Ice skating

Feel like a Viennese winter fairy-tale? Let yourself be whisked away at the Vienna Ice Dream in front of the magnificent backdrop of Vienna's City Hall on a romantic path through City Hall Park. Open from the end of January until the beginning of March.

You can also carve ornate curves under the skies at the Wiener Eislaufverein near the Stadtpark or right on the roofs of Vienna: at Engelmann , the oldest outdoor artificial ice skating rink in the world which celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2009. For those who prefer natural ice, on cold winter days there is a true ice skating paradise on the Old Danube . You can also glide across the ice at the Albert-Schulz-Eishalle , the Wiener Stadthalle , Eisring S ü d , on the ice in the park at Wilhelminenberg Palace and at the organic Christmas market on Cobenzl hill.

Made-to-order skiing fun

Skiers can wedel down the artificial snow slopes at the Hohe Wand or the Dollwiese . And as soon as there is a 20 cm blanket of snow, cross-country skiers can enjoy eight attractively prepared runs in the Prater, on Wienerberg, Cobenzl hill, the Steinhofgründe, in Schwarzenberg Park, around the Pappelteich pond in Maurerwald and on the Danube Island. The runs are suitable for beginners as well.

Tobogganing

When the snow is right, dozens of fields in the Vienna parks turn into toboggan runs. There is always snow to sled on at the Vienna T ü rkenschanzpark and in the green Prater where there is an artificial snow toboggan hill at Jesuitenwiese as soon as the temperature falls below -2°C.

Indoor sports and fitness centers

When it's ice cold outside things get hot in Vienna's sports and fun halls with a broad range of indoor sports such as climbing, tennis and badminton. Sweat and success factor are in balance in the countless Vienna fitness studios.

Further information:

Ice skating rinks

Vienna Ice Dream:
22.1.-7.3.2010
www.wienereistraum.com

Vienna-Card

Eislaufverein:
www.wev.or.at

Engelmann:
www.engelmann.co.at

Albert-Schulz-Halle:
www.wien.gv.at/freizeit/sportamt/sportstaetten/eisanlagen/schulz-halle.html

Wiener Stadthalle:
www.stadthalle.com/section/locations/id/17

Windtenstraße/Eisring-Süd:
www.wien.gv.at/freizeit/sportamt/sportstaetten/eisanlagen/windtenstrasse.html

Wilhelminenberg on Ice:
www.austria-trend.at/Hotel-Schloss-Wilhelminenberg/de/ice.asp

Eislaufen am Cobenzl:
www.weingutcobenzl.at/start/detid28/

Ski slopes

Hohe Wand ski area:
www.hohewandwiese.at/Home.html

Doll ski area:
www.wien.gv.at/freizeit/sportamt/sportstaetten/anlagen/dollwiese.html

Cross-country skiing in Vienna

www.wien.gv.at/freizeit/sportamt/arten/winter/langlaufen.html

Sledding hills

Jesuitenwiese in the Prater:
www.mamilade.at/rodeln/wien/prater/1006620-prater_rodelhuegel.html

Vienna sports halls
www.wien.gv.at/freizeit/sportamt/sportstaetten/hallen/

Vienna fitness centers
www.fitness-center.at/wien.html