City oases in summer

Just a few paces from Vienna's old city, trendy restaurants and bars along the Danube Canal provide that Riviera feeling with sandy beaches, music, cool cocktails and delicious food. Strandbar Herrmann at the Urania beckons with deckchairs, hammocks, lots of sand, and brunch at the weekend.

On the Pool Boat a few steps further along, an outdoor pool and refreshing drinks on the top deck are an attraction on hot summer days. The Motto am Fluss at the mooring point of the Twin City Liner is another hotspot, with every seat on the terrace occupied in summer. The outdoor area of the nearby Flex Café is also a crowd-puller in good weather.

On the opposite side of the Danube Canal, the Adria Wien and the Tel Aviv Beach, with its DJs and Israeli cuisine, are popular meeting points. Right next door is an Art Nouveau jewel by Otto Wagner: the garden of the Vienna Schützenhaus is the perfect place to enjoy the evening sun and Viennese cuisine.

Upstream at the U4 subway station Rossauer Lände is the Summer Stage. Numerous restaurants and leisure offerings provide a mix of pleasure, sport and culture, as well as relaxed view of the water.

Another good place to relax is the MuseumsQuartier: hanging out in venues under the open sky, chilling out on trendy loungers, playing boules and listening to the weekend sounds of the DJs on the side - that's modern Viennese gemütlichkeit.

The biggest beach club in the city is "Sand in the City" on Heumarkt. Beneath palm trees and on the finest sand, people come to play volleyball, pump iron at the fitness facilities and refresh themselves afterwards at the food stalls. DJs provide the right atmosphere during the evenings.