Bar areas in Vienna for student nightlife and pubcrawling

Bar areas in Vienna: why the city works for students

If you’re wondering about the student nightlife in Vienna, here is everything you should know about. So you’re here on Erasmus or you actually live here or you’re just on the summer vacation. In any case, you have to know Vienna doesn’t work as a touristic capital, it is an actual university city. So that means there’s a huge young crowd in town. You can find international students from all over the world all year long. And that means that this crowd creates the demand of cheaper bars, well-connected zones to the party scene.

Main nightlife neighborhoods and bar zones in Vienna

Party is definitely not concentrated in just one place in Vienna. You can find tons of different neighborhoods to have a blast with different thematics. Gürtel, Donaukanal, Neubau, Mariahilf, Alsergrund, and Karlsplatz are just a few of the most important names. Let’s talk about all these neighborhoods.

Gürtel: a less touristy pubcrawl area in Vienna

Let’s talk about the first one, Gürtel. There are a lot of perks to hit this zone. These are the bars that are under the arcs of the metro, so getting there is pretty easy. This is a new party icon because it’s less touristy. It’s away from the center and it’s full of amazing names like Chelsea or B72 or The Loft, among other great places to have fun.

Metro connections and cheap nights out in Vienna

Something to take in consideration is that the metro is not just a logistical advantage to get to some places. It actually reduces costs of spending taxis or a longer way coming back home. And on the weekends, it’s a non-stop schedule. It is true that this Austrian, this European capital, it’s not exactly a city that never sleeps, but that being said, you can find parties any day of the week.

Donaukanal: summer bar areas in Vienna

Talking about summer, the first place to check out would be Donaukanal. It is packed with things to do. There’s a Harris Wheel, there’s summer terraces and bars just close to the canal. You can find people dancing Latin rhythms right in the street with speakers. And people go there to start the night. You can find a crowd of students, definitely, but also travelers, backpackers, even after work workers.

Pubcrawling, bar hopping and student pre-drinking

For the students, joining a pub crawl is a 10 out of 10 choice. The ambience is just right for it and the distribution of the bars is ideal for bar hopping. Flex is one of the names that is pretty relevant in this zone, so you should check it out if you’re into electronic music. A typical night out for students in Vienna is hitting a cheap bar in a normal neighborhood and having some beers, spritzers, or shots at prices that are not that high, and then hitting a big club.

Neubau, Mariahilf and Alsergrund nightlife areas

Other names that you should remember are Neubau and Mariahilf. They are more for a nice afternoon, even a nice date, to go to a charming cafe or walk around these little streets with small bars. Alsergrund is an important zone for students. It’s right close to Vienna University and it’s where people go after class.

Irish pubs and late-night student rituals in Vienna

Irish pubs are also something that students normally choose because of football, quiz nights, karaoke, simple food, or just looking for a conversation in English, that helps a lot to get the groups mixed quickly. And after the party, we recommend you 100% to go to something that is a very core part of Vienna: get a sausage in a late night wurstelstand. Almost every student ends up here at one point of the night and people get to talk, chat and make new friends in these spots!