Indian businesses and services in Vienna, Austria

Vienna's Indian community is modest in size but has been building since the early 1970s, and it is unusually varied. Some of the earliest arrivals were nurses from Kerala, recruited to work in Vienna's hospitals through a Catholic order, who went on to form a close Malayali community with its own associations. The international organisations at the Vienna International Centre, including the IAEA and UNIDO, brought diplomats and specialists, and the city's Sikhs now support three gurdwaras. More recently IT professionals and students have joined them.

There is no Indian district, and families live across the city and its suburbs. The Vienna International Centre, on the U1 at Kaisermühlen-VIC, has drawn many international staff to Donaustadt and the neighbouring districts across the Danube. For groceries, the stalls of the Naschmarkt sell fruit, vegetables and herbs from around the world, and dedicated Indian and Asian grocers are found in several districts, so it is worth searching close to where you live.

The Hindu Mandir Association, one of the oldest Hindu organisations in Vienna, runs a temple, ISKCON is active too, and many associations organise festivals. Diwali, Holi, Navratri, Onam and Vaisakhi are marked with temple programmes and hall events, often in parish and community halls rented for the evening. Austrian shops are closed on Sundays, apart from a few at the main railway stations, so plan the weekly shop for Saturday. Vienna's public transport is dense and reliable, and almost every temple and grocer is reachable by U-Bahn, tram or bus.