Vienna is one of the main music centers of the world. Contemporary music gets its hearing, but it's the hometown standards -- the works of Beethoven, Brahms, Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert -- that draw the Viennese public. Vienna is home to four full symphony orchestras: the Vienna Philharmonic, the Vienna Symphony, the broadcasting service's ORF Symphony Orchestra, and the Niederösterreichische Tonkünstler. There are also hundreds of smaller groups, from trios to chamber orchestras. The most important concert halls are in the buildings of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, called the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus.

Cabaret has a long tradition in Vienna. To get much from any of it, you'll need good German with some Viennese vernacular as well, plus knowledge of local affairs.

Film has enjoyed a recent renaissance, with viewers seeking original rather than German-dubbed versions. The film schedule in the daily newspaper Der Standard lists foreign-language films (Fremdsprachige Filme) separately. In film listings, OmU means original language with German subtitles.

Vienna has blossomed in recent years with delightful and sophisticated bars. Head for the "Bermuda Triangle," an area in the First District roughly defined by Judengasse, Seitenstättengasse, Rabensteig, and Franz-Josefs-Kai. Here you will find dozens of bars, both intimate and large, like First Floor, Krah-Krah, and Ma Pitom. Near the Börse on Zelinkagasse is the classy Planter's Club. Back toward Stephansplatz, on Bäckerstrasse, check out Weinorgel, Oswald & Kalb; on Blutgasse, Chamäleon; on Singerstrasse, the Galerie Bar. The American Bar on Kärntner Durchgang has an early 20th-century interior by Adolf Loos. Vienna is increasingly good for jazz, though places where it can be heard tend to come and go. Nothing gets going before 9 PM.