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TOURISM

Seven Vienna bars with breathtaking views

Ever sipped your Zweigelt at eye level with the Volkstheater’s rooftop statuesque beauties? Barbara Cação of Vienna Unwrapped shares her cheat sheet of Vienna’s best high flying bars and hotels with amazing city views.

Published: 6 May 2015 13:25 CEST
Seven Vienna bars with breathtaking views
Café Bar Bloom. Photo: Vienna Unwrapped

Café Bar Bloom

The best place in town to order a view of Stephansdom with your cocktail is Hotel Lamée’s Café Bar Bloom. Head straight for the rooftop bar on the 9th floor of Rotenturmstrasse’s most exciting corner. Nowhere else in town will you see the cathedral’s colourful roof patterns more clearly. The breathtaking views, mixed with the bar’s modern exteriors, top-notch coffee, cakes and drinks make this place a must for girlie afternoons, informal business talks, and lush romantic evenings.

Address: Rotenturmstrasse 15, 1010

Ritz Carlton Rooftop Bar

Photo: Vienna Unwrapped

The sofa strewn landscape of Atmosphere rooftop bar is as vast as the views it invites you to share. Ritz Carlton’s generous L-shaped rooftop terrace allows almost 360 degree views of the city centre, taking in Stephansdom, Karlskirche, the Hofburg’s green copper domed roof and the hills of Ottakring and Kahlenberg. Snacks range from Austrian Rauriser sausages to caviar shots. An out-of-the-ordinary place to impress friends, business partners and yourself.

Address Schubertring 1-3, 1010

Le Loft

Photo: austria.info

You can almost touch the clouds on a rainy day at Le Loft, 75 metres above ground in the Leopoldstadt. The bar and gourmet restaurant, inspired by innovative French/Asian/Austrian cuisine, is part of Hotel Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom. The stunning ceiling painting designed by artist Pipilotti Rist hovers like a canopy over the guests. When it’s dark, its reflection reaches far out into the night sky towards Stephansdom.

Address: Praterstrasse 1, 1020

Dachboden

Photo: Vienna Unwrapped

The lofty café/bar of the trendy 25 Hours Hotel in Lerchenfelder Strasse is the place to toast the rooftop belles of Volkstheater. The chic glass container and terrace overlook the rooftops of the Austrian Parliament, the Natural History Museum and Museum of Fine Arts, and the Volkstheater, to name the most prominent. The relaxed interiors display the hotel’s circus theme. Great for wine, drinks and a few nibbles with friends.

Address: Lerchenfelder Strasse 1-3, 1070

Sky Bar

The rooftop bar of department store Steffl has long been a favourite of local shoppers, tourists in the know, and a chic urban night crowd. A glass lift on Kärntner Strasse takes you up (those with vertigo – look towards the building). During the warm months, make sure you grab space on the terrace viewing Stephansdom. Live lounge music from Monday to Friday.

Address: Kärntner Strasse 19, 1010

Suite Hotel Kahlenberg

If you want to overlook the whole of Vienna from ‘outer space’ head for the terrace café of Suite Hotel Kahlenberg. During the summer months the cool lounge terrace regularly hosts chilled out music events. You can also eat modern Viennese cuisine at the hotel’s restaurant. The best time to be there is when the lights go on over Vienna and the Danube’s bridges during that magical twilight just before sunset.

Address: Am Kahlenberg 2-3, 1190

Coming soon: MQ Libelle

From the autumn of 2016, Museumsquartier is expected to boast a flashy new rooftop space above the Leopold Museum. Dubbed the MQ Libelle, the airy 600m2 glass container and terrace will be open for coffee, available as a space to host events, or simply as a place to hang out and enjoy the views of the Natural History Museum, Museum of Fine Arts and the Ringstrasse.

Address: Museumsquartier, 1060

Native Viennese Barbara Cação is the author of Vienna travel guide Vienna Unwrapped and runs a tourism blog about her home city. 

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RENTING

‘Betriebskosten’: What are the extra costs renters must pay in Austria?

Renting an apartment in Austria means you’ll have to budget not only for the rent, but other somewhat hidden monthly costs and expenses.

Published: 30 April 2024 11:29 CEST
'Betriebskosten': What are the extra costs renters must pay in Austria?

Understanding operating costs or the specific expenses landlords or property agencies charge renters, is crucial for staying on top of your monthly payments when renting a place in Austria. These extra costs, known in German as Betriebskosten, are strictly regulated by Austria’s Tenancy Act. 

Here are the operating expensses that are chargeable to tenants, according to the MieterHilfe Public Association:

  • Water/wastewater and costs of leak testing, plus excess consumption due to burst pipes, but does not include disproportionate additional consumption for commercial operations;
  • Rubbish removal (and also clearing out floors and cellars);
  • Clearing out abandoned property;
  • Pest control, with costs such as extermination and periodic inspection or removal of pigeon droppings. Installation of pigeon screens is not included;
  • Sweeping fees (chimney sweep);
  • Electricity for lighting and communal facilities, such as the stairwell, but also replacement of light bulbs, fuses or switches;
  • Insurance premiums for fire, liability and water damage;
  • Insurance premiums for glass breakage and storm damage provided that more than half of the tenants have agreed to this being passed on;
  • Management fee (there is a set administration fee per square metre of usable space and building construction year)
  • House cleaning, including wages and social payments if there is a caretaker, plus materials; 
  • Public charges, unless there is a prohibition on passing them on – offsetting of property taxes is permitted;
  • Ongoing operating costs for communal facilities (lift, heating, playground, green areas, common rooms, etc.).

However, costs such as maintenance and repair work can never be charged under operating expenses.

The same goes for any ‘disproportionate additional costs or consumption due to commercial operations ‘, which refers to costs that are significantly higher than what would be considered normal for residential use or costs that are incurred due to the operation of a business within the rented property. 

READ ALSO: Tenant or landlord – Who pays which costs in Austria?

Vienna’s association for tenants MieterHilfe has a calculator that uses average values to show whether the Betriebskosten you pay are comparatively low, medium or high. The association notes, however, that even low values could be considered unauthorised billing in some cases. In contrast, high values could be correct – the calculator only shows if you are paying too much compared to other properties in the city.

You can check the values HERE. You will need to know either the total usable area of the building or the usable area of the flat and the operating cost share—this information is usually shown in a payment statement you receive from property management. 

What if I believe I am being unfairly charged?

If you think you are paying too much, but the charges are legal – such as for water electricity etc, then you would need to raise this issue with property management. They could take measures to save on operating costs, such as replacing old light bulbs with more energy-efficient ones or setting lights to a timer instead of a traditional light switch, for example.

There are many possible reasons for high or low values, according to the City of Vienna. For example, you may pay comparatively low for water one year because of a small number of residents, while the following year, there are leaking sanitary facilities and a burst water pipe that raises costs.

Buildings with many communal areas and green spaces often tend to have higher operating costs, especially for water, electricity, and housekeeping. 

However, things are different if you think you are being unduly charged—that is, there are charges in the operating costs that do not belong there, such as unapproved construction repair.

READ ALSO: Renting in Austria – The key things foreign residents need to know

If you are unsure of the costs, there is a significant deviation from average prices for no particular reason, or you believe that you are being charged for something not legally admissible as an operating cost, you could have a free check carried out by MieterHilfe or a tenant protection organisation. 

If there is a suspicion of unauthorised billing that cannot be dispelled between tenants and the property management company, this will be clarified at the arbitration board. The arbitration board is an independent body that mediates disputes between tenants and landlords. It is a point of contact before the courts in case of difficulties or legal disputes, and its decision is legally binding.

Property management companies and landlords must settle the operating costs for the previous year by 30 June at the latest and disclose them to tenants. This deadline is set to ensure that tenants have sufficient time to review their cost statements and raise any concerns before the new rental year begins. All expenses must be itemised in the statement, providing transparency and allowing tenants to see exactly what they are being charged for.

They are obliged to provide tenants with a detailed summary of the statement and the invoice documents. If the operating costs per square metre exceed €2, a more detailed review is recommended, according to the City of Vienna.

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