Oh, for the days when road rage meant refusing to doff your hat at a passing pedestrian. Road manners may not have survived, but a lot of the vehicles have. And as part of the annual Vienna Classic Days event, catch a cavalcade of old timers as they drive around Vienna’s historical Ringstrassen.
- Delightful parade of dozens of classic cars and other vehicles
- Route follows the Ring boulevard
- 2021 date: provisionally Aug 21
- See also: Events in Vienna
Vienna Classic Days
The classic car community comes together once a year in Vienna for a weekend of community activities. The highlight, especially for those of us (cough) driving a rather-boring 2012 Opel Astra, is the annual old timer parade.
The authorities close down the Ringstrassen roads, which mark the edge of the old town, plus Franz-Josef’s-Kai next to the Danube canal. This frees up a circular route for the parade to drive around.
Tourists and locals gather to spot everything from Minis, Morris Minors and Maseratis to Ferraris, Cadillacs and Pontiacs. Not forgetting the obligatory early Rolls Royce.
The drivers and passengers join in with the old timer spirit, often dressing up in period clothes and waving merrily to the assembled crowds.
Even those with a singular disinterest in cars can’t help but marvel at the range of shapes, sizes, colours, and conditions of the vehicles, and the all-round high spirits of the participants.
2021 dates and tickets
The event for owners of classic cars is provisionally set for the weekend of August 21st and 22nd. The old timer parade usually takes place in the late afternoon (from around 6.30pm) on the Saturday. You don’t need a ticket to watch. Just line up along the route (see below). Keep an eye on the official website for the latest details.
How to get to the parade
This might be the easiest event to “visit”, since the vehicles drive all the way around roads that encircle the city’s old town. Start anywhere in the very centre and walk in a straight line…you’ll reach some part of the route within a few minutes.
The Ring along the west side of the old town has more wonderful historical buildings than other parts, so might make a better backdrop for photos. We stood outside the parliament building, for example, and got lovely views of all the vehicles as they passed by.