BEFORE SUNRISE Vienna locations: A self-help guide

BEFORE SUNRISE VIENNA LOCATIONS

Before we deal with all sites, which Jesse and Celine have journeyed alongside Vienna, we should take into consideration that the actual route causes some differences with the movie order of sites and your own one should be planned to be more flexible. Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) perform their smooth and relax walk from one point to another, when the real distance may size quite a long footpath or even a number of transport stops. Journey to the Fridhof der Namenlos (Cemetery of the Unknown) will take you 2-3 hours to complete, by means of the metro, then a bus, and a walk through the industrial estate next to the bank of Danube.

After paying attention to the map of Vienna, you will probably build your own journey along with the Before sunrise movie sites without a strict plot order and save time and stamina. It is also turned out to be wise to ignore the day-and-night schedule, while we see the perspective of the majority of the sites after sunset. Vienna is a marvelous and charming city. Although Richard Linklater (Director) has distanced his characters from the crowds of tourists in the very heart of the city, Before Sunrise Vienna route gives a variety of extremely positive emotions and impressions as a gorgeous addition to the movie itself.

Within this article I will follow the strict order of the Before sunrise movie sites in Vienna, the same have been depicted in a movie by Richard Linklater. I’ve visited all 20 sites and have created the complete map with all markings to motivate you to travel, to be crazy about movies, and your personal interests to make life world-class.

WESTBAHNHOF TRAIN STATION

Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), the one of a kind title characters of the “Before sunrise” story, both take a chance to follow up with an unexpectedly involving chitchat beyond the train, which pulled in Vienna from Budapest a few moments before. The twosome gets off at platform № 7 and walks along a perron toward the railroad passenger terminal. A newly formed couple goes on with the chat and finally gets one’s other names – Jesse and Celine. Nothing more than a formality for the two blueprinted a romantic promenade across the streets of the heart of the vanished Habsburg monarchy.

The WESTBAHNHOF RAILWAY STATION and the railway platforms, in particular, have been modernized in the course of the years since June 1994. As the world at present is beyond belief in the nonuse of mobile phones and being offline, we do not see the signs of the telephone set on the columns as it was depicted on screen. At present days the terminal platforms are equipped with the glass partitions and the main building is being merchandised with dozens of shops, and cafes. Nevertheless, one can experience a beloved cinematic atmosphere on the fingertips, and the Westbahnhof, within a touching distance from the city heart streets, could be appreciated as a perfect home point to start a day-long footing across Vienna in the footsteps of Jesse and Celine.

ZOLLAMTBRUKE BRIDGE

The premier walking point for Jesse and Celine to visit a few cinematic moments after the Westbahnhof station portrays oneself as a cozy metal bridge of green tinctures over the river and the metro line. The nowhere near ambitions landmark has come to be known as the ZOLLAMTBRUCKE BRIDGE. The movie tweaks us as the last shot of the train station has just given place to a glimpse of a metro train beneath the pedestrian walkway. The two get acquainted with local amateur actors, the two semi-puzzling freaky figures to invite Jesse and Celine to take advantage of some unprofessional theatre in Vienna later in the day.

The actual distance between the Westbahnhof Railway Station and Zollamtbruke bridge is to be experienced with 4 km and an hour of snail-pace walking. For this reason, a smooth interchange of perspectives between the railway and the metro line is just a pleasant movie illusion, deliberately introduced by Richard Linklater. An obstinate moviegoer would make use of the metro from the Westbahnhof station, taking the orange metro line (U3), and setting off the Landstrasse (Wien Mitte) station. The desired bridge is just a few hundred meters nearby. The building of ‘Universität für Angewandte Kunst’ (University of Arts and Crafts) on the background of the movie camera angle has remained the same front side architecture for the past twenty-six years as well as two columns of the Zollamtbrucke itself. The bridge is surprisingly of a short length with merely twenty meters of the pedestrian walkway.

TRAM – UNIVERSITATSRING 1A

Jesse and Celine luxuriate the quasi-iconic Vienna red tram by occupying the back spot and continuation of their passionate dialogue as well as practicing an improvised outing tour. The cinematic narration unhurriedly renders delicate of picturesque breathtaking panoramas of Vienna’s inner city being in the sun of a warm June weather.

The tram stop depicted in ‘Before sunrise’ movie is indeed located at Universitätsring 1A at the very heart of a substantial transport junction at arm’s end to Schottentor metro station. A considerate look could reveal a gorgeous ‘Votivkirche’ (Votive Church) in the dominative background. It will take half an hour to cover the distance from the Zollamtbruke bridge on foot. Jesse and Celine take the tram, which then follows the inner center ring of streets, historically appreciated as the ‘Vienna Ring’.

ALT & NEU MUSIC SHOP

Upon the earlier of a tram ride out across the heart streets of Vienna, the young twosome visits the ‘ALT & NEU’ record store or music salon. Jesse and Celine pay attention to rare records and wonder about the wide collection of music in this cozy temple of sound. A few moments later, the two take advantage of a small room by listening to the chosen records for free. Jesse and Celine feel a kind of an artless closeness and upcoming romance to each other.

ALT & NEU Vienna music shop has once accommodated oneself at Windmühlgasse 10, a stone’s cast from the very center of Vienna and indeed close enough to a tram line. A cozy street and the music shop sit side by side with a neighboring antique trade next door. The working hours welcome visitors at 1 p.m. at the earliest and the early birds would find it close, satisfying the ALT & NEU sign with a chance to take a few photos outside as well as another few through the dim glass of the show-case.

MARIA THERESIEN PLATZ

A devoted audience is having a good time with a sequence of Jesse (ETHAN HAWKE) and Celine (JULIE DELPY), walking across a spellbinding Vienna with marvelous landmarks such as Maria Theresien Platz and the statue of Maria Theresia in the background. Fast on the heels of a brief admiration, the story gratifies with one-second tight perspectives of the monuments and statues within the spacious green-like square.

A leisured walk from ART & NEU music saloon conventionally calls for an investment of 5 to 10 minutes. It stands to mention that the two museums: the ‘Kunsthistorisches Museum’ (Museum of Fine Arts) and the ‘Naturhistorisches Museum’ (Natural History Museum) appear as like as two peas and stand just opposite one another. One can still easily catch a glimpse of the exact perspective of the movie towards the 1888 statue of the Empress, who had once dominated a quarter of Europe.

FRIEDHOF DER NAMENLOSEN – CEMETERY OF UNKNOWN

Jesse and Celine get on a tram again and, as depicted, make the benefit of a metro finding one’s way to another ‘BEFORE SUNRISE’ Vienna site, to a lesser extent a travel trademark then the previous ones. Celine gives an account of the site as a restful place that makes a strong impression. As far back in history as 1900, the local officials set up a burial ground for the nameless bodies, washed on the bank of the Danube nearby. ‘Friedhof der Namenlosen’ is the most distanced Before sunrise movie location: a journey to the site conventionally demands a little bit more than just a metro ride and a cozy walking.

FRIEDHOF DER NAMENLOSEN is the most distanced Before sunrise movie location. A way there will demand a little bit more than just a metro ride.

Take a metro to the Enkplatz station
Take away to the right side to reach a crossroad just a hundred meters far.
Find a ‘’76 A-B” bus stop on the opposite side of the crossroad. It runs approximately every 20 minutes due to a strict schedule. A and B variants of the 76 bus have a different final destination, but you will take off at the last stop anyway.
If the last bus stop is Alberner, you will need to use GPS and to walk 20 minutes to reach Albernen Hafnen bus station.
If the bus destination is Albernen Hafnen already (best variant), we are almost at the place. Austrian industrial estate makes an extremely positive impression and the next 10 minutes to the cemetery will make your day. The only road will take you to the Friedhof Der Namenlosen.

‘CEMETERY OF THE UNKNOWN’ is, in fact, a secluded and isolated site next to an industrial harbor with some rare tourists, usually out of interest or bravery, even among those willing to visit iconic movie locations. The burying ground is only about 15*15 meters with two benches and a small erection, nowadays filled with equipment. Graves and trees are wreathed with old stuffed animal toys: an image that may be considered creepy, especially in the later hours.

PRATER PARK AND RIESENRAD

Themed on a journey to a secluded resting place in the margins of Vienna, Jesse and Celine wend their way to the all-liked park with an amusement area. A young couple enjoys breathtaking sunset wide angles from a cabin of the landmark-like ‘Wiener Riesenrad’ Ferris Wheel. Aforegoing hours of mutual activities all come to the peak with a kiss, heartily desired by both.

Praterstern metro station is located across the street of the park, which impresses with the size and scale of entertainment activities. A single Ferris wheel circle takes ten to fifteen minutes to enjoy an overhead view over Vienna. The brown cabins remained very similar to an image depicted in ‘BEFORE SUNRISE’ with a chance to experience the same gorgeous viewpoint.

KLEINES CAFE

Jesse and Celine intuitively agree on taking some time in a small street café. The twosome notices an old lady self envisaged to be a palm reader. The one does not lose a chance to make some prophecies and grants a young couple with tips of general information, a piece of well-staged music for the hearing of every second girl.

KLEINES CAFE accommodates oneself with arm’s reach to the very heart of Vienna and only five minutes’ walking to the StephansPlatz metro station and the iconic cathedral itself. This tiny uncrowded square next to overpopulated main streets is favored as an islet of coziness. A cafeteria is still in the place with the same front side and chairs on the square that has changed slightly since 1994.

MARIA AM GESTADE CHURCH

The title characters of ‘Before sunrise’ romantic story go into MARIA AM GESTADE church to find themselves the only visitors at that moment of the late hours. An easeful and solacing atmosphere welcomes an opportunity to maintain a conversation between the two. A gorgeous interior of the church fits well with the experience of walking Vienna streets.

The church is architecturally squeezed between the nearby buildings and it takes 15 minutes to get here from the outdoor comfort of the Kleines café. One can enjoy the very same low perspective with stone stairs. Despite the maiden impression, the steps have little in common with a typical exit from the metro and serve as a way to surpass the difference of height between two streets.

DANUBE PROMENADE AND A POET

Jesse and Celine enjoy their improvised walking tour across Vienna and make it to the DANUBE CANAL QUAY. A charismatic young man turned out to be an amateur street poet, volunteering to write a short poem, devoted to a couple. This scene is positively appreciated for the ‘Milkshake’ poem, awarded with some tips.

A pedestrian quay of the Danube canal extends for kilometers with early morning runners and bicycle riders. A moviegoer may be confused with dozens of stairs very similar to those depicted in ‘Before sunrise’. The exact movie location, therefore, is easy to be found with regard to the buildings in the background of the scene, in particular a café which remained pretty the same since 1994.

ARENA CLUB AND PINBALL GAME

‘Before sunrise’ lovebirds happen to find some grotesque club, painted with graffiti and accompanied by an arena of amateur musicians performing themselves in front of a small audience. JESSE and CELINE do a battle in a pinball game, followed by an intimate discussion of the former geek romantic relations.

ARENA CLUB altogether looks the same as depicted in ‘Before sunrise’ with even more graffiti outside and inside at present. The site is indeed the second far movie location after the ‘Friedhof der Namenlosen’, 5 km distanced from the center of Vienna and a quay with an amateur poet. The nearest metro station is ‘Erdberg’ and it takes up to 15 minutes on foot to reach the Arena club complex: a number of buildings within the same graffiti style, the stand and geeks with dreads, yet unfortunately with no pinball machines.

BLOCK STONE STREET

A kind of a slow-paced melodious walking of Jesse and Celine along the narrow cranking street, historically paved with the block stones, ends up with a perspective of a couple going down a cozy by-street. The location is rather far from the Arena Club and could be found in the heart of Vienna with ‘Schottentor’ as the nearest metro station. Block stone street is squeezed between buildings on the other side of the street, facing Vienna University with a former ‘Beethoven’s house’, where a famous compositor used to live in Vienna (now the building includes a museum of Beethoven). A few sectors of a street form a 100-meter walking route.

STREET DANCE OF BIRTH

‘Before sunrise’ cinematic narration keeps in an illusion of one linear ceaseless route. Jesse and Celine change one street with stone blocks to another of a similar kind and come across a woman performing a belly-dance next to the corner. Celine (Julie Delpy) comments upon the show as some ancient ritual known as ‘A DANCE OF BIRTH‘.

All over again, this movie location, in fact, is well distanced from the previous one. The one will need to take a metro for two stations and find one’s way on the fringes of the ‘Volkstheater’. The very sight of a movie dance preserved relatively the same look with a door, a stone pavement, and greenery. Moments after Jesse and Celine resume their walking, a couple finds a place to have an improvised break within a by-street alley of the historic-like Spittelberg area.

SPERL CAFÉ – PHONE SCENE

Jesse and Celine come across ‘Café Sperl’ and take advantage of a cute place at one of the tables with crimson sofas. The lovebirds put on a telephone call to France and the USA with the best friends on act thus expressing their emotions and mutual attitude by means of a played-in scene.

‘SPERL CAFE’ stations itself within a restless intersection of Vienna streets a little bit aside from the city center, yet at a close range to the location of ‘A dance of birth’. At the lapse of a generation, the tables look about the same as well as crimson-golden sofas against the wall. A passionate movie enthusiast can take the very table, the third from the bar counter.

ALBERTINA BALCONY

The leading characters put in time within a marble balcony balustrade of ‘Albertina’ with a breathtaking viewpoint over ‘Wiener Staatsoper’ (Vienna State Opera). This all-absorbing place in the very heart of Vienna is not generally overcrowded, thus one can easily take photos of the exact perspective with a few tourists in the frame. Jesse and Celine ease up ten meters next to the Albrecht statue: another venue to appear towards the end of a story.

BOAT CAFÉ ON THE DANUBE

A boat café, moored to a pier of the Danube canal, located at a far distance from the Albertina Gallery, yet five minutes’ walk from a section of a quay to meet an amateur poet. Jesse and Celine play on another maiden conversation to soften an inevitable moment of saying goodbye.

As of 2017, the boat was still moored in the same place near the pier and anyone can identify the exact location with the benefit of the buildings and a bridge in the background. The former float-boat and restaurant are now abandoned, covered with graffiti and sweeps of garbage, and for obvious reasons without any cafe tables and candles onboard with an entrance blocked with metal bars.

ROXY CLUB

The twosome comes across an underground nightclub, red-styled with the lightning of the same color. Jesse succeeds in finding a bottle of wine to keep on probably the best day and evening in his life.

ROXY CLUB is allocated at arm’s end to the ‘Karlsplatz’ metro station, yet distanced enough from the Danube canal quay and the depicted boat café. The working hours give the go-by to daytime visitors, yet anyone can still take a picture of the red entrance sign next to a closed door.

SCHWARZENBERG PARK

A movie location that builds up that day of walking Vienna in June 1994 to a climax for Jesse and Celine with a bottle of wine and an unrevealed scene of foretasted intimacy within a secluded urban park.

SCHWARZENBERG park at present does not welcome tourists as well as the palace of the same name, being a fenced private property amid Vienna landmarks. All while, a majority of moviegoers consider oneself satisfied with the parking site nearby, having, in fact, no connection with Before sunrise actual location, the one could still come across a spot at the fence to take photos of the park 20 meters from the actual venue of Jesse and Celine relaxing.

CLAVECIN MELODY

In the early morning, the two of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy walk along the sleepy streets of Vienna and take a breath at an open ground-floor window of one of the buildings, no more notable than the others. The title characters are charmed with a melody of clavecin, performed by a man with a luxurious interior around.

This site among the locations is 15 minutes distanced from the Schwarzenberg park. A window with the same green metal bars remained the same with a children’s play yard in the background of the cozy street.

ALBRECHT MONUMENT

Jesse and Celine deliberately savor the moment at the foot of the Albrecht statue measuring minutes upon an upcoming need of saying goodbye. If one looks at the exact location, the two loving birds, in fact, have found their way back to the Albertina gallery in the very heart of Vienna. Considering the semi-secluded nature of the balcony next to the iconic ‘Wiener Staatsoper’, enough passionate movie enthusiasts can take time beneath the statue without crowds of the eagers, though at noon.

SAYING GOODBYE AT THE VIENNA WESTBAHNHOF

Jesse and Celine feel frustrated about needing to say goodbye to each other as they just spent certainly the best day in their lives up to this point. The two make an agreement to reunite at the same spot in six months (December 16, 1994), without exchanging contacts. A few moments later the character of Ethan Hawke leaves the platform and dips into the main building of the Westbahnhof (the starting point movie location) with a mix of factless anticipation and painful confusion in his eyes. The main building remained the same but has been impactfully modernized since 1994. The character of Julie Delpy tiredly and thoughtfully accommodates herself at the window seat of a train.