Jan Pöltner

  • Founder
  • Businessman
  • Gummi bear addict

Jan is the founder of ‘1000 things to do in Vienna’, ‘1000 things to do in Austria’ and ‘lifethings’. He is a charismatic businessman on the one hand and an easygoing bon vivant on the other.

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My 24 Hours in Vienna

The first thing I should mention is that me and my team introduce you to various spots and cool locations and events in Vienna (and all of Austria!) on a daily basis, over on our website www.1000things.at—besides my personal tips, you should definitely check this out as well!

But for now, welcome to a day in my life.

I love to start my day in the heart of the district Josefstadt, at the Café der Provinz. Crêpes, coffee, omelettes—everything is great. Especially the brunch on offer during the weekends is what brings me here quite often. When it’s warm outside, they open their little garden, which is situated in a very quiet side street and has a wonderful view of the Piaristenkirche. The café’s interior is nice and cosy, too.

Afterwards I feel like taking a little walk and, as I’m already in one of the most beautiful parts of town, I just start wandering towards the city hall, taking a few hipsteresque pictures along the way.

From the city hall I walk to the MuseumsQuartier, where I often meet with friends. This is the thing to do in summer, by the way—meet up here, in the yard of the MQ (as we call it), and have a few beers. If you forget to bring beer, no worries: there is always a guy who walks around and sells beer for €2,- and most of the time it’s still cold.

But right now is not really the time of day to have a few beers, I decide to check out one of the various exhibitions of the MQ. Or I go up the stairs to the left-hand side of the MuMok (the big grey cube) and take some pictures of the MQ from a little lug up there. I like to look for new perspectives on things and— I mean come on!—everybody has pictures from down in the courtyard…!

Right next door is one of my favourite restaurants to having dinner at, Glacis Beisl. There’s such a wealth of foliage here, it’s so green, that it’s hard to believe you’re actually in a big city.

I keep on strolling and end up in the 7th district, called Neubau, a.k.a home of the hipsters. This is such a fast-moving area, literally every day a new café, second-hand shop (very recommendable: Burggasse 24), hairdresser or restaurants opens up here. Just go with the flow!

Now I’m walking through the magnificent Spittelberg area, where I always feel like I’ve got lost and magically ended up somewhere in Italy. In the lower part of Spittelberg, you will find one of the best restaurants in Vienna: the Erich only opened its doors recently, in spring 2016, but it has already become a favourite of mine. It has a lovely ‘Schanigarten’ (Viennese for ‘outdoor sitting area’), and the menu is small but excellent…quite excellent! During wintertime, you should definitely book a table in advance, because there’s not a whole lot of room inside.

Right now, however, I have the ice cream  shop Veganista in my sights, which is just next door to Erich. They sell heavenly (you guessed it) vegan ice cream. They only opened up two years ago, but they already have numerous branches in Vienna and have even made it to the USA. So don’t be surprised if the queue extends all the way outside to the street—you should definitely still get in line though, you don’t want to miss this! Vegan types of ice cream like ‘Germknödel’ (yeast dumpling filled with plum sauce), matcha, blueberry-lavender or ‘Marillenknödel’ (apricot dumpling) will be your reward for waiting, and trust me, it’s worth the wait!

With an ice cream cone in my hands and a smile on my face I carry on walking until I get to the café Liebling. Sadly, this isn’t such a hidden spot anymore, but it’s still a cool café. I sit down, order a Club Mate or a Fritz Kola and read the newspaper or a book. It’s also a good spot to get some work done.

Since I’m actually always hungry, I already think about what to do for dinner. And so, after I’ve finished my reading workload for the day and got a good caffeine buzz going at the Liebling, I’m on my way to the restaurant 1500 Foodmakers, downstairs at the 25hrs Hotel. Everything here is mouthwatering, but a particular favourite of mine is the pizza with fresh goats’ cheese, leek, garlic, and bacon. And even if you’re not planning on having dinner here, the 25hrs Hotel is worth checking out for its awesome, creative interior design alone.

Once you’re done with dinner, take the lift to the hotel’s rooftop. Here you’ll find the Dachboden, one of the coolest bars in Vienna, boasting a superbly stylish interior and a spectacular view over the entire city. You wouldn’t believe that this used to be a dorm once. From time to time, I sell my fashion label ‘lifethings’ here in a sort of ‘rooftop pop-up store’, which I share with other designers. Maybe we’ll happen to be there when you come visiting. In general though, the Dachboden gets really crowded in the evening (it opens at 3pm), so you’d better come early if you want to get good seats and enjoy drinks, the view and perhaps some new ‘lifethings’. Booking in advance isn’t possible.

After taking the obligatory selfies with Vienna in the background, I start making plans for the night out in the city. I’m a great fan of the ‘Heurigen’ of Vienna. Wikipedia describes a Heurigen as ‘a place where wine is served’, but of course it is so much more. If you’re still hungry, you can have typical Austrian comfort food in one of these. It’s always delicious and only adds to the authenticity of your experience of Viennese lifestyle. Most of the time, you arrange your menu yourself and pay according to its weight. And you drink lots and lots of wine! To be honest, it’s an essential experience—if you haven’t been to a Heurigen, you haven’t really been to Vienna. Many of them can be found on the city’s outskirts, like in Nußdorf, or higher up at the hill Kahlenberg (amazing view of Vienna included). If you haven’t planned anything yet for the next day, join a ‘Heurigenexpress’ tour, where they drive you from one location to the next. Great fun (but be prepared for a little hangover tomorrow…)!

Tonight, I’m staying in the city centre though. First stop is the Heurigen Zum Gschupftn Ferdl, which is located in a beautiful rear courtyard. This place has been the starting point for many unforgettable nights out already, with lots of wine and schnaps. Afterwards it’s off to the club Titanic, especially when the event On Fleek is taking place; this is just a really fun venue all-round. Alternatives are: Pratersauna (used to be better, but still a good club), Volksgarten (a little fancier and more expensive), Celeste (check out the lineup beforehand) or Grelle Forelle (for techno fans).

But no matter where you end up, stumbling out of the club in the early morning hours should lead you to the next ‘Wiener Würstelstandl’ straight away (booth selling sausage and beer). Order a ‘Eitrige und a Sechzehnerblech’ and enjoy a cheese kransky and canned beer. A classic thing to do! Two of my favourite booths are Bitzinger and Würstel Leo.

And now, done for the night, and pretty much ready to go to sleep. If you’re still up for an afterhour session, check out Sass, Das Werk or Puff, die Bar (‘Puff’ means brothel in German, but it’s really just the name of the bar).

Have fun!

 

To find out about the best hotels in Vienna have a look here.

Locations



Café der ProvinzMaria-Treu-Gasse 1-3, 1080 Wien, Österreich

A french café with a really nice garden area to sit in during summer. Their brunch buffet on the weekend is a winner!
MuseumsQuartierMuseumsplatz 1, 1070 Wien, Österreich

This is the place to be—not only during summer, because in the winter you can go and visit all the great exhibitions.
Glacis BeislBreite G. 4, Wien, Österreich

When you sit here in the summer, you feel as though you’re outside the city although you’re right in the centre of it, because it’s just that green.
Burggasse 24Burggasse 24, Wien, Österreich

This is where the cool kids shop their latest outfits.
ErichNeustiftgasse 27, Wien, Österreich

They’ve got such a splendid outdoor area and a delicious menu. This is one of my favourite restaurants, to be for sure!
VeganistaNeustiftgasse 23, Wien, Österreich

All vegan, all delicious. It’s a good thing the queue so long whenever I come here—gives me time to choose what flavour ice cream I’ll get.
LieblingZollergasse 6, Wien, Österreich

This café is a real all-rounder: meet your tinder date, have coffee or drinks with friends or just sit down and work.
1500 Foodmakers / DachbodenMuseumstraße 9, Wien, Österreich

Before I go up to the rooftop bar Dachboden, I love to have on one of their damn fine pizzas. From the rooftop bar Dachboden you have have one of the best views over the city. The interior is also a highlight.
Zum Gschupftn FerdlWindmühlgasse 20, Wien, Österreich

This is the best Heurigen in the city. Their food is very good and the staff is great with customers.
Club TitanicTheobaldgasse 11, Wien, Österreich

This cool underground club has been an institution in Vienna for more than 30 years now.
PratersaunaWaldsteingartenstraße 135, Wien, Österreich

A kick-ass venue in summer!
VolksgartenBurgring, Wien, Österreich

This is the café society in Vienna: long queues and expensive. Still, from time to time they throw really good parties!
CelesteHamburgerstraße 18, Wien, Österreich

The entry fee is dirt cheap and the crowd’s always great, but the music might not always be to your liking, so check the event schedule beforehand.
Grelle ForelleSpittelauer Lände 12, Wien, Österreich

This is Vienna’s techno and electro hot spot! Great location, right next to the canal, with a large outdoor area. They renovated recently, so it’s better than ever!
BitzingerAugustinerstraße 1, Wien, Österreich

One of my favourite booths selling sausage and beer. It’s a little pricey, though.
Würstelstand LeoDöblinger Gürtel 2, Wien, Österreich

A typical booth selling sausage and beer, it's ‘ur-wienerisch’ (very typical for Vienna). From the outside it looks rather modest, but it’s definitely a good choice for a midnight or early morning snack.
NußdorfNußdorf, Wien, Österreich

Many wonderful Heurigen are located here.
KahlenbergKahlenberg, Wien, Österreich

Also a few beautiful Heurigen around here. Furthermore, you’ve got a great view of Vienna up on the hill.
SassKarlsplatz 1, Wien, Österreich

A club with a modern design: dark finishes accentuated with shining lustres and golden elements here and there. Chic but still very cool.
Das WerkU-Bahn Bogen 332, 1090 Wien, Österreich

Das Werk is close to the club Grelle Forelle, and is a perfect afterhour location. Also a concert venue, movie theater, exhibition space and club rolled into one.
Puff, die BarGirardigasse 10, Wien, Österreich

Not a brothel, even if the name would have you think otherwise. I like to come here for very-late-night-early-morning drinks.
‘I love that you can go from one hot spot to the next in no time at all.’
  • A favourite Heurigen of mine: Zum Gschupftn Ferdl. © Mark Gassner
  • Zum Gschupftn Ferdl serves great food and wine. And don’t forget the Schnaps! © Mark Gassner
  • I love to have dinner at Glacis Beisl. © Glacis Beisl
  • The restaurant 1500 foodmakers is perfect for having a fun dinner with a big group of friends. © Stephan Lemke
  • Take the lift all the way up and have drinks at the hip rooftop bar Dachboden! © Stephan Lemke
  • Dance all night long at the stylish club Sass. © Sass
  • Not only is the food outstanding at the restaurant 1500 foodmakers, the interior design is very unique as well. © Stephan Lemke
  • Don’t forget to treat yourself to a delicious scoop of vegan ice cream from Veganista! © Veganista
  • Enjoy warm summer nights of the patio of the Heurigen Zum Gschupftn Ferdl. The place to be! © Mark Gassner
  • Special rec: have a pizza at the restaurant 1500 foodmakers. It literally changed my life. © Stephan Lemke
  • The club Sass is made for night owls! © Sass
  • Drinks on the rooftop terrace of the bar Dachboden is the perfect recipe for a great night out! © Stephan Lemke
  • It’s all about bass and beats at Sass! © Sass

My thoughts about Vienna

What do you love about your destination?

Even though Vienna is a big city, sometimes it still feels like a village. I love that you can go from one hot spot to the next in no time at all: within 30 minutes I can be at the riverside of the Danube, having a swim, or inside the wilderness of the forest Wienerwald, or having a cup of coffee in the city centre. In my opinion, this is quite unique!

Which music fits best to your destination?

Morning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWq0EVj3pVA

Afternoon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qByHiwXiBBg

Evening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMrH_UdPrY8

What‘s a "must do" in your destination?

Having a spritzer or beer at the Museumsquartier or next to the canal of the Danube during summertime. Also, look out for events like Spontan Techno—huge open air parties, organised and announced spontaneously (via Facebook). And it’s free!

Good times at the restaurant 1500 foodmakers in Vienna. © Stephan Lemke

Take a vacation into My life

What’s your background?

I’m actually a real hillbilly. I’m from Upper Austria, more specifically the ‘Salzkammergut’, which is an area about 45 minutes away from Salzburg. For those who don’t know Salzburg: just watch ‘The Sound of Music’. 😉
I moved to Vienna to study, about five years ago. These days, Vienna is the centre of my life in regards to love, work and friends.

What is the best moment of the day?

In the morning, when I’m sitting on the rooftop terrace of our office, having a ‘Wiener Melange’ (typical Viennese coffee), thinking about which hot spots of Vienna I’m going to present to our community today.

What inspires you?

All the start-ups we share our office with. We’re all the same age and we all work in the field of media in one way or another. We motivate and inspire each other a lot!

How would a good friend describe you?

Reliable and a doer who knows what he wants in life!

Your lifestyle in 5 words?

Creative, start-up, coffee, beer, late riser.

Which books, newspapers or magazines do you read?

Since I studied journalism, I’ve been following the media very closely, online and off. It starts with newspapers on a daily basis and ends with specific marketing / social media blogs. On the weekends, reading ‘Die Zeit’ is a regular ritual, and I love turning those big pages. Because I tend to read newspapers and magazines, reading books unfortunately falls by the wayside; but if I do read a book, it’ll probably be a crime or fantasy novel.

Which films blow your mind?

Currently, it is the Danish series ‘Borgen’ and the German movie ‘Victoria’.

Person you’d like to sit next to in an airplane?

I’m so tall, I think it’s best if nobody sat next to me.

Your life philosophy?

Swaghetti Yolonese.

Suitcase, Backpack or Weekender?

What a question. Take your backpack and let’s go!

What else should we know about you?

Never hand me a bag of gummi bears, you won’t be able to talk to me for the next half hour. Because then it’ll be only the gummi bears and me! Yum!

Travelling is…

the best thing to do in life!

Life is…

worth living since 1992.

Hero Image © goodlifecrew

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