Vienna. Viennese delicacies in a horse-drawn carriage

The Riding Dinner combines a sightseeing tour in a horse-drawn carriage with the culinary delights of Viennese cuisine.

  

Experiencing Vienna with all the senses is the motto of the Riding Dinner. On a sightseeing tour in a horse-drawn carriage through the 1st district, the guests enjoy selected culinary treats. At fixed stops along the way, food and drinks from partner establishments are served directly in the horse-drawn carriage, which has been specially equipped with a table for this purpose. As soon as it gets colder, a winter-proof horse-drawn carriage is used.

Culinary sightseeing

Depending on the duration and package, there’s space for up to four people in the horse-drawn carriage. The culinary offering ranges from the legendary bread rolls from the Schwarzes Kamel, a traditional Viennese restaurant, to Wiener schnitzel from Bitzinger’s Augustinerkeller, to an Old Viennese apple strudel from Café Landtmann. In addition to the standard tours, such as the 90-minute Culinary Sightseeing tour and the 40-minute Sparkling Sightseeing tour, customised packages are also possible. The Riding Schnitzel tour starts every Saturday at 2.00 pm and includes a Wiener schnitzel from the restaurant Meissl & Schadn. In the run-up to Christmas, there's an Advent package with punch, Christmas bakeries and topped rolls.

  

Viennese wine & Heurige

  

Vienna is the only metropolis that grows enough wine within its city limits to make it worth mentioning. 700 hectares of Viennese vineyards leave their mark on the cityscape and its culture of pleasure. Wine growing has a long tradition in Vienna. White wines are grown in 80 percent of the vineyards, with the Wiener Gemischter Satz being a specialty. Nowadays, Vienna presents itself as a city with a lively wine scene. Viennese wine is enjoyed in the city's many bars and restaurants or on the edge of town in wine taverns that offer wine from their own vineyards and buffet tables piled high with home-made delicacies.

The Viennese Heurige

They are as famous as the Giant Ferris Wheel, Schönbrunn Palace, the Vienna Boys Choir or the Lipizzaner.

The real Viennese “heurige” or wine taverns. Numerous songs have been dedicated to them; they have served as a backdrop for many films. However, in the legendary comfortable atmosphere, they primarily offer the Viennese and their guests entertainment, fine Viennese wines and the fitting culinary accompaniment. A place in which to feel good, in which everyone is warmly welcome. The real Viennese heurige, in which only Viennese wines are served, are identified by a bunch of pine branches and by the word “Ausg’steckt” written on a board, which simultaneously shows when the tavern is open.

However, the word “heurige” does not just describe the tavern itself, but also the wine from the current vintage, which – in accordance with tradition - may be so-called until 11 November (St Martin’s Day). Alongside the pleasant wine by the glass, the Viennese heurige also offer their guests fine wines sold in “bouteillen” (0.75 litre bottles), reflecting the richness of the variety and the special Viennese climate, and corresponding glass and tableware. And sometimes, with a little luck, “live music” can even be heard in the secluded gardens or homely parlours...