If you are into Brutalism and would like to see something different in Vienna (apart from Schönbrunn Palace and its historic city centre …) this church is worth the journey. On the basis of a model by Fritz Wotruba, the Austrian sculptor, the church was built from 1974–76. (Photo: Thomas Ledl)

Palmenhaus is a café, brasserie and bar inside a 1901-built greenhouse located in the Viennese Hofburg palace gardens. You can enjoy your coffee unter the massive steel structure on the light-filled inside of the greenhouse or – during summertime – on the outside terrace overlooking the Burggarten gardens.

This bar is in the foyer of the viennese popular theater. the name as well as the interior refer to the socialist direction, but if one imagines a dusty place full of missent ex-marxists it nowadays really is just a place with the ambiance of another time, that houses parties and changing clubs. I love the curtains, the fact that it is in the middle of the city and that one really feels a heavy ancient mood, that is forever related to the image of imperial vienna. it is this certain amount of pretentious pomp that makes going there, regardless of what club it is, surreal and nice.

Sous bois doubles up as a graphic designer’s office for its owner and is a candy-coloured materialisation of her playful aesthetics and enthusiasm for all things stationary. In summer, the parking place in front of the shop becomes a tropical-themed paradise for bookbinding and typographic workshops.

There is one thing finally that is good about vienna’s small size, to reach the river danube and its two side arms in summer, when its boiling hot, takes only few minutes. All the life is transferred from the center to the river banks, swim and barbecue in summer, ice skating in winter. If you exit the subway at Neue Donau station you will see the small tower of viennas biggest mosque that is located on the danube island. You can go there and visit, if you are lucky, you will be offered dryed figues and dates and you can watch the prayers repose themselves lying on mattrasses in the cool.