Vienna Nightlife Tips by Ekaterinburg

Nightlife Spot: Volksoper Wien

A night at the opera is an essential part of a trip to Vienna. Home of so many great composers it seems almost compulsory to sample the fare. Our night at the opera had been booked months in advance and as the great night finally arrived, much effort was put into deciding what would be elegant enough to wear to the grand and spectacular Staatsoper. We needn't have worried as it turned out our tickets were to the Volksoper which is a totally different kettle of fish. Once we adjusted our expectations and surrendered our glad rags it turned out to be a very enjoyable evening afterall. The Volksoper is in a fairly run-down area near the Gurtel Ring Road and the view from the upstairs area is of a huge traffic junction. Not the stuff of which dreams are made so one must go inside quickly and enjoy the red and cream interior with parralel lines of boxes on either side of the stage. The opera was Don Giovanni, composed when Mozart lived in Vienna. At three hours, it was a bit long for opera ignoramuses but I think as operas go it's fairly easy to follow. Even a philistine like me could tap their feet to the music and ogle the costumes and setswith delight. This photo is completely blurred but I'm using it because the blurry finish reminds me of many impressionist/pointillist paintings of audiences in Paris. Manet, and Seurat, eat your hearts out!
Our tickets for the balcony cost EUR 50 but prices go much higher than that. Standing room places are only EUR 2
Trams 40, 41 and 42 will take you to the Volksoper

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Theme: Other
Dress Code: Neat dress but nothing too formal.
Phone: +43 1 514 44 3670
Address: Wahringerstrasse 78
Directions: Near the Wahringer section of the Gurtel ring road.
Website: www.volksoper.at
Other Contact: Tickets : 43 1 513 1 513

Nightlife Spot: classical Music Concerts.

Once you get to Vienna , it's impossible to avoid young people dressed in period costumes trawling the streets. They are selling tickes to Strauss and other concerts and it seems like they are on every night of the year. To hear the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, you must however book months and months in advance. But the selection of venues and performers is huge in Vienna so whatever time of the year you visit it should be possible to attend one or several concerts, especially in churches. During our visit in early December the big concert was a performance of Mozart's requiem at the Stephansdom Cathedral. We did try for tickets but even standing room was completely sold out.
The phone number I've given is specifically for the Vienna Mozart concerts in period costumes.
Other details you will get on your trip by going to the tourist office at Albertinaplatz

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Theme: Concert
Dress Code: Depends on the venue. The more upmarket the venue the more formal the dress code.
Phone: =43 1 505 77 66
Address: Venues city-wide
Website: www.vienna.info
Other Contact: www.mozart.co.at