In the 6 weeks since I arrived in Vienna, I have been to the cinema 7 times. 5 of those times I went to the Apollo on the 6th Dirstict which should indicate immediately that it’s an ok place. Back in 1998, the last time I was in Austria, I also went to see “Grease” here – my first journey into German dubbed films on a big screen. This cinema claims to have the biggest screens in Austria though that’s not saying much is it...? Really though, they’re quite adequate. My choosing of this venue over others is 3 fold :

1. It’s near where I live – maybe 10 mins walk if I’m strolling, 5 if I’m in power-walk mode (not often)

2. They have a good variety of films – there are 12 screens and currently showing films include Shrek, Crocodile Dundee in LA, Tomcats at Tomb Raider (all of which are fairly new releases over here).

3. The prices are reasonable – ranging from 70 to 120 Ös (3.50 – 6 GBP, quite cheap compared to some places I’ve been in the city) for adults depending on where you sit and what day you go. There are also discounts for students (bring ID), children and OAPs.

I’m not fussy really and these factors are enough to convince me it’s the place to go, although there is also a bar, quite a few snack stands and vending machines on off too. Plus there are free magazines (well at least I hope they’re free as I keep taking them.....).

The cinema itself is nice and clean, and the seats an ok size (although nothing compared to the Gallery seats at the Printworks in Manchester). My main problem though is that whoever was designing the building itself was a bit, well, stupid. I’m pretty used to it, but last night I was with 2 friends who had never been there before and they found it a bit like a maze, and just as hard to navigate. The 12 screens are split over 3 floors but the order in which they’re grouped just seems
totally random – screens 1, 2, 6 and 12 this way, numbers 3, 8 and 9 over there. One question – why?

Boring fact time now :

Getting there is nice and easy - the cinema is on the Gumpendorfer Strasse in the 6th district as I already said. It’s opposite the Haus Des Meers (Aquarium) and is surrounded by numerous bars and restaurants. The Mariahilfe Strasse is only a few minutes walk away. To arrive on the doorstep take busses 13A, 14A or 57A. If you’re travelling by underground stations Neubaugasse (line U3) and Pilgrammgasse (line U4) are close by. Get onto the Gumpendorfer strasse and you cannot miss it – it’s the bright pink building opposite the old war bunker..... One tip though – don’t get the U6 to the actual Gumpendorfer Str stop as it’s pretty far away.

Despite it’s somewhat confusing layout, this cinema’s pretty cool and I would recommend it to people who find themselves in Wien. Some final words of warning

– get there early so you can find your screen
– be warned that it gets packed on Sunday afternoons so avoid it then if you can
– all the films are dubbed, so if your German’s not up to it, try the English Cinema Haydn about 5 mins away instead