The nightlife in Vienna has some similarities to Amherst nightlife, but it also has some pretty distinct differences. For one thing, the party scene is completely different. Instead of essentially throwing back a couple shots and sipping on a Keystone as you bump around in a sweaty social, you bump around in a sweaty club with a 7 Euro Cuba Libre. The sweaty factor doesn’t change no matter where you go, but the quality and price of the drinks do! Instead of running around in the cold across campus, you’re running across streets and through u-bahn stations to warm up.
All of these things are not necessarily cultural differences unique to Vienna, but rather differences between college towns and cities. I think I left an “awkward” place only to find myself in an equally awkward city. The people prefer not to make eye contact and male strangers will also come up behind you and start dancing up on you. The only difference is that they’re a complete stranger you won’t see again, instead of that weird guy that you will see all over campus now.
You’d think that would make people less inhibited and more willing to meet new people, but in my experience, that’s not the case. I think that studying abroad in Vienna, I was not as culture shocked as I should have been. I’m used to living in a predominantly white place and I’m used to subways and the lights of a bright city.
Of course, while abroad, I did some traveling and I visited Madrid. It was only at this point that I actually felt out of place and in a new environment. I can only look at Spain through the lens of a tourist, but the nightlife is completely different. For one, it felt like everybody was a good friend. I wasn’t afraid to start dancing with someone, and it felt like I could quite literally go up to someone and become best friends with them. Side note: You should probably not do that. You’re in a foreign city, and you should, in general, stay out of trouble and stick with friends.
I’m not saying that I didn’t love Vienna. I did eventually make really great friends and meet some very cool Australians (Shoutout to the Travel Shack!), but I felt like in a much shorter time frame in Madrid, I met an equal number of people, even though I would probably never see them again. If you just want to have some fun and dance with a cute guy (or girl), I’d say go to Madrid. Culturally, it’s so different from here, where when going out you tend to stick to your friends. Spanish culture is so open and encourages friendliness. So, if you want to make new foreign friends, Madrid is the place to be!