Diversity — Art — People
Enjoying the local scene at MusemsQuartier in Vienna
Where: MuseumsQuartier Wien, Museumsplatz 1, 1170, Vienna, Austria https://www.mqw.at/en/
When: Spring — Summer to chill outside; punch and music before Christmas; museums, restaurants, bookstore, events all year long
Where to start? The MuseumsQuartier is so many things at once. You can find great modern and contemporary art museums, design and electronic culture labs, a variety of restaurants and bars and a real hang out zone in the middle of the city. The place is like an oasis — despite being located between major roads and squares, you cannot hear the traffic and remain unaffected by cars.
I prefer to get a take out drink with my friends in the evening and just slouch on one of the “Enzis” which are big bench — couches and were originally designed for this location by Viennese architects.
We chat, we laugh, we meet other people, locals and internationals mix and share their experience of Vienna and the rest of the world. Therefore it is also a great place to watch and meet others when you are travelling alone and want to find some company.
During the day I can recommend to visit one of the museums, the black MUMOK (Museum of Modern Art) with its intriguing collection of Viennese Action Art and international protagonists of the highest quality, or for the more traditional taste the white Leopold Museum, where you can indulge in Klimt, Schiele and other amazing painters and sculptors of the time around 1900. If you wanna knock yourself out seeing both of them you can get a combined ticket at the MQ shop which is located in the main entrance. The shop there is also a great destination for unique designer ware, from fashion to stationery you will find great gifts that differ from the traditional kitsch souvenir. Next door there is my favourite art book store in town, I can spend hours marvelling at all the beautiful coffee table books about the most interesting art and design of the world.
For kids and families there are a lot of attractions too, the exciting ZOOM Kindermuseum and the Dschungel, which is a theatre for young audiences. At certain times all kinds of temporary interventions are happening there, from open-air DJ sets, dance performances and reading events in summer to indoor shows at the Halle E&G and the punch bars in winter, which which provide shelter by transforming the summer benches into igloo-like huts. To eat you find a variety of good averagely priced restaurants which are attractive places to join the arts and culture scene in the evenings. Definitely top of the list when you visit Vienna and want to feel like a local.
