I’ll be honest. February is a quiet month in Vienna, with only a few annual events and festivals. On the other hand, this also means far fewer queues and crowds.
- Book a classical concert* for your trip
- See also:
February 2027: top activities
Those queues get even shorter during the so-called Semesterferien (January 30th to February 7th): 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 (left) makes a rather lovely setting for classical concerts with excellent acoustics.
The church is just one of many historical venues that host evenings of light classical music* designed for visitors to Vienna..
Exhibitions in February
(The Albertina always has lovely exhibitions)
Vienna has numerous exhibitions on at any one time. We can already get excited about the following in February 2027…
My highlights
- The Albertina has the final full month of the solo exhibition for US painter Shara Hughes
- The Albertina Modern gives us the chance to see the skill and vision of Franz West as well as seminal works by Australian artists like Emily Kame Kngwarreyes
- A possibly newly discovered work by Gian Lorenzo Bernini forms the core of a small exhibition by the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Palais Lobkowitz that throws a new perspective on the artist
- Post-WW1 photography’s drift to realism, as seen in works from Europe, feature at the Leopold Museum. Later in the month (from February 26th), the museum starts its exhibition on the development of Viennese fashion in the first decades of the 20th century
- The MAK museum also casts an eye over the interwar years in the context of sociocultural developments in Viennese interior design
- The Jewish Museum presents a biographical exhibition on the challenges faced by the many people forced to flee into exile during the Nazi years. The museum also examines the rise of oriental studies and how it relates to Viennese Jewish history
- Discover renowned Austrian author Thomas Bernhard over at the Literature Museum (until February 21st)
- Browse a cultural history of colour through the centuries as revealed in clothes and fashion at the Wien Museum. And enjoy a biographical exhibition there on Franz West and the role of Vienna in his work (parallel to the Albertina Modern exhibition mentioned above)
- Go even further back in time for a tale of murder and intrigue in ancient times, as told by the Kunsthistorisches Museum at the Neue Burg location
Related art & design events
2027 should see a repeat of Art at the Park (2027 dates TBA): a high-quality art fair held on the premises of the luxury Park Hyatt Vienna in the centre of town.
And the Marx Halle hosts the large Edelstoff design market, which offers an excellent opportunity to pick up unique items and gifts (2027 dates TBA).
Enter the Ice World
(The lighted rinks)
It typically starts late January, but hits its peak throughout February: the Wiener Eistraum (exact 2027 dates TBA).
This “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 areas spread among the trees of the Rathaus park. Everything lights up delightfully at night.
Oh, and don’t worry if your packing list for Vienna failed to include skates: simply hire them on site.
Valentine’s Day
(Come for a kiss. Couples enjoy free evening entry to the Klimt rooms at Upper Belvedere for a courtesy professional photo opportunity; 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.
And if you’re still stuck for ideas, there’s always cake: something Vienna specialises in.
Beer & flowers
(More beer inside than you can wave a pint glass at)
That headline actually sounds like my ideal Valentine’s Day. But…
Beer
The Vienna Kraft Bier Fest craft beer festival began life in 2024 and looks set to repeat regularly with a February edition, too (2027 dates TBA).
Apart from an excellent selection of craft beers, the event takes place in the Gleis//Garten food hall. So you have a wide choice of food to go with your Zwickl or Wiener Lager.
Flowers
(The orchids on show are more spectacular than this houseplant)
Ah, yes, and no ordinary flowers, either. The International Orchid Show (skips 2027 and returns February 23rd to 27th in 2028) sets up in the Hirschstetten Botanical Gardens.
Numerous exhibitors add more than a few spots of colour to the Viennese winter. We really enjoy the show, which includes lovely displays as well as the expected sales booths.
Popular tours & 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 Palace Ticket tour of the self-guided options: for a small extra outlay you get into many more rooms than the basic tour)
- 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 some indoor enclosures, too, 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)
Oh, and talking music, how about the International Accordion Festival (2027 dates TBA)?
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.
2027 brings, for example, the 69th edition of the world-famous Opernball (February 4th), though tickets and tables are not always easy to come by if you’re a mere mortal.
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 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). If it does get wet, I have some tips for staying dry when out and about.
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).