Beyond the centre: Six of the coolest parts of Vienna

Step beyond the city’s ravishing historic core to savour these alluring Viennese locales.

Naschmarkt

Many of Naschmarkt’s watering holes and eateries have outdoor seating and covered heated terraces.

With a vibe that feels more Mediterranean than classically Viennese, the Naschmarkt throbs where the 4th district meets the 6th, a short walk from the UNESCO-protected Innere Stadt (the first of the Austrian capital’s 23 districts). As the name suggests, a market forms the Naschmarkt’s centrepiece, with around 120 produce stands, watering holes and eateries, including Lebanese, Turkish and Greek delis, and fish and seafood specialists. Many establishments have outdoor seating and covered heated terraces. Some lure night owls with cocktails and live DJs. There’s also a weekly Saturday flea market here. See wien.info

Neubau

Neubau is flanked by the Museums Quarter.

North of Mariahilferstrasse, Vienna’s longest shopping drag, Neubau, in the 7th district, is often compared with the bohemian enclaves of Berlin thanks to its mash-up of street art, eclectic boutiques and cool subterranean bars. Quaint and mural-brightened side streets have hip retro takes on traditional Viennese coffeehouses, some doubling as galleries and thrift stores, while old-stagers like Schnitzelwirt tempt punters with gigantic schnitzels. Peppered with Asian options – including Indian, Vietnamese, Korean and Filipino – Neubau is flanked by the MuseumsQuartier, where modern and contemporary art is displayed in and around the former stables of the Habsburg imperial dynasty. See mqw.at

Grinzing

Heuriger Wolff serves carafes from the last grape harvest with cheeseboards, cold cuts, salads, pickles and home-made bread.

Some of the wine poured at Vienna’s bars and restaurants is made within the city limits. In Grinzing, a village in the north’s 19th district, you can hike in forested, vineyard-carpeted hills and refuel at rustic, family-run heurigen (wine taverns). Characterised by its wood-panelled decor, nostalgic photographs and viticultural paraphernalia, Heuriger Wolff serves carafes from the last grape harvest with cheeseboards, cold cuts, salads, pickles and home-made bread. If the weather’s good, seek out a table in the garden. Sometimes folk musicians add to the ambience, playing guitars, accordions and toe-tapping tunes such as The Blue Danube waltz by Johann Strauss. See wienerheuriger.at

Donaustadt

The Alte Donau (Old Danube) is a lake-like arm of the river fringed by lidos, cafes, bars, restaurants and picnic spots.

Unless they arrive in Vienna on a cruise, visitors often miss the mighty Danube (its propensity to flood saw planners redirect it a few kilometres away from the Innere Stadt). But the riverside 22nd district is a magnet for leisure-seeking Viennese, who go bathing, sailing, rowing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding in the Alte Donau (Old Danube), a lake-like arm of the river fringed by lidos, cafes, bars, restaurants and picnic spots. Also in the vicinity is Danube Island, a slim 21km-long escape that draws joggers, skaters and cyclists. The leafy island hosts one of Europe’s largest free open-air summer music festivals (June 23-25 this year). See alte-donau.info

Prater

Prater is most famous for its amusement park.

Another invigorating place for stretching your legs – or pedalling through – is the Prater, a large public park in the 2nd district between the Danube and the city centre. Furnished with tree-lined avenues and sprawling lawns, it’s famed mostly for its amusement park, whose late-19th century giant ferris wheel has appeared in Vienna-set movies like The Third Man, The Living Daylights and Before Sunrise. At the Prater’s northwestern tip, the Leopoldstadt quarter is worth a wander, steeped in Jewish heritage, dotted with kosher bakeries and on-trend wining and dining haunts. See praterwien.com

Schoenbrunn

Built as a summer retreat for the Habsburgs, Schoenbrunn Palace has glorious geometric gardens.

Elegant mansions and villas grace western Vienna’s 13th district, but overshadowing everything here is the UNESCO-listed Schoenbrunn Palace. Built as a summer retreat for the Habsburgs, it has gloriously strollable geometric gardens, while its guided tours flaunt some of the rococo palace’s 1441 rooms, including the glittering former apartments of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empresses Maria Theresa and Elisabeth (Sisi). Some packages offer dinner and a concert by the palace orchestra, with renditions of Strauss and Mozart. From mid-November to early January, one of Vienna’s most enchanting Christmas markets pops up in front of the palace. See schoenbrunn.at

Steve McKenna was a guest of Viking Cruises, see vikingcruises.com.au