Many people would be shocked to find out that wild hamsters exist, let alone that one can find them in Vienna, one of Europe’s most popular cities for music aficionados and Interrailers alike. Indeed, I could hardly believe my luck when I found it out myself, previously thinking I’d need to travel to the fringes of Eastern Europe where they’re meant to be more common and even then only getting a brief glimpse of one. Needless to say, I made sure to include a few days in Vienna during my Eastern Europe wildlife trip, and spotting hamsters in one of its cemeteries was truly one of its top highlights.

A bit about Vienna’s hamsters

The black-bellied hamster is a fairly large type of hamster, looking like a small guinea pig at first sight. Described as having an aggressive temperament, it is typically solitary (finding as large a population as that which lives in Vienna’s parks is unusual) and territorial, with individual hamsters often attacking each other. Because of its aggressive nature, it was never kept as a pet like Syrian hamsters were and instead considered a pest by farmers.

While it ranges from Belgium to the western edge of China throughout the European plains and steppes, it has been considered critically endangered due to the spread of industrial agriculture. In western and central Europe its range has become quite fragmented as a result. Happily, it breeds quite quickly in captivity, and measures are being taken to protect what remains of its habitat.

Also: black-bellied hamsters hibernate, so don’t expect to see any if visiting Vienna in the winter!

Where to find hamsters in Vienna

Hamster-spotting in Vienna is quite a comfy affair as far as wildlife-spotting experiences go. Hamsters here are active in broad daylight, rain or shine, and they’ve not much fear of people (though, please don’t try to pick them up or touch them).

When I went hamster-spotting I went to Friedhof Meidling Cemetery, located just south of the highly popular Schonbrunn Palace. Other hamster hotspots in Vienna include Central Cemetery and St. Marx Cemetery Park, worth visiting in their own right to see the graves of Vienna’s most celebrated musicians: Beethoven and Schubert in Central, Mozart at St Marx.

Wandering through the gravestones, keep your eyes out for them scurrying about on the lawns like little clockwork toys, stuffing their cheeks with chestnuts from the trees, insects and even flowers laid down by mourners (as seen in this BBC Wildlife documentary). They’ll usually let you get to within five metres before retreating into a network of burrows formed around the tombstones. Without sounding morbid, the softened earth from all the grave-digging, the abundance of food and the serenity are three of the main reasons why they’ve made their home here.

There are more in the eastern half of Meidling Cemetery, split by a road, and a group underneath a cluster of chestnut trees allowed me to get quite close – some got to within two metres when I had stood still for long enough.

How to get there (and what else you should know)

The sight of them might make you mushy, but do remember that this is a cemetery and be respectful of any mourners you come across. Also, as these are wild hamsters you should not attempt to pick up or stroke them.

Wienmobil bikes are the cheapest way of getting there and around Vienna in general. It costs less than a euro for a thirty-minute ride, so it shouldn’t be too much unless you’re coming from the absolute periphery of town.

If it’s raining, the nearest metro station to Meidling Cemetery, Bahnhof Meidling, is right beside the cemetery’s western entrance, while St Marx is best reached via Litfaßstraße tram station. Single fares on Vienna’s metro and trams cost 2.40 EUR and they arrive every five minutes at most stops.

2024 edit: Public transport fares are still 2.40 EUR despite the inflation. Did not expect that!

Other wildlife you can spot in Vienna

With its abundance of green spaces, Vienna is quite a biodiverse place as cities go. Walking through the forested sections of Vienna’s parks and cemeteries, it’s not uncommon to see red squirrels, songbirds and woodpeckers. As with many places in Europe, swifts nest in the old buildings and often fill the skies with their trilling cries come sunset. Donauinsel, a long island in the middle of the Danube, is home to beavers, which can sometimes be seen come sunset, and the farmlands on the outskirts of Vienna are home to sousliks, a type of squirrel that lives in burrows.