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.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is Austria’s largest art museum. Its picture gallery houses the collections of the Habsburgs. There’s everything from Brueghel to Velásquez and Vermeer to Caravaggio. I especially recommend getting lost in the Egyptian and Near Eastern collection though.

This tiny family-run Japanese restaurant right at the Naschmarket serves great authentic Japanese food. No matter which dish I tried, I loved every single one of them. Plan a little waiting time, they have only 6-9 seats, but it’s worth the wait.  By the way, take a look at the building, it’s the famous Majolica House by the famous Jugendstil architect Otto Wagner.

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.

Although in possession of a very convincing white-cube space, Hoast adds flavour to their exhibition program with a generous portion of socially-minded neighbourhood events: be it a flea market as a way for artists to raise money for their proposed projects or a communal election-watching night with chilli con carne and vodka.