Vienna rated most livable City .- again

I think its great. They should be proud that they top the list in what is generally a 40% to 60% English speaking top ten list.

Vienna and the Viennese are proud of it, of course, and are touting it big time.

On the other hand, expats regularly rank Vienna as one of the most unfriendly cities in the world, once again in 2023.
https://www.internations.org/expat-insider/2022/vienna-40325

It is difficult to understand the real Viennese mentality unless you are born here. The grumpiness is in the genes of the people, but it is about life in general, not particularly expats. Whining about first-world problems is a common habit, called raunzen. A lot of stereotypes, of course. :-)

Unlike Americans, Viennese people are not as open to other people, at least in the beginning. A good command of the German language helps a lot in daily life, although everybody in Austria is taught English in school.

A German pun regarding Vienna stresses the difference between lebenswert (livable) and liebenswert (likable).

Richard Strauss, famous composer, a German being director of the State Opera in Vienna, once noted: "Everywhere the people are phony, but in Vienna they are so nicely phony."

Hi,

Thanks for posting this. I had heard this on CNN. One can see why this distinction goes to Vienna. I agree with it.

When you go around the city by public transport, walk and explore the outward districts that usually do not see visitors, watch how the locals react, deal with each other, talk to them in good High German if the occasion arises (you only pick the dialect by having grown up or living there, regardless of your ethnic group, eg, I saw one time Filipinos chatting with their "white" Austrian co-workers at Foot Locker in the dialect (Wienerisch) when business happened to be slow.), you notice and start to develop a feel for the city. Do the people watching in cafes or coffee shops where 99% of the patrons are locals, all chatting away in their own language.

I like going back to Vienna each and every time. If someone in his/her 20s and 30s were doing the first Europe trip and had the time, I would absolutely recommend visiting Vienna.

Yup, those of us that live here are always proud of this fact. How lucky am I? Great transportation, great parks, culture….

That said, Vienna tops the list for unfriendliest city, which is also very true. Took me 12 years to make an Austrian friend. That’s why us foreign born folks stick together here.