10 things you absolutely NEED to do to make the most out of July in Vienna

Vienna looooves its wine and during this time of the year, a big part of the city can be found up on the wine hills surrounding the city, throwing back bottles of the liquid of the Gods and cooling in the shade of well tangled vines.

For beginners, head out to the 19th district’s area of Grinzing and pick from the many nice Heurige gardens aligning the streets. There, you can sit and enjoy the local, self-produced wine, that you must pair with some unpretentious but tasty Schmankerl (a snack made of cold cuts, cheese and spreads). Some Heuriger have a hot buffet to choose some limited but carefully selected Austrian dishes.

For a more authentic and non-touristy wine expedition, head out to Stammersdorf where you can follow our tipsy-tips for a full experience.

The fun doesn’t stop here: the areas around Vienna are packed with Heurige, so anytime you want to be surrounded by grape vines, check out our guide to the wine growing and Heurige-hosting regions around Vienna.

And in case you want to brush up your Heurige-Know-How before heading out to one of them, we’ve got some facts about Heurige we bet you didn’t know.

We are not ones to complain, but we’ll admit summer in Vienna can be a hot and sticky affair. And not in the good way. If you don’t have the time or the energy to go to the Donau or a pool, try having a real urban summer moment. Because what’s better than having a summer moment in one of the best summer cities? – Why? Check out our article on why Vienna is an awesome summer city!

Suggested scenario: visit your own/one of your friends’ terrace, roof or balcony, get in your sunbathing gear, slurp on some Radler out of a can, cool yourself off with a spray bottle and let your gaze wander over the city. Does it for us, everytime. Every. God. Damn. Time.

During July and August, you may start to see shops putting up signs stating they’ll be back in September and you may start to notice a lot of your emails bouncing back with holiday auto-replies. This is Vienna’s infamous ‘Sommerloch in action.

In tackling the Sommerloch, we highy recommend respecting the Sommerloch. Take it easy, don’t bother people with unnecessary emails, don’t expect people to react quickly to anything, and don’t take local news too seriously (they have to write about something other than the weather).

After a long dry spell, Vienna’s famous art and culture institutions are back and there’s a raft of exhibitions you should check out.

To find cool exhibitions that are happening in Vienna right now, check out our The Arts Section!

P.S.: You don’t have to be interested in culture to visit a museum, to be honest – sometimes, we just visit one to escape the summer heat! (Air conditioning in exhibitions = surviving summer)

It doesn’t take much to spend an amazing evening at the Donaukanal. And we suggest you spend a bit of time down there by the waterside during June and July and August. Just as much time as you can spare because it feels good. Make sure to follow our list of the DOs and DON’Ts, so you have a good experience.

Open air cinemas are one of the highlights of the summer season in this city. No more pondering for movie lovers on whether to stay in or head out. Open air cinemas offer those who get their tan from a movie screen a great way to spend an evening outside. Vienna offers a variety of open air cinemas, each screening a different flavour of film.

We’ve gathered the best open-air cinemas you can visit in Vienna, so be sure to check out our article!

Vienna’s fantastic arts and culture scene will be on display as part of the city-wide Kultursommer festival. With a diverse (and huge) programme, there’s something to see for all – even a garden concert in front of retirement homes for all the Omas and Opas living there! We love this concept! If you’re a culture vulture and you know what’s good for you then be sure to check out the programme.

If you’re going to endure a sticky Vienna summer, you might as well do it while also getting in shape, getting bendy, finding your inner peace while soaking up the sun and fresh(ish?) air, and taking in amazing views by signing up to some outdoor yoga classes!

When a former royal garden opens up for the entertainment of us peasants, like the garden of the Palais Schwarzenberg is doing for the summer-long Theater im Park, it might be time to dust off that suit and dress you got in the back of your closet. Ok, you won’t need to dress up for this as it’s a nice casual affair. A good dose of culture, theater and cabaret is going to be served up to you right in the park under the stars if you buy a ticket for one of the shows going on all summer. Check out their programme!

Vienna’s dance festival of all dance festivals, ImPulsTanz, is back and they’ve sure got a lot of workshops and performances lined up that are worth doing your happy dance about.

There will be multiple performances and hundreds of workshops. So get your dancing pants on and get yourself tickets for one of the performances or register for one of the classes.

Check out the full Impulstanz programme.

Good to know: The ImPulsTanz Festival also hosts special club nights to celebrate the festivities at the Burgtheater Vestibül. All in the name of the ImPulsTanz Social Festivallounge, which has different themes for every event. Be sure to check it out!