butteredtoast

I arrive in Vienna late morning on May 16th- and I just discovered that's a national holiday and most things will be closed! Any ideas of what might be open? It's supposed to be in the high 50s and raining, so leisurely walks to sight-see are probably not ideal.

annhig

well the Prater is open as will be all the parks and gardens.

https://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing...erience-prater

and here are more things to do in Vienna in May:

http://www.vienna-unwrapped.com/thin...in-vienna-may/

https://viennaweekends.wordpress.com

and it looks like the Schoenbrunn is open on the 16th:

http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/plan-yo...ing-hours.html

I hope that's enough to be going on with!

fourfortravel

Yes, 16 May is WhitMonday. All grocery stores but the ones at the major train stations and petrol stations will be closed; all retail stores (the exception being "some" souvenir shops) will be closed; and many restaurants may be closed as well.

But, don't despair. As annhig wrote, the Prater will be open, hosting its Renaissance Fair; Schloss Schönbrunn will be open; and even KHM (the art history museum, normally closed on Monday), will be open. Check the individual hours for sights of interest. Stephansdom, Peterskirche, and Karlskirche will all be open, as well (except during any services).

And, the weather reports for the last two weeks have been infuriatingly inconsistent. I planned two indoor days due to the "90% chance of rain and thunderstorms" that found me opening the terrace doors and airing the linens in the sunshine and breeze instead!

annhig

Phew, four4, it turns out that my googling skills have not deserted me.

in fact May 16th looks like a very good day to be in Vienna!

fourfortravel

annhig, ha! Even after four years in Austria I haven't made my peace with the "Sunday Shutdown." Add to that the, "Monday Shutdown," and DH and I are heading across the border tomorrow for two days in Prague, as everything will be open!

annhig

lol, four4 - no Sunday [or Monday] shutdown here, even when the Monday is a Bank holiday.

OTOH between Christmas and New year the whole country grinds to a halt for about 10 days which gets very tedious.

give my love to Prague.

butteredtoast

Thank you! Yes, the weather predictions have certainly improved since I posted!

It's good to know that we won't starve- for food or sights- on Monday.