30
Arrival / settle in
Wednesday · 30 September
06:55
Luxair LG8851 · Luxembourg → Vienna
Before dinner
Free Vienna time
A creative city trip / internal guide
VIENNA↗
101 GOESFORWARD
30 SEP — 03 OCT 2026Four days in Vienna for ideas, food, design and the Forward Festival.
Scroll to enter the programme
01 / The plan
Programme
A clear basecamp, two days of Forward, a few good meals, and enough space to let Vienna do its work.
The programme, explained.
Start with the route, then let the city fill in the gaps: Forward, food, design and a little room for the unexpected.
↗
Trip priorities. Start with Forward Festival, add Vienna Design Week and the Luxembourg guest-country programme, then choose one cultural stop and one good meal. The practical route is simple: airport → Hauptbahnhof → hotel → festival.
MUST DOForward FestivalTwo days of talks, workshops, expo and creative exchange.
MUST DOVienna Design WeekChoose one district, one anchor event and one nearby stop.
PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTLuxembourg guest countryFollow TWO-O-EIGHT and the Luxembourg designers at the festival HQ.
FOODFive places to rememberTIAN Bistro · lara · Figlmüller · Motto am Fluss · 15 Süße Minuten.
PRACTICALTickets & airport routeKeep the train and public-transport tickets accessible from arrival to departure.
Flight
Free time
01
Forward / day one
Thursday · 1 October
12:30
Free time until Forward starts
02
Forward / day two
Friday · 2 October
03
Last looks / departure
Saturday · 3 October
09:40
Luxair LG8852 · Vienna → Luxembourg
02 / Main event
Forward
Two days of raw creativity, 25+ talks, workshops, immersive experiences and a room full of people shaping what comes next.
Gartenbaukino
Vienna
Parkring 12, 1010 Vienna. A landmark 1960 cinema in the heart of the city, with a 115 m² screen and a distinctive mid-century atmosphere.
Open in maps ↗Mirko
BorscheGraphic design / Germany
BorscheGraphic design / Germany
Bureau Borsche founder and creative director. Known for bold identities across culture, fashion and sport, including work connected to Balenciaga, Supreme and Inter Milan.
Annie
AtkinsGraphic design / Ireland
AtkinsGraphic design / Ireland
The graphic artist behind memorable film worlds for Wes Anderson and Steven Spielberg — props, titles, packaging and the tiny details that make fiction believable.
Erik
KesselsAdvertising & art / Netherlands
KesselsAdvertising & art / Netherlands
Dutch creative director, artist, collector and publisher who turns visual overload, found images and the everyday into sharp creative ideas.
Thomas
AlbdorfPhotography / Austria
AlbdorfPhotography / Austria
Vienna-based artist and photographer exploring contemporary image-making between art, fashion, commercial commissions and digital culture.
CachetejackIllustration / Spain
Spanish illustration duo Nuria Bellver and Raquel Fanjul. Their work brings colour, humour and social energy to editorial and cultural projects.
The
MillMotion & 3D / UK
MillMotion & 3D / UK
Global creative studio for motion, 3D and animated storytelling. A useful reference point for how craft, technology and brand worlds meet at scale.
Luna
MaurerArt & design / Netherlands
MaurerArt & design / Netherlands
Artist, designer, lecturer and author working across mixed media, with a focus on how digital technologies reshape everyday life.
Gabriela
NamieDesign / USA
NamieDesign / USA
Brazilian-Japanese designer and art director based in New York, currently Visual Lead at Google’s Seed Studio.
Jim
StotenIllustration / UK
StotenIllustration / UK
Illustrator, artist and musician whose vivid, elastic worlds move between editorial, music, animation and live visual culture.
So-MeGraphic design / France
Paris-based graphic designer and creative director with a bold visual language across music, illustration, film and fashion.
JOYHArchitecture / Austria
Vienna design studio working where materials innovation, design research and architecture overlap.
LTXAI / Israel
Tara Filipovich explores practical creative workflows with generative AI — from datasets and custom models to more personal visual systems.
HFA–StudioDesign / Austria
Vienna-based studio driven by ideas, empathy and cultural insight, with a focus on meaningful design rather than surface styling.
SupersenseAnalog art / Austria
Vienna’s analog concept space, exploring photography, print, sound and tactile experiences in a distinctly hands-on way.
FAKTORCreative tool / Austria
A free web-based pricing calculator for creative freelancers and studios — an honest intervention into the business side of creative work.
+ moreWorkshops · side events · expo
Look out for the opening and closing parties, studio tour, creative lunch club, magazine release, Moon Exhibition and the wider expo programme.
!
Programme note. The official 2026 pages confirm the festival dates, venue, registration/door times and lineup. Exact talk slots can move. Check the live timetable before leaving the hotel each morning.
03 / Basecamp & food
Where we land
The hotel is positioned beside Vienna Hauptbahnhof, giving the group a practical launch point for the city, airport and evening plans.
Food shortlist
The easiest way to remember the food plan: two breakfasts, two confirmed dinners and one dinner slot still to lock.
30 Sep · 19:00TIAN BistroVegetarian sharing plates · Spittelberg
01 Oct · 19:30laraPlant-based dinner · Passauer Platz
02 Oct · 19:30FiglmüllerViennese classic · exact branch TBC
02 Oct · morningMotto am FlussBreakfast and river views · Schwedenplatz
01 Oct · morning15 Süße MinutenBakery, coffee and handmade pastries
Leonardo Hotel Vienna Hauptbahnhof
Gerhard-Bronner-Straße 5, 1100 Vienna. Around 400 m from Vienna Central Station and close to the Südtiroler Platz metro connection. Check-in from 15:00; check-out by 12:00.
Hotel map ↗Easy in. Easy out.
24-hour reception, Wi-Fi, bar, breakfast option and luggage storage. Vienna Airport is approximately 16 km away. The station next door is the key for your airport transfer and city connections.
Hotel information ↗TIAN Bistro
Vegetarian and vegan shared plates in Spittelberg. Schrankgasse 4, 1070 Vienna. Tuesday–Saturday, 17:00–23:00.
Map & details ↗lara
A modern, plant-based restaurant at Passauer Platz 2, 1010 Vienna. Seasonal dishes, open kitchen energy and a relaxed dinner setting.
Map & details ↗Dinner at Figlmüller
Friday dinner at 19:30 at Figlmüller, either Bäckerstraße or Wollzeile, 1010 Vienna. The exact restaurant and meeting details will be clarified personally.
Confirmed in programme15 Süße Minuten
Handmade Viennese bakery and coffee. The business has several Vienna locations, including Weyringergasse 21, Favoritenstraße 45 and an Opernpassage branch. Confirm the exact bistro branch before departure.
Website & locations ↗Motto am Fluss
Breakfast with views over the Donaukanal at Schwedenplatz 2, 1010 Vienna. Café and terrace open from 08:00; café kitchen runs until 22:00.
Map & details ↗04 / Between sessions
Vienna, edited
A compact selection for a creative team: strong rooms, walkable neighbourhoods and places that reward looking twice. Add Vienna Design Week for a city-wide dose of making, material and ideas.
✦
20
✦ 25 SEP — 04 OCT 2026 / CITY-WIDE DESIGN FESTIVAL20
Vienna Design Week
Austria’s most important multidisciplinary and curated design festival returns for its 20th edition while we are in town. The festival asks what design can do for products, cities, social life and the future — bringing together product, graphic and industrial design, architecture, crafts, social design, digital experiments and talks.
Why it is worth adding: Forward gives us the international stage and the big creative conversation; Vienna Design Week gives us the city as a working laboratory. Expect exhibitions, installations, workshops, guided tours, design tours, Passionswege collaborations and encounters between designers, makers, museums, businesses and neighbourhoods. In 2026, the programme is spread across around 50 locations, so choose one district rather than trying to “do everything.”
Best compact plan
Start at the HQ by U4, then return towards the centre for MAK, MuseumsQuartier, the Ring and one or two partner venues.
Start at the HQ by U4, then return towards the centre for MAK, MuseumsQuartier, the Ring and one or two partner venues.
Look for
Material experiments, social design, circular thinking, Austrian craft, young studios and the stories behind ordinary objects.
Material experiments, social design, circular thinking, Austrian craft, young studios and the stories behind ordinary objects.
✦ Luxembourg guest country / 25 SEP — 04 OCT 2026Explore Luxembourg at Design Week ↗
Luxembourg is in the room
In 2026, Luxembourg is the official guest country of Vienna Design Week. The presentation is organised by Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg with Design Luxembourg, and it is much more than a national showcase: it puts Luxembourgish voices, methods and disagreements into a Vienna-wide conversation about design.
TWO-O-EIGHT — DESIGNING VOICESA radio-agora at the festival HQ, named after Radio Luxembourg’s historic medium-wave frequency of 208 metres. Around 30 designers discuss graphic design, product design, collectible and social design, sound, history and international developments. Look for listening stations, a live radio studio and podcasts produced with Radio 100,7.
The Luxembourg names to knowChristophe de la Fontaine, Anna Valentiny, Jerome Becker, Rachel Hoffmann / Studio Abricot, Sophie Krier, Tatiana Bifouri, Subtile, Annick Kieffer / Studio Polenta, Julie Conrad, Lynn Harles and Sarah Meyers / Meyers & Fügmann appear across the guest-country programme and its conversations.
Why it matters for usThis is a useful counter-image to the usual “small country, big institutions” story. The programme presents Luxembourg as a network of designers, schools, makers, publishers, sound practitioners and cultural connectors. In other words: not a souvenir corner, but a scene with something to say.
✦ Design Week field notes / 01 — 03 OCTOBER
What to actually see while we are there
The official programme is spread across Vienna, so do not treat it like a checklist. Pick one anchor event, then add one nearby format. This gives the group a clear plan without turning a creative trip into an admin exercise.
Not everything needs to be on the list. Pick the stops that genuinely earn your time.
THU 01 OCT · 15:00Curating Thoughts — Between Space and PrintAnna Valentiny and Jerome Becker discuss work between architecture, publishing and curatorial practice. This is the strongest Luxembourg-specific appointment during the Forward days.Programme detail ↗
01 — 03 OCTUNIFORM at A. E. KöchertChristophe de la Fontaine’s Passionswege collaboration with the historic Viennese jeweller A. E. Köchert. A good stop for material, craft, luxury and the question of how a traditional workshop can speak to a wider audience.Programme detail ↗
02 — 03 OCTFollow the Luxembourg threadReturn to the festival HQ for TWO-O-EIGHT listening formats, the Luxembourg presentation and the broader anniversary programme. Exact sessions and opening hours can change, so check the official calendar on the morning.Live calendar ↗
02 — 04 OCTSOUND TAKES SHAPE HEREThe Lycée des Arts et Métiers presents a work-in-progress under the Debut format. It is a chance to see what younger Luxembourgish makers are testing before the work is fully resolved.Programme detail ↗
ANY DAY · CENTRAL CITYTable culture at LobmeyrSix contemporary perspectives on Viennese table culture at Lobmeyr, Kärntner Straße 26. Pair it with the centre, the Opera and a coffee rather than making a separate expedition.Lobmeyr ↗
WHEN YOU NEED A RESETFestival HQ + Caffetteria AzzurroThe 2026 HQ is at Hietzinger Kai 101, next to Unter-St.-Veit U-Bahn. The former canteen becomes a festival café: useful for a coffee, a pause and a look at the Harry Glück building before returning to the centre.HQ information ↗
Turntable / sound takes shape here.
A visual cue for the programme’s sound, radio and moving-image thread — from TWO-O-EIGHT to the younger makers testing new formats.
✦ For the 25–40 crowd / eat · drink · browse
Vienna after the timetable
These are not “top ten” claims. They are practical choices for a group that wants a good meal, a bar with a point of view and shops that feel connected to Vienna’s creative life. Always check opening hours and reserve where needed.
🍴 RESTAURANTSWen ChengHand-pulled noodles and a lively, informal room in the 7th district. Good for a hungry group, low ceremony and a meal people will talk about afterwards.Map ↗
🍴 RESTAURANTSErnstA serious small-format dinner for the night when the group wants detail, surprise and a longer conversation. Book ahead; this is not a walk-in plan for eight people.Map ↗
🍴 RESTAURANTSMochiJapanese-inspired sharing plates, energetic atmosphere and a natural fit for a creative team that wants something more informal than a formal Viennese dinner.Map ↗
🍴 RESTAURANTSDas LoftGo for the room, the skyline and a polished evening rather than the city’s most local meal. Useful when the group wants a clear “one night out” moment. Reserve.Map ↗
🍸 BARSKleinodCentral cocktail bar with a strong drinks programme and late-night energy. Best for a smaller group or split plan after dinner; it can get busy.Map ↗
🍸 BARSMoby DickNeubau cocktail bar and eatery with a more contemporary, neighbourhood feel. A good bridge between dinner, design shops and a later drink.Map ↗
🍺 BARSDas MöbelA relaxed design-minded café-bar in the 7th district. Better for an early drink, coffee or informal debrief than for a big night out.Map ↗
🍷 BARSHeuriger walkFor a different Vienna: take the tram or U-Bahn towards the vineyards and have a glass of Grüner Veltliner at a traditional Heuriger. Less club energy, more local ritual.Find Heuriger ↗
🛍 SHOPPINGNeubau / Kirchengasse / WestbahnstraßeStart around Mariahilfer Straße, then move into the side streets for independent fashion, interiors, books, records and design objects. This is the easiest shopping route from MuseumsQuartier.Open area map ↗
🛍 SHOPPINGGumpendorfer StraßeMix vintage, small labels, cafés and a less polished local rhythm. Good for people who prefer finding one odd, excellent thing over browsing a chain-store boulevard.Open area map ↗
🛍 DESIGNMAK shop + LobmeyrFor objects with a direct connection to Austrian design history: the MAK shop and Lobmeyr give you a more considered alternative to generic souvenirs.Open route ↗
🛍 BOOKS & IMAGESWestLicht + nearby NeubauPair the photography gallery with the surrounding 7th-district streets. The point is the combination: exhibition, bookshop, coffee, then an unplanned shop or bar.Open route ↗
Three easy combinationsDesign-heavy: MuseumsQuartier → Neubau shops → Moby Dick.Local-feeling: Karmelitermarkt → Leopoldstadt walk → Kleinod or a Heuriger.Big night: Vienna Design Week / Forward → dinner reservation → Das Loft or Kleinod.
Belvedere + 21er Haus
Start close to the hotel with Belvedere Palace and its gardens. Add Belvedere 21 for contemporary art and architecture if you want a sharper, more current counterpoint.
Explore route ↗Ringstrasse → Stephansdom
A reliable first walk: Stadtpark, the Ring, Hofburg edges, Graben and Stephansplatz. Good for orientation, architecture and a late-afternoon reset.
Open centre map ↗MuseumsQuartier
Use the courtyard as a base for Leopold Museum, mumok, Kunsthalle Wien and the surrounding design/bookshop scene. Ideal between festival blocks.
Open MQ map ↗Naschmarkt + Karlsplatz
Food, people-watching and a natural walk towards Secession, Karlsplatz and the Wienfluss. Go earlier rather than trying to squeeze it in after a full festival day.
Open route ↗Prater
Take the U-Bahn east for a visual change of pace: long avenues, the Giant Ferris Wheel and a little more horizontal space than the historic centre.
Open Prater map ↗Karmelitermarkt
A lively market and café quarter in Leopoldstadt. Go for a slower morning, good people-watching and a more local atmosphere than the grand centre.
Open market map ↗Otto Wagner
Look for the Postsparkasse, the Stadtbahn pavilions and the Kirche am Steinhof if you want Vienna through the eyes of one of its most influential modernists.
Start the route ↗Albertina Modern
A strong choice for a compact contemporary-art visit near Karlsplatz, especially if the festival has left you wanting a different kind of visual stimulus.
Open museum map ↗Donaukanal → Augarten
Follow the canal north and continue towards Augarten for public art, wide paths and a change of pace after a dense day of talks and screens.
Open route ↗WestLicht
For photography and image culture, WestLicht offers a focused visit in a former glass factory in the 7th district. Pair it with a walk through Neubau.
Open gallery map ↗✦ 04B / A city with layers
Vienna in
seven turns
Vienna is not one style. It is a Roman frontier, a medieval trading city, an imperial stage, a modernist laboratory, a divided twentieth-century capital and a contemporary creative city — all at once.
SISSIc. 15 BCVindobonaRome establishes a military camp on the Danube frontier. The future city grows around it.
1155Capital cityHenry II makes Vienna his residence and the city becomes a political and commercial centre.
1278–1918The Habsburg centuriesThe dynasty rules Austria for more than six centuries. Vienna becomes a European centre of power, music, ceremony and art.
1683 → 1700sBaroque ViennaAfter the Ottoman siege, a building boom reshapes the city: Schönbrunn, Belvedere, Karlskirche and the imperial urban image.
1857–1900The RingstrasseOld fortifications give way to a grand boulevard lined with Parliament, museums, the Rathaus, the Opera and monumental civic architecture.
1900sVienna 1900Secession, Klimt, Schiele, Freud, Otto Wagner and the Wiener Werkstätte turn the city into a laboratory for modern life and modern design.
1918 → todayFrom fracture to futureThe monarchy ends after the First World War. Vienna passes through democracy, fascism, war and post-war division, then becomes today’s international, liveable and creatively restless capital.
05 / Keep this handy
Practical
The short version of what helps when everyone is moving between hotel, talks, tables and trains.
Airport → hotel → festival
Simple route logic
VIE airportArrival hall
→
HauptbahnhofUse your return train ticket
→
LeonardoGerhard-Bronner-Straße 5
→
GartenbaukinoParkring 12
The hotel is next to Vienna Central Station. The festival is in the 1st district, around the Ringstrasse. For live routing, use WienMobil or Google Maps. Vienna’s public transport includes U-Bahn, tram, bus and S-Bahn. Your city public-transport ticket is already provided.
☕ Vienna coffee field guide
Order like you mean it
Vienna rewards a little confidence. Pick the drink, say it clearly and accept the glass of water like you know the ritual.
Viennese coffee houses serve coffee with a glass of water. The names matter: “coffee” is not one single drink here. Start with a Melange for the local default, then move towards the darker, creamier or more theatrical options.
Wiener Melange
Espresso or small mocha with steamed milk and a cap of milk foam.
Like a milder, smaller cappuccinoKleiner Schwarzer
A short, strong black mocha — the cleanest expression of the coffee itself.
Like an espresso, usually less Italian in presentationGroßer Schwarzer
A double black mocha, with more volume and intensity.
Like a doppioVerlängerter
A small black coffee lengthened with hot water.
Closest to an Americano, but usually with a darker mocha baseKleiner Brauner
A small mocha served with a little cream or milk on the side.
Like an espresso with a separate splash of dairyEinspänner
Strong black mocha in a glass, topped with a generous layer of whipped cream.
Like a coffee dessert — drink through the cream rather than stirringKapuziner
Black mocha softened and lightened with whipped cream.
A darker, creamier cousin of the MelangeFranziskaner
Longer mocha with warm milk and whipped cream, usually in a larger cup.
Like a larger, richer Melange with creamFiaker
Large black mocha with sugar and a shot of spirits, traditionally rum or plum brandy.
Like a boozy Irish coffee without the same whipped-cream formatMaria Theresia
Black coffee with orange liqueur, sugar and often whipped cream.
A citrusy, celebratory coffee cocktailHäferlkaffee
Coffee served in a larger mug, often closer to filter coffee with milk.
The most familiar option if you want a long, mild cupOrder this
“Eine Melange, bitte.” Or: “Einen Einspänner, bitte.” Wait for the waiter and enjoy the glass of water on the side.
Small ritual, very Viennese
✚ Emergency & medical help
If something goes wrong
For immediate danger, call 112 or the service-specific number below. Tell the operator: Vienna, your exact address or landmark, what happened, and how many people need help. For non-life-threatening medical advice, call 1450 before going to an emergency department.
European emergency
112
Free European emergency number for police, fire or ambulance.
Police
133
Immediate police assistance in Austria.
Ambulance / rescue
144
For serious illness, injury or accidents.
Fire brigade
122
Fire, smoke or dangerous rescue situations.
Emergency doctor
141
Medical on-call service; in Vienna, 1450 is now the main first point for health advice outside emergencies.
Health advice
1450
24/7 advice and referral to the right doctor, pharmacy or hospital.
Pharmacy service
1455
Find a pharmacy open at night, on Sundays or during holidays.
Visitor doctor
+43 1 513 95 95
ViennaMed medical hotline for visitors, 24 hours.
Deaf / hard of hearing
0800 133 133
Emergency SMS or fax service.
Klinik FavoritenKundratstraße 3, 1100 Vienna · public hospital in the same district as the hotel; verify the current emergency entrance with 1450 or hotel reception · +43 1 601 91 0
Map ↗Klinik LandstraßeJuchgasse 25, 1030 Vienna · public hospital with an Erstversorgungsambulanz and central emergency services · +43 1 71165 0
Map ↗Hotel receptionLeonardo Hotel Vienna Hauptbahnhof, Gerhard-Bronner-Straße 5 · +43 1 2359009 · Ask reception to call a taxi, doctor or emergency service.
Map ↗Kinderarzt · Dr. Horatiu CorneaKarmarschgasse 54A/6, 1100 Vienna · +43 1 606 10 88 · English-speaking pediatric practice in Favoriten; appointment required. Published hours: Mon–Thu 14:00–19:00, Fri 14:00–18:00, Sat 12:00–15:00 — verify by phone before going.
Website ↗Medical centre · MedandSkin HauptbahnhofTHE ICON VIENNA, Wiedner Gürtel 13, Turm 24, 15th floor, 1100 Vienna · +43 1 361 79 97 · clinic1100@medandskin.com · General medical care available. Opening hours: Mon 13:00–18:00, Tue–Thu 09:00–18:00, Fri closed — appointments recommended.
Website ↗01
TicketsKeep the airport return train ticket and public-transport ticket accessible. If a paper ticket needs validation, validate it before the first journey.
02
Airport construction noteRail services and the core S-Bahn corridor have planned changes from September 2026. Follow the exact service shown on your ticket and check ÖBB on the day.
03
Festival entryBring your festival pass. Workshops can require separate booking. Food and drinks are available at the festival location, but catering is not included in the ticket.
04
MoneyAustria uses euros. Cards are widely accepted; carrying a little cash is still useful for small sellers, merch and unexpected small purchases.
05
LanguageGerman is the local language, but English works well in hotels, restaurants, museums and the festival. Learn one word: “Danke.”
06
Emergency112 is the European emergency number. 133 is police, 144 ambulance and 122 fire brigade. For non-urgent help, ask hotel reception.
07
PackComfortable shoes, a light waterproof layer, a portable charger and a small bag. Festival days are long and involve standing, walking and changing sensory environments.
08
WaterVienna tap water is excellent. Bring a reusable bottle and refill instead of buying plastic throughout the day.
Forward states that its locations are barrier-free, while parts of the programme may include fast-moving visuals, strobe effects and high-volume sound. If anyone needs step-free access, seating or other support, contact the festival team ahead of time.
06 / The hard part
Vienna quiz
Thirty questions for people who actually looked, listened and paid attention. Your progress stays on this device, so you can leave and come back later.
Take the quiz at your own pace. Most questions are multiple choice, true/false or observation challenges from the trip. Some cannot be answered reliably by searching the web.
Quiz mode: activated.
Thirty questions, one city and a few details you’ll only catch if you were paying attention.
Question 1 / 30Saved on this device
Multiple choice
0 / 30
Your Vienna read
Send answers by email ↗This opens your phone’s email app with your score and answer sheet. Add your name and send it to 110@101.lu. The quiz is not sent automatically.
06 / Find your way
Map it out
All the practical points from the guide in one place — from the hotel and festival to food, design stops, sightseeing and hospitals.
One city. Many stops.
The map opens as a live Google Maps view. Use the grouped links below when you want a specific destination or route.
Hotel → Forward route in Google Maps ↗FORWARDGartenbaukino ↗