the spice of life, Schwedenplatz has a wide range of pubs, including Irish pubs, cocktail bars, German-style beer halls and many more. There are also several 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 old underground railway in a layout similar to an aqueduct. Most are located under line 6 between the Thaliastraße and Nussdorferstraße stations.

In general, these bars are quieter, perfect for having a drink with small groups as they are not very spacious. Ideal for ending the day after a long walking tour of Vienna. In summer, they set up small terraces outside.

The exception to the tranquillity are some of these bars where small concerts are organised, especially in spring and summer when the weather is more favourable. To get to this area, it is best to take advantage of the Vienna City Card and take the tram to the Alser Strabe stop north of the centre of Vienna.

The Prater Park is one of Vienna's symbols. This extensive 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 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 height of 65 metres, offers one of the best views of the Austrian capital.

Fortunately, both the amusement park and the Ferris wheel are open after dark, allowing you to enjoy the views I mentioned, but with the city lit up under the night sky. It is a highly recommended experience, which can be made even more enjoyable with a stroll around the park's attractions.

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

• Tuchlauben Ice Cream Parlour: located in the heart of the city, 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 night bus tour of Vienna.

Vienna is renowned for being a very romantic city, especially at night. That's why dining in special places is quite common in the Austrian capital.

There are few places more special for dining 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 comprehensive.

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

Night-time is synonymous with partying, and this is also true in tranquil Vienna. In fact, the city is home to some of the most prestigious nightclubs in Europe. This is somewhat surprising given the Austrian capital's reputation.

Apart from the pubs and bars we have already mentioned, the best places to go out in Vienna are:

• The Titanic, located in the 6th district, is a popular old-school nightclub.
• Pratersauna, which, paradoxically, was once a spa and sauna where people could relax, is now one of the best and liveliest nightclubs in Vienna.
• Flex, a club built in an old underground station, is renowned for having the best sound in Vienna and is one of the best venues in Europe.

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