Vienna, Austria, is the capital of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city and by far the largest in Austria. Vienna lies in the east of Austria and is close to Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, and at the easternmost extension of the Alps in the Vienna Basin. In 2001, the city center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Art and culture have a long tradition in Vienna, including theater, opera, classical music and fine arts. The Burgtheater is considered one of the best theaters in the German-speaking world alongside its branch, the Akademietheater. The Volkstheater Wien and the Theater in der Josefstadt also enjoy good reputations. Vienna is also home to a number of opera houses, including the Theater an der Wien, the Staatsoper and the Volksoper, the latter being devoted to the typical Viennese operetta. Classical concerts are performed at well known venues such as the Wiener Musikverein, home of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Wiener Konzerthaus. The Hofburg is the location of the Schatzkammer (treasury), holding the imperial jewels of the Habsburg dynasty. The Sisi Museum (a museum devoted to Empress Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie of Austria) allows visitors to view the Imperial apartments as well as the silver cabinet. Directly opposite the Hofburg are the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Naturhistorisches Museum, which houses many paintings by old masters, ancient and classical artifacts. A number of museums are located in the Museumsquartier (museum quarter), the former Imperial Stalls which were converted into a museum complex in the 1990s. It houses the Museum of Modern Art, commonly known as the MUMOK (Ludwig Foundation), the Leopold Museum (focusing on works of - Egon Schiele (the largest collection of paintings in the world by Egon Schiele) - the Viennese Secession, Viennese Modernism and Austrian Expressionism), the AzW (museum of architecture), additional halls with feature exhibitions and the Tanzquartier. The Liechtenstein Palace contains one of the world's largest private art collections of the baroque. The Castle Belvedere, built under Prinz Eugen, contains paintings of Gustav Klimt (“The Kiss”), Egon Schiele, and other painters of the early 20th century, also sculptures of Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, and has changing exhibitions too.

Vienna has an extensive transportation network. Public transport is provided by buses, trams, and five subway lines (U-Bahn). Trains are operated by the ÖBB. Vienna has multiple road connections, including motorways. Vienna is served by Vienna International Airport.  Vienna has a humid continental climate. The city has warm summers while winters are relatively cold with average temperatures at about freezing point, and snowfall occurring mainly from December through March. Spring and autumn are cool to mild. Precipitation is generally moderate throughout the year.