Quality of life has a different meaning to each individual. The international consulting firm Mercer evaluates the quality of life of 231 cities around the world and has come to the conclusion, that Vienna is the world’s Most Liveable city – for the 8th time in a row. Among the political, social and economic climate, medical care, education and infrastructural conditions the city’s recreational offers and environmental conditions are also measured. Leisure means belong to the latter two categories. Whilst it is obvious how Vienna excels in cultural and lifestyle matters, wellbeing in the city means a lot more. Safety for example, or sporting activities, recreational areas or simply the quality of the city’s water.

How about climbing the walls of a WWII Flaktower in the summer or ice skating under the starry winter skies in the center of the city or closing the streets for Friday Nightskating? The offer of activities are vast and too easily taking for granted by the population. No matter where you find yourself in the city, the next park waits just around the corner and if you are more into water, the 42 km of beaches at shores of the Danube offer pretty much anything from sailing and sun-bathing to wakeboarding lifts. And the uniqueness doesn’t stop in Vienna, right outside the city lies Vienna’s National Park for wildlife exploring, or the vineyards for hiking. If you’re into sports or just relaxation Vienna has a thousand ways to recreate and none of them are further away than a half-hour train ride.

And leisure doesn’t stop at sports and activities, leisure is about the small luxuries in life. For the Viennese this means being able to turn on their faucets and get a sip of fresh mountain spring water directly from the alps or taking a walk through the gardens of palaces and enjoying a glass of wine, on the hill where kings and queens used to sit. Or visiting Europe’s largest annual Open Air Festival with international live acts for free! Especially in the summer time the city is blossoming with public (and mostly free) happenings everywhere around the city. Having spent the afternoon in one of the city’s 9 outdoor swimming-pools and not knowing how to properly fade out a beautiful day, has never been a problem in the world’s most liveable city.