In March, the city’s green spaces awaken: Schönbrunn Park, Volksgarten, the Botanical Garden. They show the first buds and that soft light that makes Vienna particularly special right now.

In my book “Green Places of Happiness in Vienna” (Droste Verlag), I have described exactly these places – 80 parks, gardens, and green courtyards that show Vienna from a different side. Not merely as addresses, but as places with soul and stories. Places where time ticks a little slower, and which, especially in March when the city awakens from its winter slumber, become wonderful companions for walks.

The book is available from your local bookseller or online

A cultural highlight for March:

“Gustave Courbet – Realist and Rebel”

Leopold Museum, February 19 – June 21, 2026

The exhibition is dedicated to the French master of Realism, Gustave Courbet, and showcases his unvarnished view of everyday life, landscape, and society. Courbet questioned traditions and sought his own path – the Leopold Museum provides the perfect stage for this.

A visit can be wonderfully combined with a stroll through the MuseumsQuartier or a coffee house visit.

In Vienna, people simply say “Eis” (ice cream) – and mean all those creamy, fruity scoops that are more than just a dessert on every walk. Viennese residents consume more than 60 scoops of ice cream per person annually – more than in Italy itself. This shows how much Vienna celebrates ice cream as a culinary city tradition.

One place that perfectly embodies this love is Eissalon Tichy on Reumannplatz in the 10th district. Since 1955, this Viennese classic, founded by Kurt Tichy, confectioner and ice cream lover, has stood there. His famous creation: the Eismarillenknödel – a small ball of apricot ice cream coated in vanilla ice cream and rolled in nut brittle. For decades, it has delighted regulars and new discoverers alike.

Favoriten itself is a district where multiculturalism is not just a word, but a lived reality: people from many countries, many languages, many stories – and in the midst of it all, this one ice cream parlor that connects everyone. Tichy is not just an address there, but a piece of social meeting point for generations: after shopping, during a walk, as a break in between – the ice cream traditionally served with a spatula is here community, memory, and taste all at once.

Equally rich in tradition: the Eissalon am Schwedenplatz, whose history dates back to 1886. The Molin Pradel family from Italy’s Zoldo Valley brought their gelato technique to Vienna – today, the salon attracts with over 100 varieties, from classic vanilla to original creations. Visitors happily queue up and observe the urban hustle and bustle in the square.

The special thing about these places is not just the ice cream itself, but the stories behind it: where to find the best hazelnut ice cream, when Tichy finally reopens, and the joy of the small things in life. And when the first spring sunshine arrives, ice cream on the square is often the first step into a long, warm afternoon.