Welcome to Vienna!

Text: Boris Gubaidulin Photos: Jacek Dylag, Hrayr Movsisyan, Laurenz Kleinheider & Simon Matzinger, Unsplash Published: 16 | January | 2019

VIENNA is the destination to fill your ears with music and gives you a reason to pack your dance shoes in the winter season of galas: in the spring, when the Vienna Spring Festival takes place, and for the summer ImPulsTanz Festival. In fact, over 450 balls take place in Vienna throughout the year, which provide more than 2000 hours of dance and musical experience. The vibrant Austrian capital is only two hours from Tallinn by plane, and is the city with the best quality of life in the world – welcome to Vienna!

Viin Wien Vienna Austria Photo Jacek Dylag Unsplash Nordica FlyNordica
Viin Wien Vienna Austria Photo Hrayr Movsisyan Unsplash Nordica FlyNordica

In addition to the cultural life that deserves to be discovered, there is a vibrant street pro gramme in which everyone can take part. Politically, Vienna is currently the centre of Europe, like Estonia and Tallinn just were – Austria is the current presidential seat of the European Union, bringing even more foreign visitors and events to the city. Vienna, which is Europe's 10th largest city, has about 1.8 million people. It holds about a quarter of the entire Austrian population. Obviously, this metropolis is busy around the clock, and is a great choice for first-time visitors and weekend tourists, and there are guaranteed to be people who want to spend more time there. Even if you have been living there for some time, you won't get bored, because there are enough activities and something new to discover for everyone.

Karli kirik Karlskirche St Charles Church Viin Wien Vienna Austria Photo Laurenz Kleinheider Unsplash Nordica FlyNordica

THE CENTRE OF EUROPE, WHERE EVERYTHING HAS BEEN THOUGHT OF

In addition to the balls, there are plenty of other places that warm you up during the cold winter weather. For example, you can hide from the cold in one of the glamorous casinos or in one of the numerous art museums. If you are planning to visit Vienna in the spring or summer, then the Easter Festival in April or the Danube Festival in summer are definitely worth visiting.

The classical places to be seen in Vienna are the Schönbrunn Palace and the Hofburg Palace – the latter in particular is one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria. The 5.4-kilometre-long Ringstrasse is one of the most beautiful boulevards in the world, which has an important place in both national history and artistic legend. The Kunsthistorisches Museum at the Belvedere Palace is not just a baroque palace but it is also home to the works of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiel – the most valuable art collections in Austria. Enjoy a boat cruise on the Danube and visit vineyards, valleys and unique villages. Vienna boat cruises are a sure choice to get a good open-air experience – this is a good way to see the city in a different light with the audio guide as your companion.

Viini kesklinn Wien Vienna Austria Photo Jacek Dylag Unsplash Nordica FlyNordica

The city centre of Vienna can be easily discovered on foot, or by bike (the bicycle paths are well developed), or using the cutting-edge public transport system. CityBike Wien provides easy use of city bikes. Sco2t scooters can be rented by the minute, as well as the DriveNow car service, which allows you to use new BMW and Mini models by the minute. For Estonian patriots, the familiar service Taxify is also available in Vienna, as well as Uber and other platforms.

Schoenbrunni loomaaed Schoenbrunner Tiergarten Zoo Viin Wien Vienna Austria Photo Simon Matzinger Unsplash Nordica FlyNordica

All major car hire providers are also represented in the city centre, not just at the airport. If you are looking for a more extreme experience, then Vienna is an excellent choice for motorcyclists – renting motorbikes for both off-road and city driving is fast and easy. While the city area is relatively flat, just an hour's drive away you will be able to start seeing the mountains.

Article was published in Nordica´s in-flight magazine Time Flies  (autumn-winter 2018).