Eco-friendly eats and things to do in Vienna

The concept of sustainable tourism continues to gain traction in Vienna. From eating future foods such as escargot to hiking and biking around the city’s public parks, here’s how to go green in the Austrian capital.

Exploring Grass Routes Vienna

Once considered the jewel in the Habsburg crown, Vienna remains a city of culture, famous for its opera, magnificent palatial buildings, exceptional art and classical music and, in more recent years, its status as a sustainable city.

While most new visitors to Vienna are surprised to discover the European city has a green side, those who stay long enough to scratch the surface of Vienna’s veneer will understand why the modern-day capital regularly ranks as the world’s greenest metropolis.

With more than 50 per cent of its total area accounted for by green spaces, the Austrian capital was also voted the world’s most liveable city in June 2022 by The Economist for the third time in the past five years.

lush greenery at Schönbrunn Palace Park — Stroll through Schönbrunn Palace Park. (Image: Vienna Tourist Board/Peter Rigaud)

Embracing sustainable eco-tourism

Austrians are known for embracing a greener way of life: 73 per cent of Vienna’s denizens take public transport to work; 30 per cent of the city’s energy requirement is covered by renewable sources; and there are more than 6000 beehives dotted around the city.

The Viennese also value the great outdoors: the city treasures its pristine public spaces such as the Danube wetlands and Vienna Woods, which was designated a biosphere in 2005.

The Vienna Tree Protection Act plants one or more new trees for each one felled (depending on its circumference), and more and more inner-urban projects are weaving nature into the city’s fabric.

Vienna’s city council is also ahead of the curve: it has had a climate protection program in place since 1999 and is dedicated to cutting greenhouse gas emissions through initiatives such as subsidies for energy-efficient renovation, further investment in the extensive public transportation network and renewable energy initiatives for the city.

There are also more than 1000 drinking fountains around Vienna where visitors can fill their reusable water bottles with Alpine spring water for free.

an aerial shot of the Vienna City Hall — The view from Vienna City Hall. (Image: Vienna Tourist Board/Gregor Hofbauer)

Sleeping soundly

The lavender garden and beehive on the roof of the Boutiquehotel Stadthalle is not the only reason this hotel is buzzworthy: it was the world’s first city hotel to achieve a zero-energy balance, uses renewable energy for power and contributes to greening the city with its lushly planted courtyard.

Numa Wood is also a climate-friendly hotel: it was built using sustainably sourced spruce trees and two replacement saplings were planted for each tree felled during its construction.

Hotel Schani Salon was built in 1906 and received the GreenBuilding Award of the European Commission in 2014. The hotel provides recharging stations for electric cars, uses mostly LED lighting, and has reduced its energy consumption by about 41 per cent.

eco-friendly accommodation at Boutiquehotel Stadthalle — Enjoy an eco-friendly stay at Boutiquehotel Stadthalle. (Image: Boutiquehotel Stadthalle)

Future food

If it was the early 20th century, Andreas Gugumuck’s look wouldn’t be so unusual. Sure, his jaunty beret, waxed moustache, suspenders, jeans and work boots has him pegged as one of the poster boys of today’s agri-chic hipster brigade.

But Gugumuck’s proletariat workwear is also practical as it allows him to comfortably tend to his Wiener schnecken (Viennese snails). The name Gugumuck originates from Old German and means ‘he who powerfully laughs’.

And laugh Gugumuck does as he moves slowly through the tangle of rainbow chard to pluck out two copulating snails from the shadows. “Look here they make love," he says with a guffaw.

lunch in Nussdorf — Have your lunch in the vineyards of Nussdorf.

While the image of mating gastropods may not sound appetising to some, Gugumuck has, over the past decade or so, positioned himself as one of the city’s trailblazing farmers at his Wiener Schnecken Manufaktur facility on the outskirts of Vienna in the city’s 10th District.

In addition to tending to the 400-year-old farm he inherited from his grandmother, Gugumuck is working hard to sell snails, which were once a staple part of the Austrian diet, as a sustainable future food.

“Snails were once eaten everywhere from the high class – with truffles and pigeon – to the poor man’s version in soup and sausages," says Gugumuck, who was named Best Young Farmer of Europe in 2012, five years after starting out.

Gugumuck’s farm is one of 800 within Vienna’s city limits, where more cucumbers, parsley, eggplants, tomatoes and chilli peppers are harvested than in the rest of Austria’s provinces combined.

3 ways to see Vienna

Take a hike

The 19th district is garlanded in green and a hike through the vineyards of Nussdorf and Grinzing on the outskirts of the city limits shows where the focus of Vienna’s wine production lies.

It’s here you can meet with imaginative vintner Jutta Ambrositsch who hosts a Buschenschank in Residence, where you can converge for snacks and award-winning Viennese wine in a tavern of the working winery.

old wine village in Stammersdorf — Visit the old wine village, Stammersdorf. (Image: Vienna Tourist Board/Paul Bauer)

By boat on the Old Danube

Taking a boat ride around the Old Danube is a particularly charming way to experience the romance of the Austrian capital, one of Europe’s best-preserved baroque cities.

The waterway is skirted in Vienna’s finest greenery and pootling up and down provides plum opportunities for people-watching. There are row boats, electric boats and paddleboats available for hire.

boat tour along the Old Danube — Cruise along the Old Danube. (Image: Vienna Tourist Board/Paul Bauer)

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Green Vienna by bike

There are more than 1650 kilometres of eco-friendly cycle paths, bike lanes and cycling routes that lace around Vienna as well as souped-up city bikes that can be used to get around.

The WienMobil bicycles are available at more than 100 stations across the city and the most popular Danube, Donaukanal and Ring boulevard routes have free charging points for e-bikers.

Eco-friendly Eats

Slow food

Gerasimos Kavalieris at Restaurant Das Schick is doing his best to tempt diners’ palates with edible snails.

The chef visits the Wiener Schnecken Manufaktur farm and facility during snail season (April to November) to choose the snails himself. And when escargots are on the menu, chef serves them with eel, chives and Jerusalem artichoke.

snails at Wiener Schnecken Manufaktur — Life at a snail’s pace at Wiener Schnecken Manufaktur. (Image: Österreich Werbung/Nina Baumgartner)

Oh hey honey

With so much green space, parklands and blossoming trees, it’s no surprise to find bees hovering over the rooftops of some of the city’s most iconic buildings.

The honey produced on the rooftop of the Kunsthistorisches Museum owes its taste to a range of blossoms found within the foraging fly zone – from the roses in the Volksgarten to the lilac bushes on Heldenplatz. The pure, organic Blütenhonig is sold in 120-gram jars at the museum gift shop.

beehive in Vienna — Bees can be found on many rooftops in Vienna. (Image: Vienna Tourist Board/Paul Bauer)

Classic compositions

The great composer Beethoven lived for a while at the Mayer am Pfarrplatz, a typical heuriger (tavern) in the 19th district.

Walk through the inner courtyard, clad with wild vines, into the atmospheric eatery where you can enjoy seasonal dishes such as smoked trout with krennockerl and a beetroot risotto alongside wines sourced from nearby vineyards sewn into the surrounding hills.

Temperatures are soaring this summer, breaking records across Europe and the UK.

Euro summer is a feeling like no other. But when a heatwave hits? The dream trip quickly turns into a sweaty mess. Extreme heat is sweeping Europe and the UK this week, with record-high temperatures impacting travel plans across the continent.

And while Australian summers are typically hotter in absolute temperature, many European cities aren’t equipped for high temperatures, resulting in unbearable weather.

Why is it so hot in Europe?

Signs of a hot summer loomed in May, when the mercury hit unprecedented spring highs. Now, extreme high temperature warning alerts have been issued in countries such as Spain, Italy, France, England, the Netherlands and Germany.

France saw its hottest day on record on Wednesday, with an average temperature of 30°C across the day and night. This surpasses the average temperature for June, which is 15°C to 25°C. Dozens of people have died, including 40 from drowning.

In Spain, 212 deaths have been linked to the heatwave.

The UK recorded its hottest June day ever on Wednesday with temperatures soaring to 36.1°C. In an article published by the Met Office – the UK’s national meteorological service – Professor Stephen Belcher CBE, Met Office Chief Scientist, shared his concerns about June’s heat. “To see temperatures like this in the UK in June is sobering. Events like this bring home the implications of climate change, with very high temperatures and humidity bringing significant health implications from heat stress, as well as impacts to a range of sectors such as transport, energy and water supply,” he said.

Heatwaves are becoming increasingly common in Europe and the UK, neither of which is prepared for such extremes. The World Meteorological Organization reported that in 2025, at least 95% of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures and that the continent was heating up twice as fast as the global average.

How travel is impacted

A pharmacy sign displaying 40 degrees Celcius — A pharmacy broadcasting local weather data. (Credit: Getty/Dragoncello)

During a heatwave, power grids, water systems and transport networks can be affected, resulting in disrupted itineraries for travellers. In France, power outages have left thousands without electricity and early closures have been implemented for two of Paris’s biggest attractions, the Eiffel Tower (early afternoon rather than late at night) and the Louvre (two hours early). Eurostar cancelled its London to Paris and Paris to London services from the 22nd to the 25th, and major UK rail companies have been advising travellers to avoid using trains where possible, or to travel during early hours.

If a heatwave is predicted, being flexible with your itinerary and having fully refundable/changeable tickets is key, as extreme heat can force the cancellation of outdoor activities, impact rail and flight services and change the opening hours of sites and eateries.

Why does summer in Europe often feel hotter than summer in Australia?

people swimming in the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris — People swimming in the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris to cool off. (Credit: Rachael Thompson)

With some of the highest UV levels in the world, Australians are no strangers to the heat, adapting well to intense weather. But our infrastructure is largely equipped to withstand soaring temperatures with climate-responsive passive design, refrigerated air conditioning or evaporative coolers, as well as swimming spots aplenty.

Buildings in Northern and Western Europe and the UK, however, are constructed to retain heat and handle frosty winters. The lack of universal air conditioning means it generally feels hotter even though the temperature on your app might not look it. During a heatwave, it can feel like you’re in a sauna as cities act like heat traps.

How to stay cool and prepare for another heatwave

Relief is expected across Europe and the UK later this week, but more heatwaves are still possible in the coming months. Summer heat typically peaks in July and August.

Public transport often doesn’t have air conditioning, and buses in particular can be swelteringly hot. If you’re heading outside or your accommodation has no air conditioning, it’s worth buying a spray bottle and a handheld fan from a pharmacy or tourist stand. Check ahead of time if restaurants and cafes have air conditioning and make a booking in advance. The highest temperatures typically hit between 3pm and 6pm, so aim to head outdoors outside of these hours.

Rising temperatures invite travellers to enter a more intentional era of seeing the world. Now more than ever is the time to embrace lower-impact “coolcations” and off-season getaways.

Your guide to eco-friendly eats and top things to do in Vienna