Gay wien
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The composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828) spent over two years living with his librettist Johann Baptist Mayrhofer who was known to be homosexual. The country is divided into nine states. Until the beginning of the 20th century, it was the largest German-speaking city in the world. It is a city that has many conventions and corporate events so it is always wise to book your accommodation in advance to guarantee availability and choice.
The city is relatively small and easy to get around so would recommend you stay in the Inner Stadt area of the city which is centre of city.
Sightseeing
Major tourist attractions include the imperial palaces of the Hofburg and Schönbrunn.
Cultural highlights include the Burgtheater, the Wiener Staatsoper, the Lipizzaner horses and over 100 art museums.
The city is also famous for the composers who lived in Vienna including Beethoven and Mozart so some of the tourist attractions are where they lived or where buried.
The historic Hofburg Imperial Palace has gay history connections as it is where the controversial Emperor Ludwig Viktor who frequented the Kaiserbrundl bathhouse in his day and was exiled to a remote castle for an infamous incident that took place at the baths with an Austrian army officer.
Viennese cafes have an extremely long and distinguished history that dates back centuries and plays a large part in making coffee a popular drink. Some of the oldest coffee houses in Europe are unique to Vienna.
From flirty Happy Hours, fierce drag revues, and throbbing dance floors - there's always a soiree to dive into. You decide if you try the restaurant before or after the bathhouse. Address Weihburggasse 18-20
Main LGBTQ Events
Plan your visit around one of the many large events like the popular Life Ball, Rainbow Parade, Rainbow Ball, and Wien in Schwarz.
The world-renowned charity event Live Ball is in spring, Vienna Pride with the Rainbow Parade in June, and Wien in Schwarz (Vienna in Black) in October.
Other
Currency – Euro (EUR)
Language – German
Visas – Not needed for travellers from the US, Canada and Europe
Best Time To Visit – March - November
Timezone – Central European Standard Time (GMT+1)
Homosexual Activity – Legal
Gay Vienna
Beyond grand opera houses and imperial palaces, Vienna tempts gay travelers with an energetic gay district perfect for bar-hopping, clubbing, and connecting with the local LGBTQ community.
Naschmarkt, Vienna's fabulous LGBTQ hub is where it's at.
You can either take the City Airport Train (CAT) or the public Schnellbahn S7.
City Airport Train (CAT) connects the airport with the transport hub at Vienna Mitte non-stop in only 16 minutes.
Express train S7 between Vienna Airport and Vienna Floridsdorf takes 37 minutes as the train makes a number of stops.
Don't forget your highest heels and a fully-charged phone for pics!
Address Laimgrubengasse 3
The Sling is a big cruise bar. On one of his regular visits to the ›Centralbad‹ indoor swimming pool (today’s gay sauna Kaiserbründl) he quite literally touched off a public scandal, being slapped in the face by an officer who was none too flattered by his advances. Relax in a historic sauna?
His summer palace, Schloss Belvedere, is an impressive example. The crowd are cute and the service is good. Address Hamburgerstrasse 4
Mango is a place popular with boys and the younger crowd in the middle of the gay Vienna scene. You can go big on nightlife. Address Blumelgasse 1.
Felixx is a trendy high-end place to hang out with friends, sip cocktails, and see & be seen.
Other celebrities are the architects of the State Opera, the gay architect couple Eduard van der Nüll (1812-1868) and August Sicard von Sicardsburg (1813-1868). Address Tiefer Graben 22.
Cafes & Restaurants
As Vienna is famous for coffee house there are many popular gay café restaurants include Cafe Berg, Bar Restaurant Cafe Willendorf, Motto and Cafe Savoy.
The choice of different types of food is great and generally we advise you use your eyes to see the food being served in cafés and restaurants
Saunas
Kaiserbrundl is a famous restaurant and sauna combined.
Luziwuzi had a reputation at court for his sharp tongue and his propensity to cross-dress. Or tour the pleasure palace of the gay Prince Eugene? Dance through a night in Vienna's oldest gay club? Splurge-free fun awaits. Music is from the 70s, 80s, & more recent in this tiny bar.