What’s happening on the Donaukanal in 2020: the new & the old favourites

The cultural space slash art project slash club, Das Werk has come up with a fantastic addition to its indoor venue.

These days, out the front of the waterside location, you’ll see festive flags strung across its entrance and an awesome terrace. They’re calling it their Kultur Terrasse, and this terrace o’ culture is offering street food, music, street art, cultural happenings and markets (on selected weekends). It’s like one long summer street festival is happening there and we strongly advise you to get in on it.

The veteran drinking dock of Vienna’s waterway, the ADRIA Wien, unfortunately had to give up its sandy stretches. Its orginal bar still remains though and is serving up some dishes (from the crowd by Speisen ohne Grenze), and a vast range of drinks (including their popular house creation, the ADRIA Spritzer). With its rugged DIY look of wood and steel rods, it has a wonderful rustic feel to it. The staff are down-to-earth friendly here, and the atmosphere is all about lazy days with drinks in your hand, head in the clouds.

We really like… how they offer free self-service flavoured water at the bar.

Like a penguin can’t fly, the Badeschiff is a ship that can never set sail. But wipe that frown off your face as that’s good news for us! As one of the first spots to hang out on the Donaukanal, little by little, the Badeschiff has grown to what it is today – a perfect hangout spot containing a restaurant, a pool, a sun deck, a football cage and even a bowling alley.

Its roof area boasts a double deck sun deck. On a sunny day, you’ll struggle to find a chair up here, as it proves to be a very random, and funky setting in the city to lie in your swim suit. Meanwhile, the pool is still a favourite amongst those taking a dip before or during work hours (the quiet hours), while it fills up after 5pm with all kinds of people.

Good to know: a day ticket to the pool will cost you 6.50€

Nestled in a cove beneath the towering Urania, the umbrellas are up and the round bar is as busy as it is every year. The veteran of the Donaukanal hasn’t changed much, but keep your eye on the Strandbar Hermann website for the diverse event program they typically run throughout the summer season, including stuff like free morning yoga sessions, puppet theater, and plenty of DJ sessions.

They’ve also upped their game in the kitchen in recent years if all that drinking in the sun inspires a hunger.

Come as you are to the grungy, old lady of Vienna’s clubbing scene, Flex. While her insides are typically booming with some kind of concert or club night, her sweeping outside beer garden, made up of graffiti and chewing gum ridden black bench seats and tables, are a favourite for those that prefer punk to pretentious. After over 20 years, the event venue/underground party location still delivers the goods, attracting international music acts, and producing severe memory lapses. And it still looks like the dark insides of a cocaine addict’s nostril.

The adjoining Flex Café gives night strollers and club goers the opportunity to start on a few drinks and prep their minds before entering into the grungy dungeons of the club. Its neon lights out front act like a lighthouse for the party revellers. Keep an eye on their website to stay up to date with what music acts are passing through.

It’s one of the biggest, most beautiful marriages of the year in Vienna – the cocktail basement bar, Krypt, has joined forces with the masters of the burger, Die Burgermacher, in the form of a tastefully laid out pop-up location on the Donauakanal. Directly across from the Badeschiff, it’s got some stylish arrangements of rattan chairs and tables scattered on their own little sand island.

Expectedly, both of these top notch locations are serving up here at their summer pop up what they’re damn good at – tasty cocktails and bodacious burgers.

The familiar face of the Tel Aviv Beach has disappeared and has been replaced by a slicker looking outfit.

Tel Aviv beach bar is now Neni am Wasser, which will actually be an all-year, all-season location.

With the same Neni family crowd behind it, sand and plastic beach chairs have been swapped out for a roof, and some more respectable wooden lounge furniture. Meanwhile, the beach vibes remain.

It has leveled up on the food front. It’s still got the modern take on Israeli cuisine that Neni is known for, with a few grilled meat and fish dishes thrown into the mix. It’s all prepared in an open show kitchen for that little wow-effect.

At Grelle Forelle the parties are long, the bass sneaks into your bones, the drinks come fast. There’s no half-assing at this place, it’s all ‘Go hard or go home’ but once you’re inside you’ll find it hard to leave anyway. Photography, video and audio recordings are prohibited, which not only allows you to let go of every inhibition, while losing yourself in the beats, but also gives the whole club concept a nice mysterious touch.

You might find yourself making out with a stranger in one of the dark parts at the corners of the dance floor, or chatting with the toilet lady while forgetting all about your friends, or staring at the great wall paintings for a few hours until you’re spat out onto the curb at 6am.

What began as a little cart selling food and drink and some beer benches has evolved into an outdoor location, complete with decking and a little kiosk. Central Garden, is back again and it’s offering the same as it does every year – a pleasant spot for a drink with friends in a chilled waterside setting.

Good to know… The Central Garden is also a culture and sport venue, where you can catch all kinds of events happening.

Hafenkneipe is one of the original bars that setup on the Donaukanal and to this day it’s still a favourite for many. Standing alone a little removed from the crowds of hip beach bars further upstream, you’ll find a bunch of people chilling on Hafenkneipe’s drink crates and deckchairs, while enjoying the gentl3 Donaukanal breeze. You’ll also find a stand attached to the bar grilling and serving up trout on a stick, the mighty Steckerlfisch. Served with tzatziki, a slice of lemon, and all-you-can-eat bread, the fish comes served in the traditional no-fuss way – on a piece of waxy paper.

Plus: you’ll definitely want to get a classic Austrian sweet, a Schwedenbombe (chocolate puff), for desert after your fish – it’s the typical thing to do

Good to know… Hafenkneipe also serve up a good pizza.

While the Donaukanal has long been known as a bike-lovers paradise, the site of a bike army peddling their hearts out, but not going anywhere, is a new sight to be seen in 2020. The super fit crowd from SuperCycle have thrown together a pop-up this year, right across from the Badeschiff at which they’ll be running their brand of spin classes. In the words of the SuperCycle website, they’re looking to offer their ‘signature dance-cycling classes in an outdoor environment, to connect with the joy of our choreographed on-bike dance parties.’