Generally tipping is expected in Vienna and other Vienna, Austria Local Custom Tips

If you buy drinks in a bar then tipping is pretty much standard - if you pay €3.20 for a beer say, then you're more or less expected to pay €3.50 for the beer. Whilst there is no hard and fast rule, in terms of the percentage tip, it is expected. In restaurants, typically approx 10% is expected as a tip - anything less might be met with a slightly askance look.

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Most Viennese take their shoes off and wear slippers around the house - and will always thrust a pair of slippers into your hands upon entering their homes. This is because a lot have parquet flooring and in winter there is a lot of grit used on the pavements to prevent people from slipping over. Similarly if there is a lot of snow then wearing shoes indoors also creates a lot of dirt, which of course means cleaning up.

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At weekends and on public holidays, most newspapers are placed in bags with an honesty box. Unfortunately this means that most people just take a newspaper without paying - which given the standard of journalism of many papers is about the correct price to pay. There are newspaper honesty boxes and bags hanging from lamp posts on nearly every street corner. If you have to nick a paper, then don't do so sheepishly - you'll look suspicious.

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Wherever there is a building in the city centre of Vienna which is covered in scaffolding you can, with 95% certainty, be sure that the scaffolding will have some "Pflückgedichte" attached to it. Basically people attach strings to the scaffolding and attach photocopied verses for people to remove/pick. Some verses are quite political - often referring to a point of local political policy which people disapprove of. Others contain links to the websites of the authors so people can read their musings. They look a bit unsightly - but are a good way of allowing free expression. Now there are also donationware pictures for sale - small artistic prints available for a voluntary donation.

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In the six weeks leading up to Christmas, Vienna and many other towns and cities have a Christkindlmarkt - an Advent Market. They sell a lot of traditional products - such as wooden toys, christmas decorations, sweets and cakes, as well as hand-crafted ornaments and nick-nacks. There are always stands to get food and drink - usually you pay a cover charge for a mug when you buy Punsch or mulled wine and can then walk around the Christmas market with your warm (potent alcoholic) drink in your hand, and enjoy the atmosphere. For younger visitors there are often fairground style-carousels, and there are various such markets all around the city. In city, the main ones are usually at: The Rathaus (the biggest one), the Altes AKH complex, The Freyung, Karlsplatz / Resselpark, Schönbrunn and in the Spittelberg area.

The link is for the Rathausplatz Christkindlmarkt

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Website: www.christkindlmarkt.at

There are fast food stands dotted all around the city - many of them being open until the small hours of the morning. Whilst there has been a substantial erosiion of the popularity of the Würstelstand with an influx of Kebab stands (A Döner is around €3.00) and pizza stands (a Pizzaschnitt usually costs about €2.50), there are still some fine sausage stands.

One of the particular "highlights" is a Käsekrainer - a sausage will cheese in it. It should be tried before being knocked - be aware of course that the cheese is very hot and therefore has a propensity to squirt and to burn your tongue. This is known by the locals as an "Eitriger" i.e. pus-filled. Other specialities include "Leberkäse" or "Käseleberkäse" which is a horse meat snack with or without cheese typically served in a Semmel (bread roll).

They also serve drinks (beer and soft drinks) and offer the cheapest form of late night food in town.

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