My husband and I are spending 5 days in Vienna this June. I'm a vegetarian, and he is not. Neither of us has been to Europe before, and we're not sure what to expect! We don't necessarily need all-veg restaurants, but how difficult will it be to find options for me while we're there? Any other vegetarians out there with tips for how to handle the trip? We'll be spending 5 days in Prague before we get to Vienna. Thanks!
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5865 posts
I have no specific tips for Vienna, but you should manage fine. Menus are posted outside restaurants, so you can always check before you go in.
Also, are you familiar with the http://www.happycow.net/ ? You can search on a city and find listings of vegetarian and veg-friendly restaurants.
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5513 posts
Here is a link to a discussion thread on Trip Advisor:
And another one:
Overall, most restaurants offer a vegetarian dish, despite the fact that Austrian cuisine is traditionally meat heavy. I wouldn't worry too much about it - I am sure you'll find something suitable.
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
20458 posts
I saw on TV a few nights ago where Austria was one of the last few great holdouts on smoking bans and that you can still smoke in some restaurants and bars and outdoor cafes. They said 30 percent of the population as a whole smoked and 30 percent of the teenagers smoked. I know a lot of these things get exaggerated but it was a European produced news show. Has anyone noticed that being a problem if you don't like being around that sort of thing?
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5513 posts
Yes, there is a lot of smoking in Austria. Restaurants 50m2 or larger must have a designated non-smoking area; restaurants smaller than 50m2 are not required to have this. Here is a list of restaurants that are entirely smoke free:
Outside of restaurants, hotels usually offer smoke free rooms, but not always. On public transportation, smoking is not permitted. In parks and any outdoor area, people are free to smoke. This is where I find it most off-putting - particularly in the playgrounds.
While smoking hasn't really diminished my life in any way in Vienna (I am a non-smoker), I guess I am just used to it by now.
What I will never get used to, however, is that I constantly have to look at my feet to make sure I don't step in dog poo. Yes, there are laws about this too, but if they are not enforced...