I’ll be honest. February is a quiet month in Vienna, with only a few annual events and festivals.
However, one thing very much in February’s favour is far fewer queues and crowds.
- Book a classical concert* for February
- See also:
Top activities in February 2025
Those queues and crowds get even less during the so-called Semesterferien (February 3rd to 9th): a week-long break between semesters when Vienna’s schools all go on holiday.
A lot of Viennese take off with the kids for the Semesterferien (to ski, for example), leaving even more space for the rest of us.
Anyway, the usual concerts, museum offerings, tours etc., continue unabated this month. But what else might you do?
My quick tip
The Karlskirche church makes a rather lovely setting for classical concerts with excellent acoustics.
Orchestra 1756 holds regular performances* of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons there, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
Exhibitions in February
(The Heidi Horten collection has a multisensory treat for art lovers in February)
Vienna always has numerous exhibitions on at any one time. We already have news of the following for February 2025…
Top tip
Insider tip
Highlights
- Lower Belvedere will bring us a special Klimt exhibition from February 20th, which takes a deeper dive into the artist’s methods
- Your last chance to see the major Chagall exhibition at the Albertina (until February 9th). The reincarnation of lost Schiele works through the art of Adrian Ghenie continues, as does the Jim Dine exhibition
- February also brings another big name to Vienna with the Anton Corbijn exhibition at the Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien from February 15th
- The Heidi Horten Collection presents art that adds one or two additional sensory dimensions to the usual with their Light Sound Senses exhibition
- Catch the final full month of the Erwin Wurm exhibition over at the Albertina Modern
- The MAK always has several exhibitions running, but notable examples in February 2025 include Peche Pop around the “enfant terrible” of the Wiener Werkstätte and a look at some of the very best of 21st-century design in Austria
- Talking design, the Leopold Museum dedicates an exhibition to the work and artistic collaborations of the iconic Backhausen company: makers of furniture and decorative fabrics. And they give us the last few days of a solo exhibition for Rudolf Wacker (until February 16th)
- Time travel back to the sixties for some art of the era with mumok’s Mapping the 60s exhibition
- Continue to celebrate the King of the Waltz’s 200th birthday with a Strauss exhibition at the Theatermuseum
- Another composer…Mozart: a man whose dining habits and experiences influenced his work, as an exhibition at the Mozarthaus demonstrates
- The Wien Museum special exhibition feels rather seasonal: a look at various aspects of Vienna in winter
- Trace the biography of the genius that was Hedy Lamarr at the Furniture Museum
- The experience and viewpoint of the third post-Holocaust generation take centrestage at the Jewish Museum, along with perspectives on fear
- The Wien Museum MUSA takes us behind the scenes and reveals the practicalities and challenges involved with a public collection of contemporary art (until February 23rd)
- Indigenous art claims the limelight at the Weltmuseum, with works from Brazil. They also consider the historical impact of the Qur’an on European thought
- A special exhibition on writer Friederike Mayröcker reaches the last few pages of its time at the Literature Museum (until February 16th)
- In an era of cards and digital transactions, the Technisches Museum throws a light on the history, future and much more of cold hard cash, but also explores (until February 9th) the ins and outs of transitioning to different energy sources. And discover 100 years of radio in Austria
Related events
February 2025 also brings a repeat of:
- Art at the Park (February 20th to 23rd): a high-quality art fair held on the premises of the luxury Park Hyatt Vienna in the centre of town
- Edelstoff (2025 dates TBA): a large design market and excellent opportunity to pick up unique items and gifts
Valentine’s Day
(Come for a kiss. Last February saw free evening entry to the Klimt rooms at Upper Belvedere with a courtesy professional photo opportunity too; press photo © Ivory Rose Photography / Belvedere, Wien)
Ah, the dance of hearts begins afresh on February 14th. But what to do with a loved one to celebrate the day in Vienna?
Help is at hand with my Valentine’s Day overview.
Enter the Ice World
(The lighted rinks)
It usually starts in late January but hits its peak throughout February: the Wiener Eistraum.
The “Vienna Ice World” offers a wonderful outdoor ice skating experience right in the middle of the city, along with food and drink stalls with an organic focus that normally feature plenty of vegan & vegetarian options.
The square in front of the Rathaus turns into a split-level ice rink, with skating trails and other rinks spread among the trees of the Rathaus park. Everything lights up delightfully at night.
Oh, and don’t worry if you forgot your skates: simply hire them on site.
Popular tours & classical concerts
(The prestigious Staatsoper. February offers a better chance of getting tickets)
Given far fewer people around, February is the time for booking those activities that are often busy or oversubscribed the rest of the year.
I’m thinking here particularly of:
- Classical music concerts (especially at the top venues and those various light classical Viennese concerts* crafted specially for visitors)
- The Schönbrunn Palace tours (do the Grand Tour of the self-guided options: you get into many more rooms than the basic tours and the cost difference is quite small)
- The Spanish Riding School (book to see the morning training or a stables tour if you can’t catch a gala or want an inexpensive way to experience the stallions)
- Upper Belvedere (where you get to see Klimt’s The Kiss)
- Vienna Zoo (which has indoor enclosures like a rainforest house, if you’re worried about the weather)
- Opera tickets (particularly for the ever-popular Staatsoper. Standing tickets are excellent value but you might be able to grab some inexpensive seats, too)
Talking music, how about the 26th International Accordion Festival (February 22nd to March 16th)?
Have a ball
(A hint at what to expect from the Opernball)
One of February’s claims to fame is that this is a busy month for balls. So if you’ve ever dreamed of doing the waltz in the city that invented the dance, now’s your chance.
2025 brings, for example, the 67th edition of the world-famous Opernball (February 27th), though tickets and tables for the latter are not always easy to come by if you’re a mere mortal.
Catch the flowers
(The orchids on show are even more spectacular than this houseplant)
Flowers? Ah, yes, and no ordinary flowers, either. The International Orchid Show (next date is 2026) sets up in the Hirschstetten Botanical Gardens.
Numerous exhibitors add more than a few spots of colour to the Viennese winter. We really enjoyed the show, which includes lovely displays as well as the expected sales booths.
Catch the chocolate
Be still my beating heart.
The Chocolate Festival dropped into the Marx Halle last February, so let us hope for a repeat (2025 dates TBA). I mean, they had me at “Chocolate.” I fully intend to report on this with a long article: not one of my toughest assignments.
Go skiing
(Avoid the Semesterferien if you go skiing)
Of course, you can always do as the Viennese do and flee the city for the slopes.
February is the main month for skiing in Austria, and you can reach the Semmering alpine ski resort, for example, in just over an hour, so suits a day trip.
It’s probably best not to do this in the Semesterferien week, unless you want to spend your day being jostled by impatient Viennese as they push their way into the lift queue.
Think of Rome’s Colosseum, but with ski sticks instead of gladiatorial swords and you get the idea. (I’m only partly exaggerating.)
Swim or float
(One of the city’s café-confectioneries)
Not outside, I should add. Holiday warm water treats include:
- The Schwerelos Floating Centre, where you float in a broad open tub filled with saltwater in what I found was a remarkably relaxing experience
- A day or two at the spa baths complex at Therme Wien. Hot water from thermal springs feeds its various pools. The Therme also offers all the usual spa treatments and a restaurant
Incidentally, Therme Wien sits right next door to an outlet of one of the city’s more renowned cake and confectionery chains: the Kurkonditorei Oberlaa. (And it has its own subway stop on the U1 that passes through the centre.)
Seasonal tip
Dress up warm
I don’t have the stats, but I’m pretty sure February could be our coldest month. Minus temperatures are plausible.
(Kaiserschmarren shredded pancakes to chase away the cold)
That’s not all bad, of course. Snow is possible, which makes the city look even more beautiful (at least until it turns into that delightful brown slush we all know and love).
And there is a certain pleasure to be had in entering a coffee house or Konditorei and warming yourself with a hot coffee topped by whipped cream or with a classic dish like Kaiserschmarren (much beloved by Emperor Franz Joseph).