12 Hidden Gems in Vienna

Many visitors of Vienna spend much of their time visiting the “must-sees” like the beautiful palaces (Schönbrunn, Hofburg, The Belvedere), churches and the great museums that Vienna has to offer. Nothing wrong with that of course, but you will spend much of your time queuing with fellow tourists.

Wouldn’t you like to spend at least part of your city trip away from the tourist trail, and go where the locals go? Our locals created the Spotted by Locals Vienna blog & app to help you experience our city like we locals do. In this article we picked some local gems in Vienna, discovered by our very own team of Spotters.

15 vending machines & robots serving you!

ServiceBOB Vienna (by Julia Heiligenbrunner)

These 15 vending machines and 2 cashier robots at ServiceBOB Vienna are at your service 24/7.  The interesting assortment ranges from usual snacks to steaks and disposable barbecue sets to beer and wine to gingerbread hearts with corny declarations of love to CBD products to whoopee cushions, and even a whole vending machine for sex accessories! Wow.

They seem they try to position themselves as a new must-stop for the many bachelor party gangs frequently touring Vienna’s clubs – just that it’s not exactly located in one of these bar areas.

ServiceBOB is not your daily grocery provider, yet a visit might be fun – and if just to have a look.— Julia Heiligenbrunner

The ’60s style by the lake

Image by Peter Haas

The first time I came across Donaupark, I was not too sure whether to like it or not. Part of it seemed very “out of date” and the flower beds and the style in which many plants were arranged, looked a bit old-fashioned.

Set up in 1964, more than 40 years ago, on a once huge dump, it all started with a big international garden exhibition. And artifacts of those days can still be found. One of it is the very special Korea Kulturhaus, beside the pretty Iris-Lake.

The glass and concrete house in 60’s style architecture used to be a lake restaurant, now you can dive into Korean culture. — Linda Nepicks

Celebrating death

Image by dreafrei

According to our Spotter David it is a well-known fact that the Viennese are obsessed with death. Passing on to the other side is not merely acknowledged, it is celebrated. So it quite rightly follows that Vienna should have one of the most extravagant cemeteries anywhere.

Zentralfriedhof is so huge that it has its own internal bus route. Some of Europe’s most famous, er, dead people are lying here and its enormous size ensures a chance for quiet reflection.

One of Vienna’s nicest Jugendstil churches stands proudly at the center. Expect to spend upwards of two hours exploring! — David Titcumb

Vienna’s hippest Indian restaurant

Shalimar Vienna (by Shaliimar)

Darija, the owner of Shalimar, is one of a kind – she once was the innkeeper of former famous Ungargrill bar and the great nightclub Grillx! This charmingly crazy, well-dressed woman, took over a restaurant about a year ago. And turned this traditional Indian restaurant into something very different.

The location is kind of hidden in the central 6th district in a quiet alley. The restaurant is only known by the neighbours, especially for its gorgeous inner courtyard garden in summertime. Now in winter you can enjoy cosy, dark painted rooms with a special though not gloomy atmosphere. The food is excellent, far above the usual Indian stuff. But do not expect cheap prices, quality comes at a cost…

As she is well linked to the music scene of Vienna, there are sometimes small live concerts. And I am sure there are more unusual ideas to follow, to combine art, fun and great cuisine! — Linda Nepicks

At a mad tea party

Image by Tina Haselbacher

For me, the trend of the hour is definitely pottery. Pottery’s everywhere. Whether it’s Instagram or Pinterest or any other internet platform. Not to say that pottery is not beautiful, which is why I decided to write about Feine Dinge Manufaktur.

What you’ll find there are all sorts of pottery, from tableware, home accessories to illuminating objects. Every item is unique and produced locally, within their own property, with the oven only a few meters away from the final products.

Once you have entered, you might truly believe that you are about to drink tea at a mad tea party! — Tina Haselbacher

Priceless music for free

Image by Sabrina Grohsebner

There’s this one great thing to do while being in Vienna, enabling you to enjoy a concert without spending a dime. At the Music University, students get to present their artistic and creative progress in public in their class presentations.

Going beyond, there’s a great variety of acoustic matinees, vocals soirees and music brunches being communicated over their website. And as it is situated right next to Belvedere you’re likely to have a great view from the showroom as well.

Music within magnificent yesteryear architecture, with excerpts of Vienna’s bright musical future? Sold. — Sabrina Grohsebner

Οld-school game bar

Image by Christopher Taylor

They do not get much more interesting and authentic than Cafe Sperlhof! Anyone looking for a place completely frozen in the Viennese past, while also looking for a leisure-time activity, need look no further.

The yellowed walls and wood paneling are the first indications of the character, but the truly unique aspect of Sperlhof is the giant stacks of board games, puzzles, and chess boards piling up.  The columns are free to peruse and play, but you are also welcome to bring your own.

The beer is cheap and the owner is as Viennese as a Sachertorte, gruff and friendly, with a heart of gold. — Christopher Taylor

Breathing life into bikes

Image by David Titcumb

No good bikes should be consigned to the scrapheap, according to the mantra of joint owners of Reanimated Bikes Pete and Rich. It is literally unbelievable how many bikes are given in for these guys to fix up.

Bikes that have been rescued from cellars, bikes that have been left forlornly locked to poles, bikes that are donated by those who have no space for them any longer. They get stripped down, pimped up and eventually ridden off.

They are the perfect duo to resuscitate your old steel steed and get it back on the road. — David Titcumb

Craft beer & music venue in a train factory

WUK Vienna (by Florian Wieser)

The WUK (Werkstätten- und Kulturhaus) in the 9th district is a stellar locale for all bohemian types looking not only for a place to grab a beer, but to find an entire community center full of open-minded, creative & warm people.

Situated only two tram stops from Schottentor (in the direction of the 18th and 19th districts), the WUK is a unique cross between gastropub, beer garden, cultural center, and music venue. — Christopher Taylor

Where the wild pigs roam

Lainzer Tiergarten Vienna (by Zxb)

Want to leave the city and go for a walk, combined with a little thrill? Lainzer Tiergarten, a huge forest, part of the Wiener Wald, on the outskirts of Vienna, might be the right thing.

Here you can walk for hours and – depending on which gate you take to enter the park – on weekdays sometimes you won’t meet any human beings, but: wild pigs! But even if you don’t encounter any game, the forest is worth visiting at any time of the year.

Even the Empress Elisabeth of Austria quite often preferred the countryside to downtown Vienna and had a little villa out here. — Linda Nepicks

Antiques for you(r home)

Glasfabrik Vienna (by Julia Heiligenbrunner)

This is a place where you either spend a lot of €uros (in any case: haggle!) or probably not a single cent. However, I do think it’s miraculous to just go there for a touch of the past.

One doesn’t refuse to go to a museum because they can’t buy & take home the art that is exposed there, right? Every time I’m bringing friends, they love it at Glasfabrik. It is special.

And what I like best about this free ‘museum’ of antiques and oddities is that it is constantly changing! — Julia Heiligenbrunner

Surprising Art Nouveau architecture

Image by Tina Haselbacher

Being an architect, I’ve always been in love with the Art Nouveau scene of Vienna. It was back in 2008 (I had just started my studies in architecture at that time) when I first noticed the Majolika house on Wienzeile.

It’s like two things I absolutely love combined: architecture and nature. Allow yourself to take a broad look at the building. It’s like a gigantic flower! You’ll encounter the overall floral concept everywhere.

I am passionate about flowers and it might not come as a surprise to you that the Majolika house has stolen my heart! —Tina Haselbacher

Want more hidden gems? Check out our Vienna blog & app!