Austria's Imperial capital offers a unique blend of imperial traditions and stunning modern architecture. It is famous for its cultural events, imperial sights, coffee houses, cozy wine taverns, and the very special Viennese charm.
Vienna is the capital of Austria and the smallest of the nine federal provinces. Vienna is home to 23 districts and was first documented as a city in 1137. In 1155, it became the residence of the dukes of the House of Babenberg, followed by the House of Habsburg which ruled for no less than 640 years.
Vienna is a wonderful baroque city, which is well known for Maria Theresa’s reign as well as Emperor Franz Joseph I and his beloved wife, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (aka Sissi).
There are a few things you need to consider when visiting Vienna for the first time. The city is safe, with a fantastic infrastructure of buses, trams, trains and subways which are running on time and can take you virtually everywhere. This makes finding accommodation in Vienna much simpler, because no matter where you are, there is great public transport available within minutes walk from your house.
Vienna offers a unique ensemble of traditional heritage and modernity. Magnificent imperial buildings (Schönbrunn Palace, Belvedere, St. Stephen’s Cathedral), art nouveau buildings (Secession) as well as a long lasting tradition of musical arts (Franz Schubert, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) meet modern architecture, art, festivals and the famous Viennese cuisine (Wiener Schnitzel, Strudel, Sacher Torte).
With a busy cultural calendar and numerous sights, Vienna is clearly a year-round destination. Special summer festivals and events, like open-air cinemas, as well as traditional winter activities, such as ice-skating at the City Hall Park and Christmas markets, are the perfect addition to the vast offer of concerts, plays and opera performances at Vienna’s famous theatres and opera houses.
Vienna was chosen No. 1 of the 25 "Best Cities For Young People To Live In" from the U.S. internet ranking platform "list25.com"
"'The City of Dreams' or 'City of Music' offers almost everything what young people want from a city. Vienna's history, culture, economy, environment, and simply the fact that it is the most liveable city in the world, make the first place." » source: list25.com
Vienna features an excellent infrastructure, is clean, safe, green and provides a stimulating environment for your German course.
The language spoken in Austria is German – pure, correct German. Many experts believe that the finest, most melodious German is spoken in Austria. ActiLingua Academy teaches standard German according to a recognized curriculum. We use the same course books as most renowned schools in Germany. In our modern language school, you can learn to speak, read and write German where it is spoken - Vienna!
Why learn German?
Want to know how to make the original Viennese Apple Strudel? Of course, you do! Attend the Apple Strudel Show located just outside the Cafe Residenz at Schönbrunn. The show runs every hour so make sure to time your arrival well. You will see a pastry chef preparing an Apple Strudel right in front of your eyes. Of course, you will get to also sample some amazing Apple Strudel and fall in love with the taste. At the end, you will receive the original recipe and the number of the Apple Strudel hotline in case you need help whilst baking your first strudel. I mean, come on, how cool is that?
Can you imagine a better way to end your first day in Vienna, than by enjoying a warm schnitzel and a glass of beer? We wanted to enjoy dinner at Lugeck, although we were surprised to learn we needed a reservation. Luckily, we could sit at the bar area and enjoy the same level of service as everywhere else in the restaurant. In fact, we prefered the bar area as it was a little more intimate. If you rather, you can visit their website and book your table in advance. We ordered the Wiener Schnitzel with a glass of Attakringer Zwickl each. It was pretty damn perfect!
