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Five Vienna tourist attractions to escape the summer heat

From famous ice cream shops to crypts and interesting metro stations, here are five interesting spots around the city where the temperature is likely to be a few degrees cooler. 

Published: 31 July 2024 12:32 CEST
Five Vienna tourist attractions to escape the summer heat
With temperatures soaring across Vienna, there are some places you can escape the summer heat. Photo: Christian Lindl . Unsplash

Eissalon Tichy

Who wants ice cream? 

Eissalon Tichy is a beloved Viennese icon, founded in the 1920s and operating in the Favoriten district since the 1950s.

 Ice cream and desserts are the order of the day here, and Tichy is particularly known for its iced apricot dumplings—35,000 are made each week and make up a third of its revenue. 

While there’s plenty of outdoor seating and takeaway is offered, it’s good to get there early on hot summer days – a queue forms from 10am. 

READ MORE:Austria: the ice cream capital of Europe?

Imperial Crypt / Kaisergruft

Where better to escape the heat than a place of eternal rest? 

Over 400 years, 150 members of the Habsburg dynasty have had their mortal remains interred in the Imperial Crypt constructed underneath the Capuchin Church on Neuer Markt. 

True to Habsburg form, members of the imperial family are interred in extremely flamboyant and extravagant bronze and stone sarcophagi, bedecked in skulls, angels and other symbols of death. 

By far, the most impressive tomb is that of the famous Empress Maria Theresa, but the resting places of ‘Sissi’ and her son Rudolf are the most visited, with visitors leaving flowers and notes on both tombs. 

Entry costs €8.50 for an adult, and the crypt is open daily between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. 

Römermuseum / Roman Museum

People have been sweltering in the summer heat in the Vienna region for a long time – almost two thousand years, in fact. 

Back then, Vindobona was a Roman military camp on the site of the modern city – one of significant importance too, since that’s where the famous emperor Marcus Aurelius died in 180AD while on campaign. 

Today, you can step back into the deep past with a visit to the Römermuseum 

There – under the buildings of modern Vienna – you can see the foundations of the Roman camp, discover the archaeological finds and learn more about what the Roman army was trying to achieve in the far-flung province of Pannonia. 

The museum is open Tuesdays to Fridays, 9am to 5pm, and weekends from 10am to 5pm. It costs €8.00 for an adult ticket. 

Schlumberger Kellerwelten / Cellar World

Soaring temperatures mean a cold drink is always welcome. 

Sparkling wine manufacturer Schlumberger is a Vienna institution, having been in operation since the mid-19th century. 

Today, visitors can learn about how the wine is made with a visit to the Schlumberger Keller Welten, housed in a massive 300-year-old series of vaults. You can even participate in the manufacturing process, ‘riddling’ or turning the bottles on the racks. 

It barely needs to be noted that there are tastings at the end of the range of guided tours offered. 

You can learn more about those tours, and opening times here. 

Virgilkapelle

Next time you’re at the Stephansplatz Ubahn station, look for the somewhat incongruous stonework disrupting the concrete walls – this is the entrance to a real Viennese hidden gem. 

During excavations for the station in the 1970s, an underground crypt was found, dating back to the 13th century. 

It’s thought that this crypt, now known as the Virgilkapelle, was built by the ruling Babenberg dynasty to house holy relics, next to the site of the present Stefansdom. 

Later, there are indications that it was part of a family chapel constructed over the entrance of the crypt in the 14th century. 

It’s a deeply atmospheric spot, and an attached museum does a great job of explaining the site, its discovery and what it can tell us about mediaeval Viennese. 

Unfortunately, the space is currently temporarily closed for renovation work, but if you keep an eye out, there are periodically guided tours that can get you in. 

What are your favourite attractions in Vienna to escape the heat? Let us know in the comments!

Member comments

  1. The Seegrotte in Moedling is at 9 degrees year round. A bit out of Vienna but a welcome chance to escape the heat – and see Europe’s largest underground lake.

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Six sensational Austrian castles to explore this summer

It’s been estimated that Austria has around 1,000 castles within its borders, a truly astounding number. With a sunny summer ahead, why not take the opportunity to explore these impressive monuments to Austria’s long history?

Published: 1 August 2024 10:54 CEST
Six sensational Austrian castles to explore this summer

We’ve written about Austria’s best castles before. Still, with so many candidates for inclusion, it’s important to update recommended ones. 

Here are six more castles across Austria that you may not have heard of, but are well and truly worth your time. 

Burg Clam
Klam, Upper Austria

Imagine owning a castle for half a millennium. The Perger family have done that since the sixteenth century. 

Their ancestor, Christoph Perger, purchased Burg Clam in the sixteenth century, which existed since the twelfth century.

With such a continuous history – very few wars, sieges or upheavals reached the castle – the castle is extremely well-preserved and absolutely stuffed full of art, weapons and other decorations stretching over the centuries.

While the castle is very much still in private hands, there’s an excellent museum, a brewery and even guest rooms if you want to nap like a noble. 

Burg Hohenwerfen
Werfen, Salzburg

If you’re wondering why Burg Hohenwerfen may seem a little familiar, that’s because it’s been featured widely in film, TV and even video games. 

Most recently, it featured in the Amazon series ‘The Man In The High Castle’ as Hitler’s lair, and was the setting for a level in the video game ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops III’. 

It’s a director’s dream, mostly because of the way it crowns a ridge in the Salzach valley, imposing and solid. 

The castle was originally built by the Archbishop of Salzburg, Gebhard, to defend his lands in the 11th century. 

It served subsequent bishops for eight hundred years before it passed through the hands of a couple of Bavarian nobles who restored parts of the ageing fortress.

Finally, it was taken over by the state of Salzburg following the Second World War.

In addition to the many restored parts of the castle, the museum explores its history with changing exhibitions. 

There are also regular mediaeval fairs and falconry displays for those who enjoy their history in a more tangible form.  

Burg Hochosterwitz
St. Georgen am Längsee, Carinthia

This castle has such a good location that people have been using it as a fortified position since the Bronze Age.

Today’s Burg Hochosterwitz began construction in the ninth century and was used as a line of defence from Ottoman invasion throughout the 15th century onwards.

Considering its position high on a 175m dolomite rock, it’s easy to see why it never fell to a siege.

The Khevenhüller family have owned the castle since the sixteenth century and have turned the castle into a major tourist attraction in the region. 

When visiting the castle, take the funicular up the rock for a spectacular view, before checking out the castle’s fourteen massive gates, the armoury, the castle church and the restaurant serving local dishes. 

Burg Mauterndorf
Mauterndorf, Salzburg

For those who like hands-on history, Burg Mauterndorf is the place to visit.

Much like Burg Hohenwerfen, Burg Mauterndorf was a castle built by the archbishops of Salzburg in the 11the century – this one to defend a vital trade route and, more importantly, collect taxes.

The castle briefly gained notoriety as the place where Nazi leader Hermann Göring spent much of his childhood. In fact, his relatives owned it right up until the 1960s. 

Now the castle, in addition to hosting the Lungau Landscape Museum, has opened several rooms as an ‘adventure castle’, that introduces young people to life in the Middle Ages via displays, interactive stations and hands-on activities.

Should you visit, look for the private rooms of Leonhart von Kreutscach, a 15th-century archbishop. His distinctive coat of arms featuring a beetroot has a rather amusing story behind it. No spoilers.

Burg Rappottenstein
Rapottenstein, Lower Austria

If you’re looking for the stereotypical mediaeval castle, perfectly preserved, this one is it. 

Built to protect the region from Bohemian invasions in the 12th century, the castle has only ever been owned by a handful of families and was never conquered, meaning that it’s a great example of how a castle in the High Middle Ages may have appeared – no imagination required. 

So well-preserved is the castle, that a Pro Sieben reality series about life in the mediaeval period, ‘The Castle: Prominent in Chainmail’,  was filmed there, as well as several other Austrian miniseries dealing with the era. 

In addition to guided tours, you can also holiday in the castle. 

The premises are also home to the Kinderburg Rappottenstein, an initiative that allows children and families who are ill or grieving to holiday at no cost. 

Riegersburg
Riegersburg, Styria

Another massive 12th-century fortress built to resist invading forces such as the Hungarians or the Ottomans, the Riegersburg really came into its own in the 16th century, when it was redesigned to match the tastes of the Renaissance.

From that time on, the only battles it ever took part in were of a legal nature, so it’s in great condition.

Visitors to the castle today can learn about its most famous inhabitant, the Baroness von Galler, who married three times and fiercely defended her right to rule her own castle and lands – scandalous behaviour at the time. 

The castle’s museum also has an exhibit dedicated to Katharina Paldauf, a servant of the Baroness who was ultimately executed for witchcraft in the 17th century.

If that’s not your speed, there’s a host of other attractions on offer, from falconry displays to the ability to climb the rock on which the castle sits.

How did we do? Which of Austria’s many castles would you include on a future list? Tell us in the comments!

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