So, June in Vienna, the month where the weather sheds its capricious nature to bring us sun and frolics. A time for wandering through the historical centre without the burden of jackets and umbrellas (hopefully), all while the Viennese are still at work.
- See also:
Top activities in June 2022
Aside from the usual palaces, museums, and other such hotspots, just what can you do in this merry month?
Enjoy the June exhibitions
(The Albertina offers a last chance to see Munch)
We have some planned highlights in the calendar already:
- Catch the final days of some top-class spring exhibitions, notably:
- The MAK’s Josef Hoffmann exhibition (until June 19th)
- The Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien’s David Hockney exhibition (also until June 19th)
- The Kunsthistorisches Museum’s Iron Men renaissance armour exhibition (until June 26th)
- The Albertina’s Munch exhibition also, coincidentally, ends June 19th. The same institution has fascinating art by Hans Weigand on display
- The (excellent) Ai Weiwei exhibition is in full throttle at the Albertina Modern, as well as the Klimt: Drawings exhibition
- Lower Belvedere celebrates Venice in art, exploring how 19th-century Austrian and Venetian artists captured its history, the city’s impact on Vienna’s art and architecture, and Venice as myth and metaphor
- Upper Belvedere has the True to Life exhibition of realist painting, as well as the Marc Quinn exhibition of sculptures in dialogue with Belvedere’s Baroque character heads
- The Wien Museum MUSA showcases street photography in Vienna from the 1860s to current times
- The Kunsthistorisches Museum begins its look at the early work of Lucas Cranach the Elder (from June 21st) and continues its journey Around the World in 80 Coins
- See artistic history of a different kind at the MAK’s exhibition of highlights from its majolica collection
- The multimedia Klimt – The Immersive Experience exhibition rolls into town with its projections and light installations
- Enjoy works from around 24 photographers and artists at the Kunst Haus Wien’s When the Wind Blows exhibition
- A final chance to see the Rothschilds exhibition (until June 5th) at the Jewish Museum, while the same location reveals the story of Stefan Edlis
- The majestic state hall of the National Library has an exhibition dedicated to representations of the Emperor’s most beautiful animals
- A different vibe at the Leopold Museum with its Alfred Kubin exhibition (erring on the dystopian side, so perhaps ideal for the times). See also the writer portraits on display from the Klewan collection
- For a little more joy, try the Korean bookshelves art at the Weltmuseum, which also starts its major George Nuku exhibition on June 23rd
- Another exhibition starting up is the Natural History Museum’s feature on Brazil (from June 8th)
- And the Technical Museum offers plenty of buttons to press at their Foodprints exhibition on food technology
- See the exhibition listings for more options
June also hosts the spring/summer edition of Fesch’Markt Vienna (June 3rd to 5th in 2022), which showcases the delights produced by numerous independent artists and designers.
Find accommodation for June
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Enjoy the music
Vienna is, of course, a city of music, with more orchestras and concerts than Emperor Franz Joseph had titles (and he had a lot of titles). Even so, June offers up a few particularly excellent opportunities…
- The Donauinselfest (June 24th to 26th) is a three-day festival held on the Danube that – in normal years – features around 13 stages and 600 hours of music, from rock to rap and all things in-between. And it’s free, too
- If jazz is more your thing, then the Vienna Jazz Festival (next dates TBA) attracts some of the very best performers from around the world. The list of alumni reads like a who’s who of jazz history
- The Vienna Mozart Orchestra continues its series of period Mozart concerts at the prestigious Musikverein
- The renowned Wiener Symphoniker Orchestra gives a free open-air concert at the Museumsquartier (June 4th)
(Vienna’s churches often host concerts and events)
- Another free open-air concert is the world-famous summer night concert (June 16th) from the Wiener Philharmoniker in the glorious landscaped grounds of Schönbrunn Palace
- Music also features strongly during the Long Night of the Churches (June 10th). Numerous Christian institutions open their doors to visitors with an evening of events ranging from organ recitals to rooftop tours
Enjoy the rides, food & fairs
(One of the Prater rides)
Although the Prater outdoor entertainment complex opens all year round, many of the rides close for winter. But the summer season sees the roller coasters and other funfair attractions start up in earnest again.
The Prater area also has the giant Ferris wheel, Madame Tussauds, the Planetarium, and much more to offer. Not to mention a feast of restaurants.
The annual Steffl Kirtag fair outside the main cathedral also opens up in early summer (May 26th to June 6th). Think of it as a hybrid market and funfair, with the emphasis on the former.
A couple of food festivals or markets make an appearance this month. For example:
- The GENUSSWELTEN gourmet festival rolls into the MuseumsQuartier for the first time (June 11th and 12th).
- The Bauermarkt unter Palmen (June 16th to 19th) brings small farmers and food start ups from around Vienna to the palm house of the Burggarten
Enjoy the flowers
I talk about this for May, but June is another good month to take in the displays of flowering shrubs and other delights that grace Vienna’s parks and gardens (and roadsides).
Can I particularly recommend the Volksgarten park in the city centre, to one side of the Hofburg complex? Imagine walking into a living French impressionist painting…full of points of different colours thanks to the hundreds of rose varieties within.
And a more secretive option is the Hirschstetten Botanical Gardens (much loved by locals and rarely discovered by visitors).
Enjoy the parade(s)
Perhaps the most colourful street parade of the year takes place this month. The Rainbow Parade (June 11th) forms the climax of the two-week Vienna Pride festival (June 1st to 12th).
Since we’re talking parades (this is a bit of a leap, but I didn’t know where to fit in this event): the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum hosts a 3-day festival showcasing military old timers. Auf Rädern und Ketten (next dates TBA) has trucks, tanks, and more.
Enjoy the streets and river banks
By June, many of the cafés, famous coffee houses, bars and similar establishments have put out their chairs, tables and sunshades so you can enjoy coffee and cake (or beer and Schnitzel) in the June sun.
You have three top options here:
- Enjoy continental street-side coffee culture, debating Proust and Kafka (or the coming football season) among the bustle of city life. Or…
- Take the D tram out to Nussdorf or the 38 tram to Grinzing (both leave from, for example, Schottentor station in the centre). Then walk up to the Heuriger (wine taverns) in the leafy suburbs and rolling hills, with their in-house wines and buffets bursting with local fare
- Drop down to the Danube canal with its open-air bars and restaurants and Summerstage (ditto but along with a programme of events like live music, outdoor art exhibition, boules etc.)