Kosher Guide to Vienna

Austria is in the Schengen Area. Visitors from outside the EU need a passport valid for their stay and should check the entry rules for their nationality before travelling. Carry photo ID when visiting synagogues, as security staff may ask for it.

The City Airport Train runs non-stop from Vienna International Airport to Wien Mitte in about 21 minutes; from there the U4 to Schwedenplatz puts you on the canal at the edge of Leopoldstadt. The S7 S-Bahn also runs from the airport into the city, and a taxi to Leopoldstadt takes about 20 to 30 minutes outside rush hour.

No. Leopoldstadt and the 1st district are compact and walkable, and the U-Bahn, trams and buses cover the rest of the city. Parking in central Vienna is limited and paid.

Most of Vienna's kosher restaurants are in Leopoldstadt, on and around Taborstraße, with meat restaurants such as Bahur Tov, Mea Shearim and Simchas, dairy spots such as Novellino, Rustico and VeAhavta, and Bäckerei Ohel for baked goods. In the 1st district, Alef Alef is next to the Stadttempel and Lox & Truffles is near Judenplatz. This guide lists 18 restaurants, bakeries and delis.

Komitee Kosher Wien, under Chief Rabbi Avraham Yona Schwartz, certifies several restaurants and shops, including Alef Alef, Novellino, Milano Café & Gelato and the Hager butcher, and publishes a kosher product list for supermarket goods. Other restaurants and shops are supervised by individual community rabbis.

Shefa Markt on Heinestraße and LaMehadrin on Taborstraße are full kosher supermarkets, and Koscher Minimarkt on Hollandstraße is a smaller shop. Kosher Fleisch Hager on Große Stadtgutgasse is a kosher butcher, and Bäckerei Ohel bakes challah and bread. Most close at 2:00 PM on Friday or earlier.

Yes. Vienna has 1 eruv, the Vienna Eruv (Wiener Eruv), which covers the central districts including Leopoldstadt and the Innere Stadt. Its status is posted each week before Shabbos, so check it before carrying.

The Chabad House on Taborstraße hosts communal Shabbos meals for visitors, booked through its online registration form. Alef Alef and Mea Shearim Fine Dining serve Friday-night dinner and Shabbos lunch by advance reservation, paid before Shabbos. Restaurants are otherwise closed from Friday afternoon, and several reopen on Saturday night.

Leopoldstadt, near Taborstraße, puts you within walking distance of the Chabad House, many shuls and most kosher food. The Vayalen Boutique Hotel on Taborstraße is a kosher hotel, and hotels in the 1st district are close to the Stadttempel.

Yes. The Agudas Israel mikvah at Tempelgasse 3 (entrance Czerningasse 4) is open by appointment, the Machsike Hadass mikvah is at Fleischmarkt 20–22 in the 1st district, and the Bet Halevi centre on Rabbiner-Schneerson-Platz has a men's mikvah.

Kosher restaurants and shops close for Shabbos. Meals are available only by advance reservation at the Chabad House, Alef Alef and Mea Shearim Fine Dining. On Saturday night, Rustico, Pizza Prego and Shawarma & Co. reopen after Shabbos.

This guide lists 18 Orthodox shuls and minyanim, from the historic Stadttempel in the 1st district to the Chabad House and the Ashkenazi, Chassidic, Bukharian, Georgian and Caucasian shuls of Leopoldstadt, plus Chabad congregations in the 9th, 19th and 20th districts. Some shuls ask new visitors to contact them before coming.

Vienna has 5 Chabad centres in this guide: the main Chabad House on Taborstraße in Leopoldstadt, Habait for Israelis in the 9th district, the JRCV centre for Russian-speaking Jews in the 1st district, Ohel Avraham in Döbling and the Bet Halevi Bukharian centre in the 20th district.

May, June, September and October bring mild weather for walking. Winter Shabbos begins as early as about 4:00 PM, and summer Shabbos ends late at night.