World City Guide

Sport

Vienna – with its coffee and cakes – does not appear to be a very sporty city and to a certain extent this is true. Most of the sports in which the residents partake are situated outside the city. World-class skiing is available in the Alps, a couple of hours away. There are fantastic opportunities for hiking and mountain biking in the woods to the west of the city – cycling can be dangerous on some of the roads, however, as these are narrow and twisting in the mountains and the Austrians tend to navigate them at speed. There are also good lakes for sailing and other watersports throughout much of the country. Within Vienna itself, however, there are ample bathing spots along the River Danube and the Old Danube (near the UNO-City). The car-free Donauinsel (Danube Island) provides one long cycling and rollerblading track. There is a skating rink, the Wiener Eislaufverein, within a 20-minute walk southeast of the cathedral (just outside the Am Stadtpark). The rink hires skates and is open between late October and early March, although it gets especially crowded at weekends.

In terms of spectator sports, football is most popular, especially since Vienna has two Max Bundesliga (Premier League) teams. Neither team had a particularly good season in 2001/2002, however. SK Rapid Wien (website: www.skrapid.at), whose players have been wearing their green strip for a century, finished eighth in the league. Meanwhile FK Austria Memphis (website: www.fk-austria.at), formerly FK Austria Wien, finished fourth. The teams play at Gerhard Hanappi Stadion, Keisslergasse 6 (tel: (01) 914 5510; website: www.stadthalle.com), and Franz-Horr-Stadion, Fischhofgasse 14 (tel: (01) 688 0150), respectively.

Tickets to sporting events are usually available at the gate, on the day of the match. However, it is better for visiting spectators to reserve tickets through Kartenbüro Flamm, Kärntner Ring 3 (tel: (01) 512 4225) or the Vienna Ticket Service, Borsegasse 1 (tel: (01) 534 1363; fax: (01) 534 1328).

Fitness centres: There are a number of spas in the area surrounding Vienna, including Thermalbad Oberlaa, Kurbadstrasse 14 (tel: (01) 6800 99600; website: www.oberlaa.at), which is located in the Tenth District of the city. It offers two indoor and two outdoor swimming pools, sauna, solarium, massage and a light-and-sound relaxation bath. Prices start at ¬9.60 for two hours. The adjacent Wellness Park Oberlaa offers tennis, squash, badminton and fitness and aerobics facilities. To get there, visitors should take the U1 to Reumannplatz, then tram 67 to its terminal. On the other side of the city, the Sportanlage Marco Polo, Ruthnergasse 170, in the 21st District (tel: (01) 292 3589), offers everything from a six-hole golf course and putting green to tennis, squash, a fitness centre and sauna – most facilities are open 0800–2300. A day membership for fitness costs ¬6, for golf is ¬8 and for tennis ¬15. Transport is by bus 32A or 36A, although first-time visitors may find it easier to take a taxi from Florisdorf station on the S-Bahn and U6 U-Bahn lines.

Golf: Golf courses around Vienna are chronically overbooked and it is difficult to get a round at short notice. The nearest 18-hole golf course is the Wien Golf Club, Freudenau 65A (tel: (0222) 728 9564), where a round of golf costs ¬60 and membership is not required. However it is only possible to book a round during the week (weekends only as a guest of a member); golfers must be a member of another club and have a handicap of 28 of less. There are also a number of courses situated outside the city where it may be possible to book a round on weekdays.

Tennis: Between its three locations, Tennisplätze Arsenal (website: www.aufdraht.at/arsenal) offers 57 outdoor courts and eight indoor courts. The most convenient location for visitors is at Arsenalstrasse 3 (tel: (01) 799 0101), in the Third District (near the Südbahnhof rail station). The cost is ¬10 before 1700 and ¬13 after. The courts are open 0700–2000.