What is it like to live in Vienna?

I am living in Vienna since 2000. I can agree with many things people write here. So I do not want to repeat everything. The question is: Will Vienna stay like it is now? There are some indications that Vienna will not be able to keep up with the high quality life for some reasons. Politics: People seem to be scared by the right wing party. The reason that this party is not because people really like that party, it is because they are upset with the current politicians. Austria is extremely beaurocratic and so is Vienna as it is Austrias capital. A lot of waste is happening right now. Economy: Austrias economy is not that what it was. Partly this is caused by the politics. So the question is if good companies will move away. Also we are missing a lot of innovation such as the start up scene in Berlin. Costs: People claim that Vienna is cheap compared to other cities in regards to living costs, but Vienna is catching up fast.  Also prices for goods are by far more higher than in Germany. All in all, I am still a very happy Viennese citizen. I love to live in Vienna and I agree with most of the writers who praise Vienna. But on the other hand, I consider it important to hint also that Vienna might be on its way downwards... And I am really hoping that I am wrong.

great culture; nice architecture, you find old an new, great public transportation, lots of companies/place to work there, huge parks, lots of green - one of the best cities in europe!

Awesome. They have excellent and affordable (especially for long-term tickets) public transport system and support biking. There are a lot of green areas (park, e.g. the famous Prater, Donau Insel, nearby Wiener Wald), a lot of restaurants and bars with good quality food for the most part, reasonable prices, and pretty much everything to make your life easier. People are also very helpful although it may take some time getting used to certain rules and attitudes. The only thing I'd complain about is wintertime grey. In winter (not every year but most often) the sky turns into one big grey curtain and remains like that for 2-3 months. It can make you really depressed.

Great: There's a great underground culture scene that rivals the Williamsburg area in Brooklyn. The enlightened Austrians are some of the coolest people I've met. Also, the population values the work-life balance, and employers support it. Finally, women are gorgeous and most go topless in public swimming pools or the Danube river. Good: Located at the cross roads between the East and West Europe, you get the advantages of both areas; good education and career opportunities in Austria, as well as great access to cheap goods/services/travel destinations in neighboring countries. Bad: Strange fascination with provincial parts of the country which, among others, leads to those dialects being more popular than the native version (those provinces are also less diverse, so make your own conclusion after reading the final part). Most people are adverse to change and see advancements in technology often from the glass-half-empty point of view (possibly related to the point about the provincial mentality). Additional minus points: sucky weather, ridiculous smoking habits (finding a 100% smoke-free restaurant is a challenge), high taxes compared to the US although normal for Europe. Ugly: If you're from the US, you'll be shocked to see the right wing campaigns and how incredibly direct and hurtful they sound. Every country has their devils, but Austrians actually vote for their own. Granted, if you're from the US, you won't be directly affected, because the campaigns are mostly directed against Muslims and Eastern Europeans, but it will be still hard to escape the hatred you see on billboards everywhere you look. Also, don't believe that they will ever accept you 100% if you were not born in Austria (just try to get married to someone and you'll soon find out what their families really think of you). Summary: It'll be an amazing place for a while, and then things will start to bother you.

Most of the comments above I can share. However, there are some "minuses" I would like to argue about. If someone finds Vienna boring this simply reflects his own inability to entertain himself. Since she or he stays anonymous there is nothing to say about that. - There are some opinions that deplore the success of right wing parties in Vienna (!) Well there is a success of one right wing party in Austria, Vienna just has its share as having 1/4 of the total population. The reasons for the success of the right wing party is not its attractiveness but the enourmous frustration that befalls on the inability of the two main parties during their time of joint government. Right wing parties exist throughout Europe and it is not a specialty of Vienna. (Although I admit its deplorable) Seeing however the political situation in countries surrounding Austria, we have a quite peaceful way to handle it. If somebody from the US criticises it I would rather say, stay in the US and associate with the Tea Party or the Republicans in general. We do have less crime per capita and this alone makes Vienna living worth while. Sometimes I spend times with Americans and they are astounded how freely we can move without being afraid to getting robbed or more. Not everything is perfect in Vienna but taken as a whole it is a pretty good place to live there. It is even better to live a little bit outside Vienna. Two minutes walking to the vineyard and 30 minutes with public means to the Staatsoper. This I call living luxury.

I'm living here for 6 years now and I couldn't be happier! The city of Freud seems to persuade a lot of people. Here is the point of view of an entrepreneur in Vienna, , the organiser of

I am living in Vienna for last 3 months. I found this city quite beautiful. It has several places to attract every type of tourist: the child, party-goer, people having a taste in wine and dine, and the wonderer. The art in the buildings of the city is breathtakingly beautiful. Famous buildings have beautiful sculptures on their walls, and on the top of the buildings. For an Indian, the cold is harsh, though the houses are warm inside and you learn to take off your warm clothes after entering a house. The shops close by 7 pm, so you must buy things early. Working hours are quite different. People start early and end quite early. Sundays and sometimes Saturdays are closed. Coffee houses, restaurants and bars are open till 10 pm, but many are open till morning, especially discotheques and bars. Public transport is awesome, and amazingly efficient. The inclusive policy actually works here. For example, the amenities for visually challenged is so effective. The cars and big vehicles stop if they see you want to cross. You are standing anywhere at a crossing without the light, it means you are the first priority for the cars and heavy vehicles. They stop and they want you to cross first. It is a pleasant surprise that cars don't speed seeing a pedestrian here , unlike India or South Asia.  Unlike the popular belief that being a vegetarian or vegan is impossible in Europe, its quite the contrary. There are many Europeans who are converting into vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Restaurants offer quite good veg dishes. There are Indian restaurants and stores here. You may get good Indian spicy food and a variety of Indian spices in the stores. People are a little cold, but once they become your friends, they care a lot for you. They are good friends. German is the language here, and many people have problems speaking English or their English is not very communicative. University students are good , but they prefer to speak German among themselves. Smoking is quite common here, particularly on roads and public places. You can't smoke inside homes or houses, but outside it. Restaurants have allocated spaces for smoking. A pack of cigarette will cost you around 5-6 Euro. You can always have sausage in 2-3 Euro. Kebab is very popular here, and it is available at any street corner shop. I have much more to tell, but time and space tells me to limit myself here. In short, Vienna is quite an amazing city to live and enjoy.

Traditional but modern. Conservative but open-minded. Old but new. Beautiful. Full of drive. Cultural. Extraordinary. I'd say this perfectly describes Vienna! Consistently rated one of the top cities in the world to live in. With a large and diverse student population, rich culture & a vibrant nightlife makes it one of the top destinations to study abroad. http://learningplaces.net/blog/student-life-in-vienna-a-unique-experience/

I grew up in Vienna and have moved back recently after several stops in some other (mostly European) cities. Generally I  agree with the comments above. The center is not only a culmination of various sights and museums, but it literally constitutes a museum by itself regarding the great number of palais and "average" houses with art nouveau facades. It's fascinating and it doesn't take you more than a 20min ride to find yourself surrounded by flourishing nature and a whole bunch of outdoor activities (mountain-biking, wake-boarding, swimming, hiking...). Altogether I do sometimes have the feeling that I am participating a giant summer camp (obviously, just in summertime). As usual there is a bitter taste to all that beauty. Regarding the clean streets and the smooth refurbished, shining white facades, I sometimes feel that all the dirt was moved off the walls behind the buildings' faces directly into the minds of the Viennese. Well, there is a reason why psychiatrists such as Sigmund Freud and Victor Adler originated from Vienna and psycho-therapy is deeply rooted here. Psychiatrists drive Porsche within the streets of the 19th, 13th and 1st districts and that for a good reason. Regarding the mercer ranking claiming that Vienna has the highest quality of living in the world, I think it is worth pointing out a WHO study (http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide_rates/en/) awarding Austria with the bronze medal in the E.U countries` suicide rate category. (Switzerland, not being part of the E.U beats Austria in that aspect in terms of numbers. A weird revenge since they only got silver in the mercer study). Austrian films are wonderfully heavy and after listening to the compulsive pessimism making the basis of Austrian's amazingly dark humor (check out Qualtinger's "Herr Karl") you don't know whether you should laugh or cry. Altogether I truly love this city but since the Viennese are often born and do die within their circle of friends and are generally not very open-minded,  I think it is quite hard for foreigners to dig deeper and really get to know the true soul of the  Viennese.  Once you accomplish to do so (and I really recommend you to try hard) you'll very much appreciate it's weird charisma though. Just as Mr Frost states in the movie Frost/Nixon: "Vienna is like Paris, just without the French". Well, if you have been to Paris before you may figure out what that's supposed to mean to you. Finally I'd recommend you to read a little bit of Stefan Zweig, maybe a tiny bit of Thomas Bernhard and probably Ödön von Horvarth's "Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald" in order to get into the right "vibe". That is a nice link too: http://www.xenophobes.com/books/The-Xenophobes-Guide-to-the-Austrians.html Take it easy and enjoy the city! Ph.