I’m a project manager for a software company and do a fair amount of traveling. I learned today that I will be visiting “Sunny Vienna :)” for about one week in the middle of August this year. I will be working the majority of the time, and any after work activities, etc., will be with my Vienna colleagues. As such, I’m not really looking for tourism suggestions per se, but moreso tips about local culture; how to interact with people and whatnot. Also, If anyone has any ideas on tips for small talk with the Austrians, that would be greatly appreciated. I’ve been working with German Germans, Swiss Germans, and Austrian Germans for about five years now, and still can’t seem to break that cultural barrier with them (I am in the USA, born and raised, currently living in Long Island).
As a very broad generalization, the Swiss are usually pretty standoffish to just about anyone not from Switzerland, (and often also to each other, as it is a very “regionally divided” country) and many Germans are also pretty reserved, at least compared to other nationalities, but the Austrians are seemingly a bit more open and outgoing, so this may be a good chance for you to meet some co-workers who are a bit friendlier than some of the others you have been working with.
For what it’s worth, Vienna is a lovely city, with good food and drink in abundance…
Thanks for the bit of encouragement! In my experience, I have also felt the Swiss are the “toughest nuts to crack”.
As for the good food, I’m a huge Regional Food Lover, if there is such a thing. Do you have any suggestions for the tastiest Austrian go-to dish I should try while there?
Coffee. Coffee coffee coffee. Awesome, awesome coffee every single day.
That, in a nutshell, is what Vienna is all about. 
After my first visit to Austria, I began to jokingly refer to Austrians as “Germans, but with a sense of humor”.
Since then I have also met Germans from all over the country. FWIW, in terms of generalizations, southern Germans seem to be somewhat like southern Americans, a bit more friendly to strangers (with some unfortunate historical exceptions). Also, my understanding is that Vienna is to Austria as NYC is to the United States, so that Austrian trait of being more open may not work as well in Vienna. If you can speak a little bit of German it might help to open things up with your Germanic colleagues, but really it’s best just to have low expectations and maybe you’ll find a couple that will surprise you. It also helps to hang out at pubs and take advantage of alcohol as a social lubricant.
“Wien” is “Vienna” in German, so “Wienerschnitzel” (Vienna cutlets from pork) are definitely something not to be missed. Also pork knuckles which are called “Schweinshaxe” (if you can stand the fat) are a delicacy. (To me, anyway). “Bratkartoffel” (fried or sauteed potatoes) are a great side dish.
Wash it all down with a Brauhaus Nussdorf (beer) and you’ve had a great meal.
Quasi
Really? That’s very good to know. My last couple trips outside the states were to Sao Paulo, and turned me a bit of a coffee snob. Looking forward to try the Austrian variety :).
Also good to know. I know a very small bit of German (can count to A Gazillion, can greet people, and can haggle over the price of a hotel room for the night in such broken German that they think I’m cute for trying and give me a reduced rate). Do you have any suggestions of funny self-deprecating phrases I could possibly use as icebreakers?
And I definitely plan to take advantage of the social lubricants
Yeah. If your room’s too chilly for you, go down to reception and tell them you’re cold. The translation for that is, “Ich bin kalt”.
Quasi
Oh - I am so envious! Vienna is one of my very favorite cities. I haven’t spent a lot of time there, but it’s one of the cities I’d love to go back to and spend a significant amount of time in.
Have some pastries with that coffee (Apfelstrudel, Sachertorte, all kinds of lesser-known options). Here’s a nice intro to Austrian coffee. They have their own names for various coffee variations, although it sounds like they’re using international names for coffee drinks more often.
As for specific foods, I’d rely on your colleagues to introduce you to what they think are the best Viennese/Austrian specialties. Wikipedia has a nice article if you want a general introduction to Austrian cuisine, but I’ll bet there are all kinds of yummy items that are more obscure. Relying on colleagues to help you explore the food scene might be a good way to get to know people better; unless you have a lot of diet restrictions, food can be an inoffensive topic that most are happy to talk about.
Let us know how your week goes!
A small quibble: a Wiener Schnitzel is a breaded veal cutlet. You are thinking of Schnitzel Wiener Art, the pork version.
[fawlty]Don’t mention the war![/fawlty]
You said you weren’t particularly looking for tourist attractions, but I have to say that the Technisches Museum Wien is probably the most impressive science/technology museum I’ve ever seen, and it’s been my business for the last 27 years or so to visit such places. If you have any interest in such things, you should definitely plan to spend a day there.
(The only problem is that it isn’t air conditioned.)
Thanks for the great advice, everyone!
**Quasi **- I lol-ed
gardentraveler - Thank you for the links, I will check them out. And very true that it is a good topic of conversation, I never thought of it that way.
commasense - I’m not sure if I will have time for the museum, as I will be working during business hours, but if I end up staying for a weekend, I just might have to check that out!
I did not care for Austria when we visited in 2009. Though Vienna was the better city that we visited. I am pro-Vienna pastries. I think our most favorite thing was stopping by a pastry shop and having a slice of cake. So many cakes to choose from.
By the way, despite the screen name, I would not necessarily recommend the sachertorte. There are other much better cakes to try! Maybe on our last trip we were simply unlucky, but the sachertorte I ordered was dry and disappointing.
Ah yes, the possibilities are endless! Ask a waiter at a nice, traditional Viennese Kaffeehaus to explain the entire coffee menu out loud, and you’ll be there all day!
They can be quite particular about it, however (“this is not 'Nam, there are rules”). For example, a friend of mine tried ordering a certain type of coffee – can’t remember which – “with maybe a small glass of milk on the side.” The waiter gave her a puzzled, skeptical look, allowed for a couple of seconds of silence (either for effect or to regain composure after the shock of hearing such a plainly barbaric request), and then calmly but sternly explained that the particular type of coffee my friend had ordered simply does not come with a small glass of milk on the side.
Another friend tried ordering a coffee “to go” in a particularly posh spot, and, well… Let’s just say that went even worse. 
Nothing against the Austrians, though – they’re a lovely bunch, their particular accent of German is just wonderful, and Vienna itself is beautiful. If your schedule allows for a visit to the surrounding mountains, too, then by all means go go go.
Lived in Germany, taught in Switzerland, went to Vienna a couple of times.
I liken the Berliners to New Yorkers - very much in your face, but blunt and easier to get to know than the somewhat phoney friendliness of a Bavarian in Munich - they are sort of the rednecks of Germany and will whisper behind your back and are more conservative in every respect. The rest of Germany makes fun of the hick, narrow-mindedness of Bavarians. Of course there are exceptions, but for the most part - Northern Germans are more cosmopolitan and liberal than their Southern German counterparts.
Swiss are indeed a bit stand-offish, even amongst themselves. The good news is that once you make friends with someone from Switzerland, it is for life - but they don’t easily jump into friendships. Best bet to break the ice with Swiss is to talk about Switzerland and the Swiss, and let them show you around and teach you about their culture and traditions. They do like talking about themselves, so if you at least feign interest, they will open up and talk. Switzerland feels they are alone, by choice, in Europe and the world - you won’t see them giving up those Swiss Francs in our lifetime - and this carries through in their mentality. They might not like each other a whole lot, but they are still a tight-knit family. Just a side note - every Swiss male has to go into the Swiss Army - and once their duty is completed, they are given a rifle to keep at home. In other words, every single Swiss dude in the country has a rifle under his bed! Let’s just say they are very protective of their country, family and home.
I am not a fan of Vienna - thought it was boring, somewhat dusty and so laid back you could fall asleep in the streets and die and nobody would notice for months. Yes, some pretty tourist attractions, great wine and pastries, but other than that - if I never return to Vienna, it is fine with me. When I was living in Europe, most younger people from Vienna would flee as soon as they turned 18 - just to go somewhere where there might be something more exciting to do than feed pigeons in the park with 90 year old people. The young Austrians I would meet (in Berlin) were fun, open people - so if you should find any left in Vienna, you might be able to strike up a friendship quickly. They will be open to some excitement -even if it is a few days of getting blasted on cheap wine with a foreigner.
AmberLee, you may as well get used to some of the music you may be hearing in one of those pubs you’d like to go to.
Aufstrich - Breaking up is hard to do - YouTube; 
“Aufstrich” is one of the most popular Volksmusic groups in Austria.
Mops, you are correct. My bad! 
Quasi