The Best Picnic in Vienna
Treasure Hunt: Jul/Aug. 2012
Aug 06, 2012
A picnic needn’t be expensive, unless you want it to (Photo: Photo: Wolfgang H. Wögerer)
There’s nothing quite like a picnic on a hot summer’s day – and luckily, the options to enjoy alfresco dining in Vienna are plentiful, whatever your budget.
Cheap thrill
For a cheap but cheerful picnic, head to your nearest supermarket. For under €10, it’s possible to pick up the ingredients to make your own sandwiches: Semmel or baguettes, sliced Bergkäse and cherry tomatoes. Add in some fruit and a couple of Radlers, or a €3 bottle of wine and you’re good to go.
Bring your own blanket and enjoy a leisurely lunch in the Burggarten or Stadtpark, right in the centre of the city. Or head to the bright red deck chairs in Sigmund Freud Park in front of Votivkirche.
Or work up an appetite before lunch (or work it off afterwards!) on a City Bike, free for the first hour. Take the scenic route along the Donaukanal until leafy Rossauer Lände or Friedensbrücke. Park up on the bank, and enjoy.
Bourgeois but bodenständig
For those with more money to burn, the Naschmarkt is a good option. Stroll through and fill your basket with tempting treats: fresh falafel, Fladenbrot still warm from the oven, tubs of hummus for dipping, blocks of feta, olives stuffed with cheese or chili, mangoes and watermelon and chunks of coconut… Jump on the U4 to Schönbrunn and dine in the vast gardens of the palace.
Or you could pick up similar fixings from the Karmelitermarkt in the 2nd District and devour your deli treats in the grounds of Augarten, with a view of the Flaktürme (the WWII anti-aircraft towers), or the meadows of the Prater, with a view of the Riesenrad. Or if the heat’s too much and you need to cool down, take your picnic to the Donauinsel and munch away whilst dipping your toes in the water.
A picnic for the stars
For something special, there are several luxury outlets in Vienna looking to cater to your bespoke picnic needs. The restaurant La Crêperie puts together picnics to enjoy on a romantic moonlit rowing-boat ride along the Alte Donau, for €45. Or you can take an electric boat and exclusive hamper, with a platter of hors d’oeuvres.
The delicatessen at Zum Schwarzen Kameel also offers extravagant baskets – choose between Picknick Wienerisch with schnitzel and strudel, and Picknick Phantastisch with lobster and foie gras. Make your way up Kahlenberg or Wilhelminenberg to savour your lavish picnic with panoramic views.
Eateries on the hill also cater for picnic-goers: Weingut Hajszan on Kahlenberg has baskets which include bottled mineral water – be sure to include a bottle of their own wine. And the hampers from Villa Aurora on Wilhelminenberg offer something slightly different: one includes a poetry book and another, a hammock. Order from both places a day in advance, trek up the hill, and enjoy your reward.
Zum Schwarzen Kameel: (0)1 533 81 25
La Crepêrie: (01) 271 60 95
Weingut Hajszan: (01) 370 72 37
Villa Aurora: (01) 489 33 33