It's a long way to Donau CityWith its high-tech skyscrapers, the new business district of the Austrian capital presents a very contemporary vision of Mitteleuropa. With its high-tech skyscrapers, the Austrian capital's new business district presents a very contemporary vision of Mitteleuropa.
It all started with the aborted 1995 Universal Exhibition, which was finally rejected by popular referendum. On the 18 hectares set aside for the project on the left bank of the Danube, it was decided to build a mixed residential and, above all, office district, structured around three existing elements: a large park, the congress centre and the UN Office. Twenty years later, the developers of Vienna DC - for "Donau City" - have declared the district "two-thirds" complete. But in many ways, Vienna DC was born before the eyes of the world on 26 February this year with the inauguration of the DC Tower, designed by Dominique Perrault. A true icon.
Donau City has significantly altered the balance of the Austrian capital. Of course, the Ring, St Stephen's Cathedral and the Museumsquartier will remain on the right bank of the river. But - and this is something new - there is now life on the other side of the river, in this 'city on the Danube', where nearly 8,500 people live and work every day, and where many of the major players in the Austrian and international economy have already set up shop, including Strabag, Tele2, Seibersdorf, Nike and Sanofi Aventis...
How to get there
Air France offers six daily flights between Paris and Vienna in code-share with Austrian Airlines. (Tel.: 36 54 or +33 (0)892 70 26 54, www.airfrance.fr)
Austrian Airlines also offers daily flights from Lyon (still codeshare with Air France), Nice and Basel-Mulhouse. (Tel.: 0820 816 816, www.aua.com)
The Niki company offers two daily flights between Paris (Roissy Terminal 3) and Vienna airport. (Tel.: 0826 96 73 78 , fyniki.com)
How to get to Donau City 16 minutes from the airport to the city centre: that's the promise (kept) of the City Airport Train (CAT), which departs every half-hour from Flughafen Wien to Wien Mitte station. From Wien Mitte, take the U4 to Schwedenplatz, then the U1 to Kaisermühlen. Cost: €12 one way and €19 return, or €14 combined with an underground ticket and €26.5 combined with a 24-hour public transport ticket. Taxis are another option. The fare to Vienna DC is €35. On the return journey, Austrian and Niki passengers can check in and drop off their luggage at the City Check-in area at the CAT desk at Wien Mitte station. Provided they arrive more than 75 minutes before the flight's departure time.
Hotels
Melia Vienna
February 2014: luxury hotels move to Donau City with the opening of the Melia Vienna on the first - and very last - fifteen floors of the new DC Tower. The hotel is a permanent tribute to the work of Dominique Perrault, with a festival of black basalt and a host of offsets that are the hallmark of the building designed by the architect. But the attractions of the Melia Vienna are not limited to its setting. Bright and spacious, the 253 rooms offer hypnotic views over Vienna and the Danube, enhanced by large picture windows, with a special mention for The Level rooms and the spacious Master suites located between the 13th and 15th floors. In the bedrooms, the technology is in tune with the resolutely contemporary decor: ultra-flat LED televisions, HD multimedia stations, desks with AV connectivity, free Wi-Fi access... The public areas have been just as carefully thought out. The Flow bar/restaurant, in contact with the Donau City slab, offers the most appropriate setting in the district for business meetings. But it is obviously the bar and restaurant on the 57th and 58th floors that offer the most magical views and - incidentally - the best cocktails in Vienna DC... Finally, the Meliá Vienna offers over 1,000 m2 of meeting space.
Donau-City-Straße 7 Tel: +43 1 90104 Email: melia.vienna@melia.com Internet: melia.com
NH Danube City
Business travellers will find a desk as well as a coffee machine in each of the 252 rooms of this hotel located just behind UNO-City. For the best views, it's best to opt for the top 18 floors of this tower. A bonus: free access to Holmes Place, the nearby fitness centre.
Wagramer Straße 21 - Tel: +43 1 260 200 - Email: nhdanubecity@nh-hotels. com - internet: www.nh-hotels.com
Arcotel Kaiserwasser
This four-star superior hotel with 282 rooms has everything to satisfy busy guests with its five business suites, eight meeting rooms and an Executive foor with its own lounge. The UNO restaurant and bar are also highly regarded meeting places.
Wagramer Straße 8 - Tel: +43 1 224 24-0 Email: kaiserwasser@arcotelhotels.com Internet: arcotelhotels.com
Park Inn By Radisson Uno-City
Modern and unpretentious, this 138-room hotel features a number of business suites with kitchenettes. Wi-Fi is available throughout the building and the business corner is open 24 hours a day. Two meeting rooms can accommodate up to 40 delegates.
Wagramer Straße 16-16A Tel: +43 1 260 40 0 - Email: reservation.vienna@rezidorparkinn.com Internet: www.parkinn.com
Restaurants
Let's be clear: there are no plans to publish a Michelin guide dedicated to Donau City, and the only restaurants of any standing are to be found in the hotels. Top of the list: the Flow and above all the 57 the Melia Vienna. Behind them, it's a battle between the Tarragona the NH Danube City and the UNO Arcotel Kaiserwasser. For the rest, we'll stick to the pleasant canteens set up at the foot of the district's main tower blocks. These include Saturn Lounge Lunchgate, in the Saturn Tower, is probably the most chic option for lunch in Donau City outside the hotels. At the foot of the Techgate Tower, Lunchgate serves pasta, salads and a daily menu with a vegetarian option. The Ares Tower is home to the pleasant bistro with Asian accents Vital Lounge. Last option, for a really quick lunch, sandwiches and salads from the bakery Ströckat the bottom of the Strabag building.
Services
A stunning fitness centre has just been opened in the DC Tower. At the John Harris a spa, massage rooms, a splendid infinity pool and, of course, a considerable number of instruments of torture. All this is available to non-members for 38 euros a day.
Donau-City-Straße 7 - Tel: +43 1 263 1 263 - Email: dc-tower@ johnharris.at - Internet: johnharris.at
Another option, Holmes PlaceWagramer Straße 17-19 - Tel: +43 1 263 8989 - Internet: www.holmesplace.at
Costume hire
Kleiderverleih Elite
Neustiftgasse 137. Tel: +43 1 523 53 46
Frack&Co
Himmelpfortgasse 20 Tel: +43 1 512 41 25 Internet: www.frack.co.at
Bicycle hire
Donauinsel Copa Cagrana
Tel: +43 1 263 5242 Internet: www.fahrradverleih.at
Car hire with driver
Austrian Business Cars
Tel: +43 (1) 60 60 737 Internet: abc.or.at
DaLimousine
Tel.: +43 664 230 9701 Internet: dalimousine.com
Easy Motion Limousine
Tel: +43 1 795 10 10 Internet: www.easymotion.at
Translation
Creative TranslationAlserbachstraße
15/Top 1 - Tel: +43 1 586 65 91 Internet: www.creative-translation.at
Business centres
First Business Center Company
Millenium Tower - Tel: +42 1 240 270 Internet: www.fbc.at
Citycenter Fischhof 3
Am Fischhof 3/6 - Tel: +43 1 74040 5885 - Internet: www.fschhof3.at
Business Centre SIG Vienna
Simmeringer Hauptstraße 24 Tel: +43 1 23060 3112 Internet: www.sig.co.at
Vienna Mariahilfer Strasse
Mariahilfer Straße 123 - Tel: +43 1 599 990 - Internet: www.regus.com
Vienna Twin Towers
Wienerbergstraße 11 - Tel: +43 1 994 600 - Internet: www.regus.com
Vienna Parkring
Liebenberggaße 7 - Phone: +43 1 516 330 - Internet: www.regus.com
Hotel residence
Residenz Donaucity - Schiffmühlenstraße 47 - Tel: +43 1 269 8080 Internet: www.residenzdonaucity.at
Economic information
Franco-Austrian Chamber of Commerce
Am Heumarkt 10 - Tel: +43 1 711 47 380 - Internet: www.ccfa.at
UBIFRANCE Office - Austria
Reisnerstraße 50/10 - Tel: +43 1 712 63 57 - Internet: www.ubifrance.fr
Austrian Business Agency,
Opernring 3 - Tel: +43-1-588 58-0 Internet: www.aba.gv.at
Wiener Entwicklungsgesellschaft für den Donauraum AG (Donau City Development Office)
Donau-City-Straße 1 - Tel: +43 1 20 501 12 - 0 - Internet: www.viennadc.at
Bleisure
Vienne Tourist Office
Invalidenstraße 6 - Tel: +43 1 24 555 Internet: www.wien.info
The tourist office has a website and extensive documentation in French. It is the promoter of the Vienna Card, which gives access to public transport and numerous advantages in museums, theatres and restaurants for 48 hours (e18.9) or 72 hours (e21.9).
Austrian National Tourist Office Tel.: 0800 941 921 - Int.: www.abcn.at
Meetings away from the gilt
A meeting in Donau City? It can be done. And quite trendy too. And there are plenty of options. Let's start with the mammoth Austria Centre Vienna, Donau City's pioneer, built in the 1980s under the direction of Johann Staber, and which has since retained the distinction of being Austria's largest conference centre, with its fourteen rooms spread over almost a hectare. But now people are also coming to Donau City in search of the small, exceptional event venue that makes all the difference. The best examples are Wolke 19 and Wolke 21, two spaces opened by Eventwolken on the 19th floor of the Ares tower and the 21st floor of the Saturn tower. These heights already promise exceptional views of the Danube and 'historic' Vienna on the other bank, but that's not the only attraction of these two unusual locations. "In Vienna, we're used to meeting in palaces surrounded by gilt. When we opened in 2005, we were the first to offer a clear contemporary alternative. And it's working, especially with the local techno companies, who find it more coherent to meet in this type of venue when it's a question of showing that they're looking to the future.We've already seen these spaces put to the test by teams from Bayer, Bosch, Porsche, IBM and Ernst&Young," explains Claudia Wieser, who is in charge of marketing these spaces. Not forgetting, of course, the dozens of couples who, over the last ten years, have also opted for a modern setting to celebrate their union...
One airport, one show
Exclusiver Wartebereich Air Berlin/Niki
Niki became a subsidiary of Air Berlin in 2011. So it was only logical that the airline founded by Formula 1 champion Niki Lauda should choose Vienna to unveil its first 'exclusive waiting lounge' outside Germany. Passers-by in terminal 3 are invited to come and have a look at this lounge installed between gates C32 and C33. Because this lounge is really something to behold. Neither hidden upstairs nor exiled to the end of a corridor, it is simply positioned between two aisles, framed by a hedge of glass that does nothing to protect it from the curious gaze of onlookers! This transparent lounge is reserved for full-flex Niki/Air Berlin passengers and VIP members of numerous programmes. In this mini-lounge, which plays nicely with light, passengers are content with the essentials: a leather armchair, a coffee machine, a soda fountain, a departure board and an electrical socket. Ah, yes! A little flower on the little table, though. Apart from that, computers, printers, shower rooms, newspapers and a variety of buffets: forget about anything that - elsewhere - enhances the ordinary.
If you had...
One or two hours
Lovers of urban planning and contemporary architecture will obviously be delighted to be able to continue exploring the district, not forgetting to make a diversion to the astonishing Donaucity-Kirche, consecrated in 1999. For those interested in international diplomacy, a visit to the United Nations Office, just behind the new towers of Vienna DC, is a must. Taking advantage of its position between the two blocs during the Cold War, Vienna has remained one of the UN's main centres, home to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation and the Office for Outer Space Affairs. The guided tour takes you inside this hive of activity, where almost 5,000 people from all over the world work every day. Tours at 11am and 2pm Monday to Friday (with an extra tour at 12.30pm in summer). Information: +43 1 26060 3328. There are also several points of interest around the district. On the banks of the Danube, the Copa Cagrana leisure complex offers a succession of restaurants in the style of Austria's favourite sun destinations (Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Thailand). A few decametres further on, the Donauinsel, a 21-kilometre-long strip of land, offers a wide range of leisure facilities (cycling, rollerblading, canoeing, etc.). Another 'nature' attraction is the Donaupark, a vast 60-hectare green space created in the 1960s. Its main attraction is the Donauturm, a 252-metre-high vertical structure from which you can enjoy an exceptional view.
One afternoon
Make way for the Viennese postcard, the Ring and its icons: the Hofburg Palace, the State Opera, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Houses of Parliament and, a little further north, the majestic St Stephen's Cathedral. As an alternative, the Museumsquartier, a huge complex dedicated to modern art opened in 2001, is a must-see. Highlights include the MUMOK (Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation Vienna), the Leopold Museum and the Kunsthalle Wien.
The star towers of Vienna DC
