fourfortravel

To dovetail on annhig's comment, the vineyard hike down from Kahlenberg is enjoyable even in the absence of the Wienwienwandertag weekend. Just take the 38A bus (at the end of the U4 line at Heiligenstadt) to the Kahlenberg stop and follow the trail signs down to Grinzing or Nußdorf.

Living up here in the 19th, surrounded by the vineyards, we personally prefer the heuriger in Nußdorf to those in Grinzing. Grinzing is overcrowded with tour buses and tourists looking for the "authentic heuriger experience" that Rick Steves describes (which may have been at one point, but sure isn't now). In Nußdorf there are two lovely heuriger, Schubel Auer and Kierlinger both offering pretty gardens and tasty fare.

annhig

fourfortravel - what a lovely place to live! we ended up at the top of the Kahlenberg by chance, having fallen into conversation with an elderly lady at the Belverdere who told us "es ist ein Muß". so instead of just going to the Beethovenwohnung as had been our plan, we bot the bus to the top of the Kahlenberg instead.

after the walk down through the vinyards and the Beethovenwohnung I'm not that sure where we went, not how many Heurige we visited - it's all a bit of a blur! great fun though.

BTW have you ever been to the wine festival in Gumpoldskirchen? [i appreciate that this may be a stupid question, a bit like asking a brit whether they have heard of wimbledon]. it's on at about this time of year I think and we had a terrific time there too. [we actually stayed there and used it as a base for touring, returning in the evening to enjoy the festival so that we wouldn't have to worry about driving - there seemed to be lots of people from Vienna who had come on the train who had the same idea].

Cowboy1968

It's not exactly a hidden secret, but the view from the Danube Tower is really nice:
http://www.donauturm.at/en/Default.aspx

Since you asked about "unique" (now more in the sense of "odd"):
At the semi-finished new Vienna central station there is a wooden observation tower and info centre - with a good view over the whole area.. (only of interest, I guess, if you are interested in transport/trains and such..)

The walk up the pedestrian shopping street from there to Reumannplatz gives you a bit of an idea how "normal" people live and shop in Vienna outside the "€7 slice of cake" first district.
And, even more important, you get THE BEST ICE CREAM at "Tichy" on Reumannplatz - a wonderful old-style ice cream parlour with a full menu of treats to choose from.
http://www.gastroweb.at/tichy-eis/

fourfortravel

annhig, we feel very spoiled to have the vineyards around us, and consider them our "backyard." All too often I see tourists wandering our neighborhood looking for Beethoven's Haus; all I can think is that they would have a much better time walking through the vineyards.

We haven't been to the wine festival in Gumpoldskirchen. "So many heuriger and wine festivals, so little time?" It is far too easy to get lulled into the comfort of a hike to a local favorite heuriger and pass the afternoon away with great wine and friends than to wander elsewhere.

brmsimmons, another Vienna idea might be a guided tour through Naschmarkt. It's possible, of course, to wade through the stalls and vendors by one's self, but a tour brings it all to life.

annhig

"So many heuriger and wine festivals, so little time?" It is far too easy to get lulled into the comfort of a hike to a local favorite heuriger and pass the afternoon away with great wine and friends than to wander elsewhere. >>

the same happens to us here in Cornwall and I'm sure to many others who are lucky to live in lovely places. Nevertheless those Heurige struck me as an exceptionally nice way to wile away a few hours. Shame I can't remember how many we visited!

joannyc

<< Shame I can't remember how many we visited!>>

You must of had a very good time then! ;-)

annhig

<< Shame I can't remember how many we visited!>>

You must of had a very good time then! >>

joannyc - yes, we did! and we drank lots of water AND ate a lot of the delicious food on offer. but to this day, we can't recall how many we went to.