Alsergrund

Alsergrund is the 9th district of Vienna. Alsergrund is an affluent suburb that includes much of the University of Vienna, several cozy business districts, and several hospitals. It has historical links to Franz Schubert, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Sigmund Freud.

Understand

The area is densely populated, with much government-built housing. In 2016, it had 43,000 reside.

Many departments of the University of Vienna, TU Wien and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) are in Alsergrund. There are also many large hospitals, including the biggest in Vienna, the AKH (Allgemeines Krankenhaus, German for General Hospital).

Alsergrund is associated with many notable names of Viennese art and science. It is the birthplace of Romantic composer Franz Schubert. Classic music composer Ludwig van Beethoven died here in his apartment at Schwarzspanierstraße 15. Berggasse 19 is the former residence and office of Sigmund Freud. It was Freud's home from 1891 until his flight to England in 1938, and is now the site of the Vienna Sigmund Freud Museum. Most of the patients Freud treated during the development of his theories of psychoanalysis visited him at his Alsergrund office.

In addition, the park in front of the Votivkirche, on the corner of Währingerstrasse and Schottenring, was named after Freud, in memory of his frequent visits there.

Get in

The underground line  U6  is available to the North, the  U4  to the West and the  U2  at the South border. There are the tram lines D, 5, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44 operating in the Alserground district and the bus line 40A.

Some regional trains from cities north of Vienna terminate at Wien Franz-Josefs railway station. Additionally, the international Silva Nortica train from Prague terminate here.

• 1 Wien Franz-Josefs railway station (Wien Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof) (200 m east of  U4  Friedensbrücke; tram 1, 5 and 33 call outside the station). (updated Dec 2023)
• 2 Wien Spittelau railway station. Major interchange between regional trains and underground lines  U4  and  U6 . Excellent for commuters but not very useful for the average tourist. (updated Dec 2023)

See

Museums and galleries

Liechtenstein Museum

Narrenturm and the Pathological and Anatomical State Museum

• 1 Liechtenstein Museum, Fürstengasse 1 (D Bauernfeldplatz or 10 minutes walk from U2 subway Schottentor), ☏ +43 1 319 57 67-153 (info and booking), fax: +43 1 319 57 67-20, info@palaisliechtenstein.com. Gartenpalais: 15:00-16:00 (admission 14:45), Stadtpalais: 17:00-16:30 (admission 14:45). A private collection of the Prince of Liechtenstein is exhibited in his former Viennese residences, which include the Stadtpalais (City Palace) and Gartenpalais (Garden Palace). The richly decorated picture gallery mainly exhibits Baroque paintings, with a nice portion of Rubens. Guided tours on selected Fridays in German only, registration required. €25 (Stadtpalais), €20 (Gartenpalais); €38 (single ticket for both palaces); no discounts.  
• 2 Pathologisch-anatomisches Bundesmuseum (Pathological and Anatomical State Museum), Narrenturm, Spitalgasse 2 (take trams 37-38, 40-42; in a round building which can be hard to find), ☏ +43 1 52177606. W 10:00-18:00, Th Sa 10:00-13:00. Housed in a squat tower, which once was an insane asylum, the Narrenturm (Fool's Tower), this museum contains some of the dustier corners of the annals of medicine. You will find preserved hydrocephalic infants, wax castings of tertiary syphilis, antique medical devices, and even a laryngeal tuberculous ulcer. The gift shop sells postcards depicting the best of these. €4 (adults), €2 (concessions), free (under 19). (updated Feb 2017)
• 3 Josephinum, Währinger Straße 25, ☏ +43 1 40160 26007, sammlungen@meduniwien.ac.at. F Sa 10:00-18:00. Founded by Emperor Joseph II as the Academy of Medico-Surgery, the building was completed in 1785 and houses nearly 1200 anatomical wax models commissioned by the emperor, along with medical documents and instruments. The Josephinum is still used for research today. €2 (adults), €1 (seniors/students).  

Architecture

Votivkirche

• 4 Votivkirche, Rooseveltplatz 8 (just outside the Ringstrasse Boulevard, close to the University of ViennaU2 Schottentor), ☏ +43 1 4061192, office@votivkirche.at. One of the most important Neo-Gothic religious architectural sites in the world, constructed between 1856 and 1879. Stands on a large square on the location where an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Emperor Franz Joseph took place in 1853. The plans were established by Heinrich von Ferstel (1828-1883), who chose to build the cathedral, borrowing heavily from the architecture of Gothic French cathedrals. It is made of white sandstone, similar to the Stephansdom, which is very vulnerable to air pollution and acid rain and therefore requires frequent renovations.  
• 5 Spittelau Waste Incineration Plant (Müllverbrennungsanlage Spittelau), Spittelauer Lände 45 (U2/U3 Spittelau; tram D), ☏ +43 1 31 32 62 039, georg.baresch@fernwaermewien.at. A waste incinerator may not be the usual item to attract a visitor's attention, but after the Viennese painter/architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser restyled the plant's façade in 1989 (following a fire in 1987), it has become a surprisingly photogenic fixture in the cityscape. Guided tours are offered (in German only) for visitors wanting to gain more insight into Vienna's waste, recycling, and disposal systems; however it is possible to appreciate the exterior of the plant from many locations in the city.  
• 6 Strudlhofstiege, Strudlhofgasse 8. Designed by Theodor Johann Jaeger and completed in 1910, the outdoor staircase connects Strudlhofgasse and Liechtensteinstraße, and is a significant example of Jugendstil architecture.  
• 7 St. Johannes Nepomuk Kapelle (Nepomuk-Kapelle), across from Währinger Gürtel 88. Designed by Otto Wagner between 1893 bis 1897, this is the architect's first religious structure and served as a model for his later Kirche am Steinhof.  

Historic sites

Freud Museum

Jüdischer Friedhof Seegasse

• 8 Freud Museum, Berggasse 19 (U2 Schottentor 10 minute walk, or take tram D to Schlickgasse), ☏ +43 1 3191596, fax: +43 1 3170279, office@freud-museum.at. Daily 10:00–18:00. This small museum is in Freud's historic flat where he practiced psychoanalysis for almost his whole life. However, the collection is limited mostly to documents of various kinds relating to Freud's life. Almost all of the flat's contents, including the famous original couch, went along with Freud to London when he fled the Nazis in 1939 and are now in the Freud Museum there. €10 (adults), €9 (seniors), €8.50 (Vienna Card), €7.50 (Club Ö1/students), €4 (children 12-18). (updated May 2016)
• 9 Schubert Geburtshaus, Nußdorfer Straße 54, ☏ +43 1 317 36 01, fax: +43 1 505 87 47 7201, office@wienmuseum.at. Tu-Su and holidays 10:00-13:00, 14:00-17:00. Franz Schubert was born in a small apartment in this house in 1797. The museum, just like the apartment itself, is rather small and not wheelchair accessible. The top floor displays documents relating to the composer's life and work, while other rooms display paintings by the Austrian writer Adalbert Stifter. €5 (adults), €4 (seniors/students/Vienna Card), free (children and youth under 19), free the first Su of every month. (updated Aug 2024)
• 10 Jüdischer Friedhof Seegasse (Jüdischer Friedhof Rossau / Seegasse Jewish Cemetery), Seegasse 9-11 (access through the Rossau retirement home). M-F 08:00-15:00. Vienna's oldest preserved Jewish cemetery, in use from the 16th century until 1784. In 1941 Nazi officials decided to raze the cemetery; in response a number of Viennese Jews removed 931 gravestones and buried them at the Zentralfriedhof. In the 1980s 280 of the gravestones were rediscovered and returned to their original locations. The cemetery was resanctified in 1984. Due to ongoing restoration work (as of late 2016) the cemetery cannot be entered, but can be easily viewed from an elevated walkway overlooking the site. Free. (updated Dec 2017)

Do

Volksoper Vienna

WUK

• 1 Volksoper, Währinger Straße 78 (U6: Währinger Straße-Volksoper), ☏ +43 1 514 44 3670, tickets@volksoper.at. The "People's Opera" is a venue for operettas, classical musicals, and ballet productions, as well as lighter traditional operas. Italian operas are often sung in German, and operas occasionally have English subtitles. Attendees under 15 receive a 75% discount.  
• 2 Schauspielhaus, Porzellangasse 19, ☏ +43 3170101, office@schauspielhaus.at. A small theatre. €18, students €9, seniors €12.  
• 3 WUK, Währinger Straße 59 (U6 Volksoper), info@wuk.at. WUK is a 12,000-m² space of culture, workshops, and social gathering. The cultural center regularly hosts concerts. The place was occupied by squatters in the early 1970s; these days it offers room for different cultural initiatives including rehearsal rooms, photographer black rooms, and a bike repair center.  
• 4 Votiv Kino, Währinger Strasse 12 (37, 38, 40, 42 Schwarzspanierstraße), ☏ +43 1 317 35 71, votivkino@votivkino.at. The cinema screens international movies including many French ones. The annual Vienna Film Festival is hosted here. On Sunday morning there is a film breakfast. The cinema opened in 1912. €7-8.50; film and breakfast €13.50. 
• 5 Pier9, Spittelauer Lände 12, ☏ +43 1 89046660, info@kletterhallewien.at. Spring, summer, autumn. The outdoor lead wall is 21.5 m high. There are 6 security lines with 13 routes. The boulder wall is downstairs next to the stream and has the same texture concrete wall with different inclinations. €6 lead, free boulder wall. 

Buy

• 1 Servitenviertel. The small district around Berggasse, Servitengasse, Porzellangasse and the Schlickgasse has several sophisticated shops.  
  • 2 Tankai, Berggasse 14, ☏ +43 664 91 58 221, office@tankai.at. Tu-F 10:00-14:00, 15:00-18:00. The shop sells hand made purses and bags (mostly made out of high-quality leather). 
  • 3 Curry me home, Servitengasse 6, info@currymehome.at. The place sells curry and salt in all variants. 
• 4 Confiserie zum Süßen Eck, Währinger Straße 65 (in front of Volksoper), ☏ +43 1 4027974, confiserie@suesseseck.at. Tu-Sa 10:00-19:30, M Su 14:00-19:30. The Zuckerlgeschäft sells 70 different types of licorice, several bitter chocolates and many typical Austrian sweets like the Zotter handmade chocolate or the Badener Kaffeebonbons. 
• 5 Wein & Genuss, Frankhplatz 2, ☏ +43 650 98 11180, g.somloi@wgp.at. M-F 15:00-01:00. The Vinothek sells mostly Austrian wines from the nearby Weinviertel region that excels for white wines. 

Eat

Inside of the old general hospital ("Altes AKH") and next to it there are several restaurant options.

Budget

• 1 Gasthaus Wickerl, Porzellangasse 24a, ☏ +43 13177489, gasthaus-wickerl@aon.at. M–F 09:00-24:00, Sa 10:00-24:00, Su 10:00-23:00, holidays 17:00-24:00. Traditional Austrian tavern from an excellent kitchen. 
• 2 Statt-Beisl, Währinger Straße 59, ☏ +43 1 408 72 24, info@statt-beisl.at. 17:00- (during holidays other hours apply). The student tavern inside of the WUK offers international food and several vegetarian offers. 
• 3 The Highlander, Sobieskiplatz 4, ☏ +43 1 315 27 94. Su-Th 11:00-24:00, F Sa 11:00-01:00; daily 11:00-23:00 (kitchen). Offers own beer and a nice variety of dishes, including vegetarian dishes, at a small square. Might not be one of the cheapest in the cheap section, but definitely worth the price. 
• 4 Wiener Deewan, Liechtensteinstraße 10 (Schottentor (+10min walk)), ☏ +43 1 533500, d1@deewan.at. M-Sa 11:00-23:00. Young, urban Pakistani restaurant. All you can eat, pay as you wish. You can mix your own menu from a variety of curries, meat, rice, salads, and sauces. Vegetarians will have good choices. 
• 5 Zuppa, Schwarzspanierstraße 22 (Schwarzspanierstraße), ☏ +43 1 405 85 00, office@zuppa.at. M-F 11:00-16:00. Nice buffet and good choice of soups including some vegan options. Take-away. 

Mid-range

• 6 Lane & Merriman’s, Spitalgasse 3, ☏ +43 660 348 45 88, office@laneandmerrimans.com. M–F 06:30-24:00, Sa Su 08:00-24:00. The Irish pub not only serves Irish food together with a big beer and whiskey choice it also sells bread (Blaa Bread, Treacle Bread) and apples. €8.95. 
• 7 Pizza Riva, Schlickgasse 2 (Ecke Türkenstraße), ☏ +43 1 310 20 88. M-F 11:30-14:30, daily 17:30-23:00. Pizza Napoletana with good flavour. 
• 8 Rebhuhn (Gasthaus in der Berggasse), Berggasse 24 (1, D Schlickgasse), ☏ +43 1 319 50 58, gasthof@rebhuhn.at. Daily 11:00-24:00, July and August only Sa Su 18:00-24:00. A classic Viennese restaurant with daily changing menu with traditional meat food plus a great choice of Knödel. 
• 9 Stomach, Seegasse 26, ☏ +43 1 310 2099. W-Sa 16:00-24:00, Su 10:00-22:00. The restaurant serves contemporary Austrian cuisine, with many Styrian influences. It is highly rated and very popular. Reservations are recommended. 
• 10 Zum roten Bären, Berggasse 39, ☏ +43 1 3176150. M–F 09:00-23:00, Sa 18:00-24:00. The restaurant serves Austrian food classics combined with Slovenian food with great quality cooked by Hans Bodingbauer. It has Černá-Hora beer and interesting white wines per glass sold cheaply. Lunch menu €6.80 vegetarian; €7.60 fish/meat, schnitzel. 

Splurge

• 11 Flein, Boltzmanngasse 2 (Ecke Währingerstraße), ☏ +43 1 319 76 89. M–F 11:30-15:00, 17:30-23:30. On the French ground of the French culture institute this restaurant serves good food. The lunch menu consists of two choices with one being vegetarian. Dogs are not allowed. In the nice season one can enjoy the garden. The wine selection is good and the Austrian beer is from Schrems. lunch €8-10, €8-19. 
• 12 Good Morning Vietnam, Sechsschimmelgasse 16, ☏ +43 1 307 31 61, restaurant@goodmorningvietnam.at. Su–F and holidays 12:00-14:30, 18:00-23:00. Vietnamese authentic restaurant serving refined food. 

Drink

Along the Währinger Strasse there are several cafés. Inside of the "altes AKH" and at the Gürtel most bars are to be found.

Bars

• 1 Charlie P's Pub and Dining Room, Währinger Straße 3, ☏ +43 1 4097923, info@charlieps.at. M–Th 14:00-02:00, F 14:00-03:00, Sa 12:00-03:00, Su 12:00-01:00; different hours during summer. The Irish pub is very popular. It sells of course Irish beer, and fish and chips. It has a wide non-smoking area. 
• 2 Halbestadt, Stadtbahnbogen 155 (Nussdorfer Strasse U6), ☏ +43 1 3194735. M-Th 19:00-02:00, F Sa 19:00-04:00. The cocktail bar fills quickly, hence it is considered wise to reserve places. The cocktails are done with lots of knowledge and excellent alcohols. Consider asking for their specials as they give good advice. The barkeeper participates to international contests. The card designed by the owner and barkeeper Erich Wassicek varies along season. They serve many classics. 
• 3 Stiegl Ambulanz, Altes AKH Hof 1, Alserstraße 4 (Entrance at Spitalgasse 2; U6 Alserstraße), ☏ +43 1 402 11 50, ambulanz@stiegl.at. Daily 10:00-24:00. A good bar run by the Stiegl brewery where you can enjoy their beer, which is one of Austria's best common beers. The bar is popular for students with its modern furnishings and relaxed atmosphere. Try the Paracelsus, which you only get in Stiegl breweries. 
• 4 The Sign, Liechtensteinstraße 104-106 (U6 Nußdorfer Straße), ☏ +43 664 9643276, office@thesignlounge.at. M-Sa 18:00-02:00. This lounge bar serves experimental cocktails by trained keepers. The cocktails are very laboriously mixed. Very friendly service. From the outside the bar is almost not noticeable, but elongates towards the interior. The card offers many creative choices plus one gets ask for interesting local advices by the waiter. Cocktails marked with the asterisk are served in special bowls during the week. 
• 5 Weinstadt, Stadtbahnbogen 154 (Nußdorfer Straße U6), ☏ +43 664 1961200. M-Sa 19:00-01:00. Every Wednesday the wine bar organises a specific wine tasting. One can choose between many Austrian or international wines. 
• 6 Universitats Brauhaus, Alser Straße 4 Hof 1. Charming beer garden in the Altes AKH campus of the University of Vienna. They serve traditional Viennese pub food as well as excellent BBQ ribs. (updated Sep 2017)

Cafés

Café Stein

• 7 Café Stein, Währinger Straße 6-8 (U2 Schottentor), ☏ +43 1 319 72 41. A café that is a popular students' meeting point. It has modern stylish interior. 
• 8 Café Francais, Währinger Straße 6-8 (U2 Schottentor), ☏ +43 1 3190903, salut@cafefrancais.at. M-Sa 09:00-24:00. The brasserie offers a simple French bistro food choice. (updated Oct 2017)
• 9 Café Weimar, Währinger Straße 68, ☏ +43 1 317 12 06, service@cafeweimar.at. Daily 08:00-23:30. A traditional Viennese café where one can listen every day after 19:30 to piano music. (updated Oct 2017)
• 10 Weltcafé, Schwarzspanierstr. 15, ☏ +43 1 405 37 41, office@weltcafe.at. Daily 09:00-01:00. The café serves fairtrade food and café. Free Wi-Fi. 

Sleep

Alsergrund being a residential area that attracts many academics it is usually quiet and a comfortable classy district to stay.

Budget

• 1 Hotel Pension Liechtenstein, Hörlgasse 9 (U2 Schottentor), ☏ +43 1 319 66 75, office@pensionliechtenstein.at. The family establishment is near the centre. 

Mid-range

• 2 Hotel Goldener Baer, Türkenstraße 27 (Metro stations and tram stops nearby), ☏ +43 1 317 51 11, fax: +43 1 317 51 11 22, reservation@goldbearhotel.com. This is a modest hotel. Free Wi-Fi. €56+. 
• 3 Pension Ani Falstaff, Müllnergasse 5, ☏ +43 1 3179127, falstaff@freerooms.at. The family-run bed and breakfast is centrally located. Low season: singles €50-56, doubles €76-78; peak season: singles €62-68, doubles €86-94. 

Splurge

• 4 Hotel & Palais Strudlhof, Pasteurgasse 1, ☏ +43 1319 2522, hotel@strudlhof.at. Next to the famous stairs "Strudlhof". 

Go next

• Innere Stadt is the central town district.
• Josefstadt is an inner district to the west.
• Vienna's Outer West lists the outer western districts.