But for most of us it also means “Prüfungszeit” and with that comes a lot of studying.
The study days are constantly getting harder (because we just don’t want to sit inside, in front of our books anymore, don’t we?) and the free days are getting more and more enjoyable so here are some tips and inspirations to spend your days and evenings in the beautiful city we enjoy living in – Vienna.
First things first, food.
My beautiful roommate and I enjoy brunch more than everything. Coffee, croissants, omelets, long talks, summer sun, sleeping in, more coffee, you name it. Living in home4students Ullmannstraße we have the pleasure to have a cute brunch place directly behind our dorm. Not even a five-minute walk! It’s called Eduard and on weekends you can brunch there up until 4pm (but make sure you reserve a table if you want to go there on Sunday). I can really recommend the vegetarian breakfast plate, it’s a bit pricy but totally worth it and if you manage to eat the whole plate you won’t be hungry for quite some time.
Parks
What I like to do after an early morning lecture is to go to one of Vienna’s beautiful parks and enjoy the sun while (I try) to study or do some reading. The one I really like to go to at the moment is called Auer – Welsbach Park and its only one stop away from the dorm (U4 Schönbrunn), on weekends there are lots of people there - families, students, children and so on, on weekdays you will probably see some runners but other than that you have a lot of place and can simply enjoy (or study).
Another great tip: bring your friends and make a picnic- it’s an extremely nice way to get outside and spend some quality time with your favourites. It’s also a great break inbetween studying, you don’t only take in some Vitamin D but are also able to enjoy some good company to get your thoughts off of your to do list.
Bikes
For all the sporty ones out there: you have probably seen some of the so-called city bikes all over Vienna. If you want to explore your city a bit that’s a great way to do so. Wheter you take one instead of going by U- Bahn or decide to show your family around by bike (which I’m pretty sure they will enjoy) make sure you avoid going around midday when the sun is pouring down like crazy and drink loads of water to make sure your circulatory is doing well.
Bonus: One hour renting is for free and the many bike lanes make cycling in Vienna very enjoyable and you will see the city from a widely different perspective.
Donaukanal
Do you know this feeling when you’re not really sure if you belong? Well I do. In winter I was constantly questioning my decision to move to Vienna, but since summer is here, the days are longer, and the nights can be spent outside I know I am in the right place. Who doesn’t enjoy having a couple of beers while sitting beneath the “Donaukanal”, watching the sun go down and listening to live music? The sunsets are epic and the festivals happening there from time to time are 100% marvelous – so if you haven’t been you should genuinely try it out!
Overall I can entrust every one of you with going outside, experiencing Vienna’s beauty, the possibility to sit in a “Gastgarten”, eating delicious ice cream (If you haven’t been there yet, go to veganista for vegan ice cream – they have the craziest flavours, some you can’t even imagine could be turned into ice cream), going for a bike ride, adoring all the amazing parks decorated by incredibly good smelling flowers and simply enjoying. Whether you are here long term or just staying for one semester I really want to encourage you to be a part of this impressive city.
Yours,
Nena