Since everything is closed on Sunday, except for eating establishments and museums, going out to enjoy the green parts of Vienna is ideal. Yesterday my husband and I went for a walk at the Lainzer Tiergarten.

Lainzer Tiergarten means zoo, but there are no cages here. The animals that are natural and wild to the Vienna woods are free to roam here in the over 6 acres of land that is reserved for the Lainzer Tiergarten. Can you image! In a major city over 6 acres of land is reserved for wild life and nature. It’s really incredible.

The clean, easy paths that you can follow really take you deep into the woods. You see only forest, creeks, and the wild chirping of all kinds of birds and crickets. It was perfect for a city girl like me. God knows that I do not own a pair of tennis shoes, let alone hiking boots. My little ballerinas were just fine for this walk. I got to enjoy nature while still keeping my shoes clean! Now that’s practical.

Different paths take you different places, but the one we took was a little over an hour walk in one direction to get to a restaurant. There we could rest ourselves, have a snack and a drink, and then continue back to where we came from.

This was a really relaxing Sunday for us. We got out of the apartment, drove for 10 minutes to get out into the wild nature. It was hard to believe that we were technically still in a city. I would definitely recommend the Lainzer Tiergarten for a wonderful Sunday stroll. If you are interested, they offer a number of tours as well.

Map of Lainzer Tiergarten

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See the Mimosa plant in action here:
Mimosa Plant on YouTube

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(Above image is an aerial view of Vienna. Note how much green there is to see.)

When visiting a Viennese you’ll usually end up at an apartment. Think of it like New York City. No one has a house in the city. Same holds true for the citizens of Vienna. Living in an apartment however, doesn’t stop the Viennese from getting some greenery. Most apartment complexes are designed in a square format, with the center being devoid of building. The center space of the complex is left open to a small park with grass, large trees, and sometimes flowers.

Once outside of their own apartment, the Viennese can take advantage of the many parks and gardens that the city maintains. Entrance into all parks and gardens is free. People take advantage of the opportunity with a variety of activities like sunbathing, leisurely walks, casually playing soccer with friends, jogging, picnicking and more.

(Above image is one of the famous gardens in Vienna, the Belvedere.)

If the green opportunities aren’t enough, Viennese can purchase a piece of garden. These gardens are called schrebergartens. Sometimes they are in Vienna, sometimes they are just outside of the city limits. Weekends are dedicated to tending flowers, fruit trees, a vegetable garden, or whatever the owner wants. Often friends are invited over to the schrebergarten to enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee or glass of wine.

(Above image is a typical schrebergarten.)

As a native to Los Angeles, I have an unending appreciation for the greenery of Vienna. Real estate being what it is in L.A., nature doesn’t get much of a chance, making it a concrete city. I sometimes have a hard time believing that the Viennese willingly give up precious spots of real estate for parks, gardens, and even bits of wood. Clearly though, they wouldn’t have it any other way. I admire the Viennese for it. They would rather live tightly together where buildings are allowed to be, and keep whatever they can open to nature. In fact, where I currently live, there are schrebergartens right next door to my building. I love it!

During the daily routine of my life I run errands around the city. I usually find myself stopping for a moment to admire a tree lined street, or a park. It’s one of the loveliest aspects of Vienna.

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