Vienna (Virginia)

Vienna is a largely residential city of 17,000 people (2018) in Virginia, not far from Washington, D.C.. It has a downtown with many small businesses, and a portion of the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park hiking and biking trail cuts through the center of the town.

Get in

The car is king in Vienna. It's the most practical way to get around in most of Northern Virginia, due to a very basic mass transit system, and sprawl. Sprawl and lacking mass transit of course lead to traffic; the D.C. metro area has the second worst in the United States by some measures. But feel free to drive to and through Vienna, just not M-F 8AM to 10AM or 4:30 to 7PM.

Vienna does have a Washington Metro stop, at the end of the Orange line; however, it is almost two miles from the center of town. Buses run the length of the town up and down Maple Avenue, the defacto main street.

"Downtown" Vienna is small enough to get around on a bike or on foot, but it's a car that will get you in and out of the town.

Do
  • 🌍 Wolf Trap. A performing arts center on national park land. Performances run year round. 
  • 🌍 Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. Garden with flowers, multiple ponds, Korean bell garden, wildlife (birds, koi, turtles), and hiking trails. In the winter, there is a "Walk of Lights" holiday lights show. (updated Nov 2019)
  • 🌍 Tysons Corner Center. Shopping mall with around 300 stores, a 16-screen movie theater, and multiple food courts. Interesting stores include Tesla and Apple. (updated Nov 2019)

Buy
  • 🌍 Fairfax Square, 8075 Leesburg Pike. Designer shopping including Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Hermes of Paris, and Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Salon & Spa. 
  • Tysons Galleria, 2001 International Dr, McLean, ☏ +1 703 917-5477. An upscale mall including department stores like Neiman Marcus and retail stores by Prada and Louis Vuitton. Dining options include The Cheesecake Factory and Maggiano's Little Italy. It also has an arcade. (updated Nov 2022)

Eat
  • Sunflower. Asian-inspired vegetarian restaurant. 2531 Chain Bridge Rd. 
  • Vienna Inn The age old bar and restaurant that is the heart of Vienna, known for their chili dogs you will get as much of a cultural experience as a culinary one here.
  • China Wok Peking Duck. Also has authentic and Americanized Chinese food. 8395 Leesburg Pike
  • Bazin's on Church
  • Maple Ave Restaurant

Drink
  • Vienna Inn, 120 Maple Ave E (Off 123 5 minutes from Tysons Cornor), ☏ +1 703 938-9548. Hole in the wall bar, around since 1960. Very popular with locals, cheap and terrific food, especially their chili dogs. The oldest bar in town its family owned and operated. A basic local bar, still welcoming to outsiders, cheap domestic drafts and hearty reasonably priced meals are its claim to fame. For a night on the town, head to D.C., but if you find yourself in Vienna with couple of friends just looking to relax, this is the place. 

Sleep

Stay safe
  • The Vienna Police: the town has a very large police force for both its physical size and population. When you enter the town limits on most roads the speed limits drop by 10 mph. Keep an eye out for red light cameras at intersections with traffic signals.

Go next
Routes through Vienna
Middletown ← Fairfax ←  W  E  → Falls Church → Washington, D.C.
END ←  W  E  → Falls Church → East End


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