Vienna is the national capital, largest city, and one of nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's most populous city, with about 1.9 million inhabitants (2.6 million within the metropolitan area, nearly one third of the country's population), and its cultural, economic, and political center. It is the 6th-largest city by population within city limits in the European Union. Until the beginning of the 20th century, Vienna was the largest German-speaking city in the world, and before the splitting of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War I, the city had 2 million inhabitants. Today, it is the second-largest German-speaking city after Berlin.

With an Oceanic climate Vienna experiences warm summers and dry, cold winters. The best time of year to visit Vienna is in spring and summer (June - September). In the heart of summer it can be warm, the average monthly temperature rises above 26.5 degrees Celsius (79° Fahrenheit) starting July. During winter temperatures are around the freezing point. Precipitation is spread-out evenly throughout the year with an average annual amount of 550 mm (21.7 in).