Flex ★ 4.4
€€innere-stadtClub nights Wed-Sat 22:00 to late, cafe earlier
Flex moved into a disused U-Bahn tunnel by the Donaukanal under the Augartenbrücke in 1995, and it still books the harder techno, drum and bass and alternative concerts on a sound system regularly named among Europe's best.
Tip: Two rooms: Flex Club proper for the techno and drum and bass nights, the Cafe upstairs for earlier alternative gigs and a slower start.
Volksgarten Clubdiscothek ★ 4.0
€€innere-stadtThu-Sat 23:00 to 06:00, summer garden Tue-Sun
Volksgarten runs in a 1950s Oswald Haerdtl pavilion inside the Hofburg gardens, splitting the night across a Wintergarten, the main disco floor and the Banco lounge, with a summer garden running through the warm months.
Tip: The summer garden Volksgarten Pavillon opens evenings from May for cocktails before the club. Weekend door queues are slow after 00:30.
Fluc ★ 4.3
€leopoldstadtDaily 18:00 to late, Fluc_Wanne underground from 22:00
Fluc occupies the pedestrian passageway under Praterstern station with the Fluc cafe above and the concrete Fluc_Wanne basement below, running concerts, art and the harder techno bookings of the 2nd district.
Tip: Cafe upstairs runs free entry most nights; tickets only for the basement Fluc_Wanne. U1 and U2 connect at Praterstern.
Das Werk ★ 4.3
€alsergrundFri-Sat 23:00 to late, event-dependent
Das Werk has run in the raw Stadtbahn arches next to Grelle Forelle since 2006, programmed by a cultural association as the rougher, improvised counterweight to its polished neighbour, with the Viennese underground at the decks.
Tip: Cash bar; arrive after 01:00 for the proper room. Walk between Das Werk and Grelle Forelle on a single night for the full Spittelauer Lände spread.
Camera Club ★ 3.9
€€neubauFri-Sat 23:00 to 06:00
Camera Club sits at the foot of Neubaugasse just off Mariahilfer Strasse, with two dancefloors that book a steady rotation of house, electro, techno, funk and dubstep nights inside a former cinema basement.
Tip: 18 plus on the door; queue before midnight for guestlist rates. Mariahilfer Strasse U3 is two minutes away.
Donau ★ 4.0
€neubauDaily evenings to late, peak weekend
Donau hides behind a grey metal door on Karl-Schweighofer-Gasse between Mariahilfer Strasse and the MuseumsQuartier, running cheap drinks and underground electronic bookings across minimal, house and dubstep nights.
Tip: No sign on the door; ring for entry. Open seven nights; weeknights pull a local crowd over a cheaper bar.