Is Vienna Dog Friendly? Restaurants, Bars & Accommodation

We’ve visited Vienna three times with Henry and have found some places to be dog-friendly and others not so much. As with most cities, with a bit of research, you can enjoy visiting with a dog in tow. Vienna is no different. I found that many bars and restaurants were welcoming to guests with a dog. Researching eating out was pretty difficult. Because most don’t mention whether they are dog-friendly, polite enquiries were fruitful.

Disclosure! Keep in mind that some links in these posts are affiliate links. If you click one of them, I may earn a small commission (for which I’m extremely grateful) at no extra cost to you. Thanks for visiting!

The big draw to the city for me was the imposing imperial architecture, which makes for a great dog walk. Many of the attractions were not dog-friendly. For this reason, leaving a well-behaved dog at the accommodation is a must if you wish to see inside. There are quite a few good options for pet-friendly places to stay on Booking.com.

There are a few dog-walking parks in Vienna, ideal for potty breaks or a run off-leash. Poo bags were often free to use in the city. A pleasant touch. The major (nice) parks of the city were, however, not dog-friendly. This included the park with the Strauss Monument, the Belvedere Palace and Schönbrunn Palace. I can’t remember visiting a city where parks are so restrictive to dogs.

Rules & Regulations

Vienna has many rules regarding muzzles and leads. I’d recommend getting a muzzle and lots of training before visiting. Places like bars, public transport and crowded areas require a muzzle. It took the shine off our visit, constantly worrying if we would get caught out doing it wrong. We just followed others’ lead, which didn’t match the government rules.

All dogs, big or small, must be muzzled or kept on a lead in public places in Vienna, and dog owners have a legal obligation to muzzle their dogs in all heavily frequented places, e.g., on public transport, in restaurants or at events.

Source…

In the end, Henry was glad to leave Vienna, as he’s not keen on the Hannibal Lecter look.

Dog-friendly Bars & Restaurants in Vienna

I was in the city for a short amount of time but found it relatively easy to find a pet-friendly restaurant or two.

Schweizerhaus

A fantastic place for a meal out or beers at the Prater amusement park is Schweizerhaus. Schweizerhaus has a fantastic pet-friendly beer garden. It’s a place with history dating back to the 19th century. They serve fantastic beers and options for Viennese cuisine.

Henry and I visited for a night out and noticed many other people out with dogs. The servers were happy to fill his bowl, too.

We met one of Henry’s friends from Facebook while visiting and had an epic evening out. The beer was flowing, and we enjoyed some delicious pork knuckle and bretzel. Overall, Schweizerhaus is a great place to visit with a dog.

Café Alex Vienna Near Messe Prater

Near our pet-friendly accommodation was a pleasant cafe-bar, Cafe Alex. Cafe Alex has a pleasant terrace and serves reasonably priced beers and coffees.

They were pretty dog-friendly and even brought Henry a bowl of their finest water. The staff were friendly and gave Henry some fuss. Overall, a good place to visit if you are staying near Messe-Prater underground station.

Steirerhof: A Dog-Friendly Restaurant

A restaurant that we enjoyed visiting near our dog-friendly accommodation was Steirerhof. Steirerhof Restaurant is near Prater and has both inside and outside dining areas. We enjoyed a meal out on their terrace. They were perfectly fine with Henry visiting and even offered him water.

They had options for Austrian beer, including Gosser, a rather refreshing drink. For food, I enjoyed their pork neck with dumplings and sauerkraut. This was hearty and delicious, especially the crispy bits.

Their home is a lovely building and was rather impressive from the street. Overall, Steirerhof was a fantastic place for a hearty meal out with a dog.

Wiener Grill Haus

A short walk from Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna is the dog-friendly Wiener Grill Haus. Wiener Grill Haus is a lovely place with a shaded beer garden in the back, ideal for pets on a warm day. They also have bowls for dogs. As a bonus, the restaurant is near Hadik Park, an ideal place for off-the-lead walkies.

Wiener Grill Haus has a good drinks menu, including Austrian beers such as Schladminger and some tasty lemonades. Their food menu is great too, with some delicious meaty options, including Wiener Schnitzel and pork knuckle. Overall, Wiener Grill Haus is an excellent place to visit for beers or food with or without a dog.

Zattl Wirtshaus & Biergarten

In Vienna city centre, near Schottenkirche and the nearby palaces, is Zattl Wirtshaus & Biergarten. Their garden is rather green, thus a great place to get some shade to cool down on walks. They also have dog water available for canine guests at the bar.

They have an excellent beer and food menu, including some delicious Viennese cuisine. Overall, Zattl Wirtshaus & Biergarten is a great pet-friendly place to enjoy some shade with a beer in the summer.

Crossfield’s Austrian Pub

The Crossfield’s Australian Pub is near the Albertina Art Museum and the Vienna State Opera, not too far from the Hofburg Palace. This place specialises in grilled food with an Australian twist. The restaurant was very welcoming and dog-friendly and is highly recommended.

The decor was nice, and everything was Australian-themed, including crocodiles on the wall and other stereotypical attire. The service was at the table and very efficient. Beers arrived quickly. Henry was lucky too; he enjoyed a bowl of water.

For food, we shared the exotic option of the Mixed Meat Plate, a mixed grill with very interesting meats. First was the fillet beef steak, the most regal of the options. They cooked the steak perfectly, medium-rare. Next was the crocodile, our first. This was a pleasant surprise and was enjoyed very much. Kangaroo steak was the next delight, a very lean cut with great flavour. Accompanying the meats was the latest sustainable protein, grasshopper.

Berger’s Bar

Near to the Danube, between the city centre and Praterstern, is the Berger’s Bar. Berger’s Bar is a small, dog-friendly sports bar that serves great food. This includes a delicious Viennese take on cheese on toast with spring onions. Beer is available on tap or in a bottle, including the delightful Wieselburger Bier and many others. The bar has comfy inside seating with excellent table service. In the warmer months, they have a garden to enjoy sitting outside.

Hendricks – Café und Sportsbar

One of my types of places for a drink in Vienna was Hendricks – Café und Sportsbar. They are just outside the Patterson train station and have a pleasant terrace facing towards Prater. They were fine with us visiting with Henry, our dog. As a bonus, they had a good choice of beers and were reasonably priced compared to other places in the city.

Sapori d’Italia

Near Schwedenplatz underground station is Sapori d’Italia, an Italian restaurant. They had a lovely terrace for me and Henry to hydrate with a few beers and dog water. The owner was ultra-friendly and made the dog feel welcome.

Zum Riesenrad

Zum Riesenrad is a cafe restaurant next to the Ferris wheel at Prater Amusement Park. We enjoyed a few visits here during the day while walking the dog. They were dog-friendly and offered Henry some water. Zum Riesenrad has a range of drinks, including local beer and various coffee options. They also have a good food menu featuring Viennese cuisine. Overall, a nice place to visit in the daytime when the park is quiet.

Dog-Friendly Places to Stay in Vienna?

There is an array of options for places to stay in the city, from budget hostels to luxury hotels. We have tried a few pet-friendly places from both Booking.com and Airbnb and found they met our requirements.

Gorgeous flat next to Prater and Messe Wien From Airbnb

For our summer visit to Vienna, we were searching for budget-friendly places and found dog-friendly options on Airbnb at much lower prices. We opted to stay at “Gorgeous flat next to Prater and Messe Wien” for 9 nights for a longer stay in the city.

The location of the apartment was great and near two underground stations. It was also within walking distance of Prater Amusement Park for dog walks and evening fun. Also in the area were dog-friendly bars and restaurants which we popped into during walkies.

The apartment was in a nice block on the upper levels; they had no rules regarding the dog or the horror stories you read about on the internet. Thus, we could happily leave Henry relaxing and avoid the sun while visiting places that weren’t dog-friendly.

This apartment had a comfy bed, a big lounge and a functional kitchen with a washing machine for laundry. The bathroom was good too, with a nice shower. Overall, this was a good-value, comfortable, dog-friendly Airbnb in Vienna.

Hotel Odeon: a cheap place to stay

The Hotel Odeon in the Praterstern area of Vienna is a dog-friendly, affordable place to stay. This place is a cross between a hotel and a hostel, set over multiple floors, with a bathroom on each floor. The hotel has a reception area with a bar that we utilised on both visits, getting Austrian beers for the room or a nice quiet drink in the bar area.

The hotel advertised online as being dog-friendly but with an extra charge for deep cleaning. This was 10 euros, so it didn’t break the bank. The hotel allowed the dog in all areas and let us leave him in the room, as he doesn’t bark when left alone. The dog attended the bar and outside smoking area on multiple occasions and even got a fuss from some staff. There were some parks for dogs, and poo bags were dispensed for free at various locations.

The hotel, as with most in Europe, was non-smoking, so it had a comfy outside smoking area. There was a laundry room for visitors to get their clothes cleaned, which is ideal for backpackers to refresh their wardrobes. One of the primary reasons we returned was the hotel’s willingness to look after luggage after checkout. Ideal for us, since we didn’t have a dog and had backpacks while touring Vienna all day. We always had a drink while we collected our luggage before moving on.

A good place to rest your head just outside the city and ideal for those travelling with a dog in tow. Also good for visitors who want to attend the iconic Prater Theme Park at night. To enquire about availability or book a room, visit Booking.com. Alternatively, there are plenty of accommodation options in Vienna, from cheap hostels and Airbnbs to high-end hotels. More Vienna Accommodation…

25Hours Hostel

The 25hours hostel in the museum quarter is pet-friendly, according to www.thisis.dog. This hotel seems like a unique place, including the signage. The sign outside says, “We are all mad here.”

Sightseeing Dog Walk Photos

Despite many of the city’s pleasant parks being off-limits to dogs, Henry enjoyed some nice sightseeing walks. Our visit was in summer, so we had to limit the city centre walks to shaded areas or later in the evening to prevent paws from getting burnt.

Out of the three most famous palaces in Vienna, the Hofburg is the only one you can have a proper mooch around with a dog. Thus, Henry enjoyed quite a few and saw plenty of others doing the same.

The courtyards of the Hofburg Palace are fantastic for walking. This is because they provide some brilliant shade to keep cool, and the tourist numbers seemed to drop after 5 pm.

The grassy areas of Heldenplatz had none of the dreaded no dogs’ signs, and we met a few other pets enjoying the area. Unfortunately, the nearby Volksgarten doesn’t allow canine visitors.

Maria-Theresien-Platz seemed like a nice place for walkies, with some grass and iconic buildings to see. We met a few other dogs there, and Henry seemed to get lots of attention. As a bonus, it has some good shade later in the day.

The famous ring road is a good option for a dog walk, especially when you get the shade from the iconic buildings, like the Austrian Parliament.

Pet Shops

Because our dog’s lead was broken, we needed to find a pet shop. There were a few options in the city. We found a very nice one towards the rear of the museum quarter.

For dog food, Henry loves the grain-free options from DM stores. There were lots of these throughout the city, meaning it was straightforward to get some.

So, is Vienna Dog Friendly?

We enjoyed visiting Vienna with the dog and found the sightseeing walks fantastic. We found plenty of dog-friendly bars and restaurants to relax. Finding pet-friendly accommodation was straightforward on both Airbnb and booking.com.

However, Henry wasn’t a fan of the muzzle rules; he needs more training and maybe a new fitted muzzle if we return to Vienna. All the pleasant parks in the city were dog-unfriendly, unfortunately. Dog parks were usually out of the way, and some were not that pleasant. Thus, I don’t think it’s as dog-friendly as billed.