Journal · New in town
New to Vienna? How to build a social life as a woman
Maybe it was a post at the UN, an embassy or an international company that brought you to Vienna. The flat is furnished, work has started – and then come the evenings and weekends. A new city is exciting, but a circle of friends doesn’t grow overnight. Almost everyone who moves feels this. Here are a few approaches that work.
Adopt a coffee house
Vienna’s coffee-house culture is unique, and it’s made for newcomers. Go to the same café regularly and you’ll soon be recognised – by the waiter, by other regulars. With a newspaper and a melange, you’re never quite alone, even when you are.
Buy a subscription, not single tickets
Whether at the Konzerthaus, the Musikverein or the theatre: with a subscription you sit next to the same people again and again. A nod at the interval becomes a conversation, and a conversation sometimes becomes a friendship.
Classes, clubs and networks
- Take a class – German lessons, or a waltz course before the ball season, which brings people together instantly.
- Exercise in company, such as running groups in the Prater or hiking meet-ups in the Vienna Woods.
- Join international networks such as InterNations or the many expat groups in Vienna.
Patience – and a bridge for the first months
Friendships take time, and that’s fine. To make sure the first months aren’t lonely, there’s a discreet bridge: a companion who shows you the city and joins you at receptions and events while your own circle grows. That’s what der Freizeitmann offers – purely social, in English or German. More on the page Companion in Vienna.
Welcome to Vienna – you don’t have to discover it alone.
