What to eat and do on a rainy summer day in Vienna? Summer rainy days – are you team yay or nay? For us it is a big yay! Some cooling off can never harm, especially in the city.
Today we share some tips and inspiration for rainy days, and even though our focus is Vienna, we are sure you can apply the same tips no matter where you are. It is what we do too! In general, rainy days for us are perfect for comfort food, cozy moments with loved ones, pampering and relaxation. And loooong naps, but the point of this post is a call to action so… Lets get up and be productive, at least for a few hours, before the obligatory nap. 😀
Here am I (Una) in my grey shirt that looks ordinary, but has magical properties… If you are curious, read about it here!
Rainy days + comfort food – match made in heaven!
All the comfort, hearty food tastes better when it is raining! Try and you will see! 😀 When it is raining in Vienna, we recommend you to indulge in:
- Hearty Austrian food at places beloved by locals! Go for a crispy Viennese Schnitzel at the restaurant Steman (Otto-Bauer-Gasse 7, 1060 Vienna), or Cafe Korb (Brandstätte 7-9, 1010 Vienna), or for warm, delicious Erdapfelgoulasch – potato goulash at Zur Herknerin (Wiedner Hauptstraße 36, 1040 Vienna). Vegetarians could opt for Krautfleckerl – pasta with cabbage or Spinatknoedel – dumplings with spinach. All these restaurants and cafes are genuine insider spots where you can enjoy traditional Austrian cuisine, so keep them in mind for other dishes too!
- Dessert is a must, especially in a city with a rich cake history like Vienna! When speaking of Austrian desserts, this time we recommend you tasty, warm Büchteln with Powdl (plum jam) at cafe Hawelka. The Buchteln there are made after the old recipe by Mrs.Hawelka, and they are the best! Melting in your mouth. Check the old post we did about cafe Hawelka (iconic place with perfect coffee) here. Next, you could enjoy Kaiserschmarrn (like a shredded thick pancake, it was Kaiser’s favorite) at Café Central or Meierei at Stadtpark. For a super casual option, you could try delicious dumplings at a cute place called Knödelmanufaktur (Josefstädter Str. 89, 1080 Vienna). They make sweet and savory potato dumplings all year round! Perfect also as takeaway.
- No dessert goes without coffee! You can do the Viennese style in some of the typical cafes like the ones we recommended you here. If you are not into the traditional style, then head to Cafe Francais, cafe Delias (Tuchlauben 8, 1010 Vienna). Great coffee guaranteed. Tea lovers should check Haas&Haas Teehaus (Stephansplatz 4, 1010 Vienna).
Learn about numerous Viennese coffee types in our post here, where you will also find the recipes to make delicious Viennese coffee at home!
Captures from a few must visit typical coffee and pastry shops in Vienna 🙂 - Asian cuisine is also perfect for rainy days! We looooove the Korean bibimbap at Seoul (Praterstraße 26, 1020 Vienna, but you can also look out for other Korean places recommended by our friend Vienna Eats), or soul warming Vietnamese soup pho at Le Pho (Gumpendorfer Str. 97, 1060 Vienna).
- Last but not the least tip for comfort food this time – authentic Israeli restaurant Miznon (Schulerstraße 4, 1010 Vienna). Perfect choice also for vegetarians, even vegans! Right in the 1st district. We love their ratatouille, and the classic – roasted cauliflower. A great, chilled place, local’s favorite!
Alex and I at Miznon 😀
What to do on a summer rainy day in Vienna?
Now is time to burn all the comfort food and calories with some action! Or if you are more of a couch potato, then relax and spend the day like a real hedonist.
- Spend your day getting cultural, as our dear friend Dario would say. His quote continues, but that we need to skip this time… 😀 Vienna is all about culture! You could go to the Art History Museum, Natural History Museum, Weltmuseum, the National Library or some of the more modern museums located in Museums Quartier. Over there you can even spend the entire day, shifting from museums to coffee shops or making a break from culture in some of the shops on Mariahilferstrasse nearby.
Always worth a visit – the Art History museum. Insider tip: Get yourself the annual ticket for only 44 Euros and you will have free entrance to 7 great museums around Vienna! - Go big and treat yourself with a spa treatment! When was the last time, when you did something like that for yourself? For a luxy option, research hotels around town, many of them have beautiful spas. We can recommend you Susanne Kaufmann Spa at Ritz-Carlton Vienna. All the cosmetics is made of herbs gathered in Western Austria and is organic. They also have a gorgeous 18 meter long pool! For more info check here. For a more budget friendly option, you could head over to Therme Wien Oberlaa.Or simply invite your best friend or sister over and make a spa day at home! Bubble bath, face masks, manicure, popcorn, books, cocktails and a movie. On your own or in a great company, some pampering actions at home are always a great idea! Face mask tip: We love the masks from Dalton Marine cosmetics! Have been using them for months and they are perfect. Our favorite is the deep cleansing mask Oyster and the sheet masks for hydration and with oxygen. Lean more about this great German brand here. Not a sponsored info, just personal tip. 🙂
Our beauty moments at Ritz-Carlton Vienna 🙂 - To add color to the rainy day, visit Palmenhaus in Schönbrunn, or the butterfly house in Burggarten, as well as Palmenhaus brasserie in Burggarten. These green glass houses will make you forget about the bad weather!
A few snaps that I took of our dear friend Idda at Palmenhaus. Her IG account is full of mindblowing pictures , travel inspiration and is an absolute must follow! Check it here. - Go shopping – needs no explanation! Our favorite mall in town is SCS (ok technically not in Vienna but really close). You will find everything there, also shops like Ikea and co are nearby so you can spend all day long enjoying a shopping spree. Insider tip: For some designer stuff on discount, make sure to visit the last floor at Steffl – luxurious department store (Kärntner Str. 19, 1010 Vienna). Over there you can dig many discounted treasures all year round! Thank us later. 😀
- End the rainy day enjoying some extraordinary cocktails! We recommend you Meinz (Seitenstettengasse 5, 1010 Vienna), one of our favorite bars in the city! Great vibes only, perfect service and cocktails that will wow you. Everything homemade, best quality spirits, we can never get enough of this place! Even if you go on your own, you will feel cozy, while chatting at the bar with the best ever bar chef Nicci, that is always happy to even come up with a personalized cocktail creation for you. Many of their drinks taste like summer in the glass, like Meinz Elefant, Vanilla Sky, Tropical Russian or Honey Suckle – perfect mood lifters!
That would be it for this post! We could go on and on, but we guess that even this is too much information. xD But we tried to cover something for everyone’s taste! Enjoy rainy days wherever you are and feel free to share your tip in the comments below!
Hugs,
Una and Anja
EDITOR’S NOTE: This post is an updated version of the post we published on 17.08.2019. Don’t worry, the information is still correct. And for hottest tips make sure to follow us on IG – @viennainsider <3
