6 Best Performing Arts Venues in Vienna, Austria

The Austrian National Theater is among the leading German-language theaters of the world. The Burgtheater's repertoire frequently mixes German classics with more modern and controversial pieces. The Burg also emphasizes works by Austrian playwrights, including Elfriede Jelinek, who won the 2004 Nobel Prize for Literature. The Burg's smaller house, the Akademietheater, draws on much the same group of actors for classical and modern plays, but performances are in a more relaxing setting.

This well-respected theater offers a season of modern dramas and comedies.

Originally built as a theater for the people, the Raimund staged popular folk plays in its early days. It then moved on to opera for a spell before becoming a leading venue for long-running musicals. Here, lovers of the genre can enjoy such hits as Rock Me Amadeus and The Phantom of the Opera.

Extensively restored in recent years, the Ronacher presents the latest musical smash hits from Broadway in a magnificent, traditional space with ornate details, a painted ceiling and a 2-ton chandelier.

The Theater in der Josefstadt, the oldest Vienna theater still in operation, stages classical and modern works in a space once run by the great producer and teacher Max Reinhardt. The theater had, of late, been seeming to gather layers of dust, but happily director Herbert Föttinger has restored its reputation for more avant-garde and daring productions.

For English-language theater—mainly classic comedies and dramas—head for this cozy and charming venue. The season runs early September to early July.