The Best German Courses in Vienna in 2026: 6 Ranked for Evening Learners

Evening German courses in Vienna for a whole A1, ranked on speaking time, feedback, hours for the money, flexibility and price, with prices from each school's own website and one pick for each kind of learner.

By Echoa editorial team · Prices checked 6 November 2026

In short

The best German course in Vienna depends on what is holding you back: the Volkshochschulen for the most hours and the lowest price per hour among the schools, Echoa for daily speaking practice (around fifty spoken answers a lesson, each one answered, at any hour, for €39 a month), DeutschAkademie for a group capped at 14, inlingua for the smallest groups, IFU for the lowest price for a whole A1 among the schools, and IKI for a whole level in one ten-week block.

Key takeaways

Every school ranked here teaches a whole A1 in the evening, but the hours behind "a whole A1" run from about 40 to about 160. Pick the course that fixes where you get stuck, not the one with the shortest timetable.
A whole A1 in an evening group at the schools below costs about €450–990, for 40–160 hours on the timetable, before books and materials.
The Volkshochschulen give the most hours for the money, about €6 an hour; inlingua states the smallest groups (4–10).
Echoa gives you around fifty spoken answers in a 15-minute lesson, every one of them yours.
Combine two: a class for the teacher and the timetable, and speaking practice on the days without one.
A sentence you can say after lesson 1: Guten Abend! Ich möchte einen Tisch für zwei Personen, bitte.

In Vienna, German is what the Hausverwaltung writes in, what the Magistrat asks in and what the waiter at the Beisl expects, and most schools here start their evening classes at about 18:00, after work. The best course is the one that has you saying German out loud, to someone who answers, not just following it.

This guide is for adults in Vienna who work during the day and want an evening course: people who have moved for a job, a partner or a university, and who would like to order, ask and sort things out in German rather than in English. It compares five schools' whole-A1 evening courses and Echoa on five criteria, with one pick for each kind of learner.

How we ranked them

We compared six options on the five things that most help an evening learner actually speak:

Speaking time per hour: how much of each hour you spend saying German yourself. For a class, at most the hour divided by the group size the school states.
Feedback: whether someone answers or corrects what you actually said.
Hours for the money: the hours on the timetable that the price of a whole A1 buys.
Flexibility: whether it fits round work, and how soon you can start.
Honest price: the published price, with books and materials named, from each school's own website.

Every school ranked here is priced on the same basis: a whole A1 level in an evening group. Where a school splits A1 into two courses, we added the two together. Prices were checked in November 2026.

1.Wiener Volkshochschulen (VHS): best for the most class hours and the lowest price per hour among the schools

CourseWhole A1, two evening courses (A1 and A1+)
Price€940, about 160 hours in class
WhenThree or four evenings a week, 18:00–21:00, about 10–11 weeks per part; A1 then A1+
Group8–16
Ideal forLearners who want plenty of hours for little money, and can give three or four evenings a week

Two courses of €470 each. The A1 course takes the City of Vienna language voucher (MA 17) and the A1+ course the AK education voucher. Coursebook not stated (the teacher names it in the first lesson).

The Wiener Volkshochschulen teach A1 in two courses, A1 and then A1+, each of 81 units, on three or four evenings a week from 18:00 to 21:00. Several district centres run evening groups, so there is usually one near home or work.

Standout strength: the most hours of any school here, about 160 on the timetable for the whole level, at about €6 an hour, the lowest price per hour among the schools. A VHS teaching unit lasts 60 minutes: 50 minutes of teaching and a 10-minute break. The A1 course takes the City of Vienna language voucher and the A1+ course the AK education voucher, which can bring the price down further.

The catch: it asks a lot of your evenings: three hours, three or four times a week, for about ten to eleven weeks per part. Groups of 8–16 are the largest any school here states, so your share of each hour is small, and the coursebook is not named until the first lesson.

Price (2026): about €940 for both courses.

2.Echoa: best for daily speaking practice with an answer to every sentence

CourseSpeaking course, on your phone or computer; German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch and Italian
Price€39 a month; first 3 lessons free. No card needed
LessonsAbout 15 minutes, around fifty spoken answers each
GroupJust you, with Sam answering every sentence you say
Ideal forPeople who understand more German than they can say, and whose evenings are already spoken for

Lesson 1. By the end you say: “Guten Abend! Ich möchte einen Tisch für zwei Personen, bitte.”

Echoa is a speaking course on your phone or computer. Each lesson takes about 15 minutes; you hear an English cue, build the German sentence and say it out loud, and Sam, Echoa's AI teacher, answers what you actually said. The German is standard German as spoken in Germany, not Austria's own variety, and the course runs from a restaurant first, then meeting people, making plans, saying what happened, sorting things out and having friends round, which brings you to A2. The Ich möchte from lesson 1 keeps coming back in sentences learners build on the way:

Lesson 1: Ich möchte einen Tisch für zwei Personen, bitte.
Lesson 4: Ich möchte kein Bier, sondern ein Mineralwasser, bitte.
Lesson 40: Ich möchte ein Paket abholen, weil ich gestern nicht zu Hause war.

It sits at number 2 because the Volkshochschulen put a teacher in front of you for far more hours, for very little per hour. For anyone who understands more German than they can say, Echoa comes first.

Standout strength: around fifty spoken answers in about 15 minutes, every one of them yours and every one answered. No classmates to share the hour with, no 18:00 start to make after work, and you say things you were never taught: new sentences you put together yourself from the pieces you have learnt, not lines you repeat.

The catch: there is no classroom and no human teacher, and it is a speaking course, while the integration exam also tests writing. No certificate; for a permit or citizenship, learners sit the recognised exam. If you want a room in Vienna, a timetable that gets you out of the flat and people to go for a Spritzer with afterwards, a school does that and Echoa does not.

Price (2026): €39 a month for every language course, against about €450–990 for a whole A1 at the schools. The first 3 lessons are free.

€39/mo

Echoa, every language. The other options here cost about €450–990 for a whole A1 level in an evening group.

Start lesson 1 free

3.DeutschAkademie Wien: best for a group capped at 14, on two evenings a week

CourseWhole A1, A1.1 and A1.2 semi-intensive evening
Price€880, about 95 hours in class
WhenMon & Wed or Tue & Thu, from 18:15, 3 hours an evening, 8 weeks per part (16 weeks for A1)
Groupup to 14
Ideal forLearners who want a mid-sized group on two evenings a week and may qualify for a waff refund

Book about €23–32 and copies extra. The school says its waff partnership can refund up to 90% for eligible learners.

DeutschAkademie teaches A1 in two eight-week parts, A1.1 and A1.2, on two evenings a week (Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday) from 18:15, three hours an evening.

Standout strength: groups of up to 14, about 95 hours for the level and no registration fee, at about €9 an hour. The school says its partnership with waff can refund up to 90% of the price for eligible learners.

The catch: sixteen weeks for the whole level, and Book €23–32, copies €1–3; no registration fee. A cap of 14 is still a large share-out of each hour.

Price (2026): about €880 for both parts.

4.inlingua Wien: best for the smallest groups any school here states (4–10)

CourseWhole A1, A1.1 and A1.2 evening groups
Price€990, about 80 hours in class
WhenMon & Wed or Tue & Thu, 18:00–20:00, 10 weeks per part (20 weeks for A1); next A1.1 from 19 January 2027
Group4–10
Ideal forLearners who want a teacher's attention in a small group and don't mind paying for it

Plus €30 materials for each of the two courses.

inlingua Wien teaches A1 in two ten-week courses, A1.1 and A1.2, on two evenings a week from 18:00 to 20:00. The next A1.1 and A1.2 groups both start on 19 January 2027.

Standout strength: the smallest groups any school here states, 4–10, so each learner gets more of the hour and more of the teacher.

The catch: the highest price per hour of the schools ranked here, about €12, for about 80 hours (worked out from the class times, as inlingua does not state lesson length or breaks), plus €30 learning materials per course. Twenty weeks for the whole level.

Price (2026): about €990 for both courses.

5.IFU Institut: best for the lowest price for a whole A1 among the schools

CourseWhole A1, two-month evening intensive
Price€450, about 65 hours in class
WhenMonday to Thursday, 18:00–20:00, two months; monthly starts
Ideal forLearners on a budget who can manage four evenings a week and want to start next month

Four evenings a week. Books not included in the stated price.

IFU Institut runs a two-month evening course for a whole level, Monday to Thursday from 18:00 to 20:00, with a new start every month.

Standout strength: the lowest price for a whole A1 among the schools, about €450, with a new group starting every month.

The catch: four evenings a week, books not included, and no maximum group size (only a minimum of eight). IFU lists 65 hours, about €7 an hour, but its page does not say whether that covers one month or the whole two.

Price (2026): about €450 for two months.

6.IKI Internationales Kulturinstitut: best for a whole A1 in one ten-week block on two evenings a week

CourseWhole A1, one 10-week evening block
Price€470, about 40 hours in class
WhenMon & Wed or Tue & Thu, 18:00–20:00, 10 weeks; next blocks from 7 October 2026 and 11 January 2027
Ideal forAnyone who wants a level done in ten weeks without giving up more than two evenings

Plus a flat fee of 25 for books and copies. The school counts one 10-week block, about 40 hours, as a whole level.

IKI Internationales Kulturinstitut teaches each level in a single ten-week block on two evenings a week (Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday), 18:00 to 20:00. The next block starts on 11 January 2027.

Standout strength: a whole level on two evenings a week, done in ten weeks, at one of Vienna's centres for the ÖIF integration exam, should you need it later.

The catch: the fewest hours of any school here, about 40 for the level, at about €12 an hour, and no group size published. Add €25 flat fee for books, copies, confirmations and certificates.

Price (2026): about €470 for the ten-week block.

The 2026 comparison at a glance

Prices are for a whole A1 level in an evening group, unless the row says what else they buy. Echoa is priced by the month.

Wiener Volkshochschulen (VHS)Best for the most class hours and the lowest price per hour among the schoolsPublic course, groups of 8–16€940 · Speaking: at most 3–7 min an hour, by group size
EchoaBest for daily speaking practice with an answer to every sentenceSpeaking course, on your phone or computer€39 a month · Speaking: around fifty spoken answers in 15 min, each one answered
DeutschAkademie WienBest for a group capped at 14, on two evenings a weekGroup classes, groups of up to 14€880 · Speaking: at most 4 min an hour
inlingua WienBest for the smallest groups any school here states (4–10)Group classes, groups of 4–10€990 · Speaking: at most 6–15 min an hour, by group size
IFU InstitutBest for the lowest price for a whole A1 among the schoolsGroup classes€450 · Speaking: group size not published
IKI Internationales KulturinstitutBest for a whole A1 in one ten-week block on two evenings a weekGroup classes€470 · Speaking: group size not published

A whole A1 level in an evening group: best for, format, price and speaking time
Course	Best for	Format	Typical pricing	Speaking
Wiener Volkshochschulen (VHS)	the most class hours and the lowest price per hour among the schools	Public course, groups of 8–16	€940	at most 3–7 min an hour, by group size
Echoa	daily speaking practice with an answer to every sentence	Speaking course, on your phone or computer	€39 a month	around fifty spoken answers in 15 min, each one answered
DeutschAkademie Wien	a group capped at 14, on two evenings a week	Group classes, groups of up to 14	€880	at most 4 min an hour
inlingua Wien	the smallest groups any school here states (4–10)	Group classes, groups of 4–10	€990	at most 6–15 min an hour, by group size
IFU Institut	the lowest price for a whole A1 among the schools	Group classes	€450	group size not published
IKI Internationales Kulturinstitut	a whole A1 in one ten-week block on two evenings a week	Group classes	€470	group size not published

Prices are rounded; each source linked below has the exact prices. Speaking for a group class is 60 minutes divided by the group size the school states, from a full class to the smallest: the most each learner could speak, before the teacher says anything.

Should you use more than one?

Yes, and for most people it is the quickest way to speak. DeutschAkademie, inlingua and IKI teach on two evenings a week, which leaves five days without a class; even the Volkshochschulen and IFU leave the weekend. The class gives you a teacher, a timetable and a reason to cross town; speaking practice on your own on the other days keeps Tuesday's German there for Thursday. Twenty minutes of saying sentences out loud on the days without a class does more than another hour of listening to other people's.

When to upgrade from your first pick

After a level or two, many learners in Vienna can follow the class and still go quiet when the person at the counter asks a follow-up question at speed. That is the point to add more speaking, not another grammar course. A private tutor gives you the whole hour: about €24–31 an hour on average on Preply. If you can study in the daytime, the Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien runs a five-day semester intensive course that takes you from A1 into A2.

Which one should you choose?

Pick the one that fixes where you get stuck.

You want as many hours as possible for the money: the Volkshochschulen.
You understand German but freeze when you have to say it: Echoa, every day, for €39 a month.
You want a capped group on two evenings a week: DeutschAkademie.
You want the smallest group: inlingua.
You want the lowest price for a whole A1 among the schools, and a start every month: IFU.
You want the level done in ten weeks on two evenings: IKI.

Most people will want one class and one other. If speaking is what worries you, make the other one Echoa. Lesson 1 takes about 15 minutes and the first 3 lessons are free. No card needed.

Start lesson 1 free

Frequently asked questions

How much do German courses in Vienna cost?

A whole A1 in an evening group costs about €450–990 at the schools above, for 40–160 hours on the timetable, which works out at about €6 to €12 an hour, plus books or materials at most of them. Echoa is €39 a month for every language course, with the first 3 lessons free. Private tutors charge about €24–31 an hour on average on Preply.

Are there cheaper or subsidised German courses in Vienna?

Yes: AK Wien members get a €150 education voucher a year; people who must meet the integration agreement get up to 50% of an A2 integration course back from the federal ÖIF voucher (at most €750). The Volkshochschulen's A1 course takes the City of Vienna language voucher, and DeutschAkademie says waff can refund up to 90% for eligible learners. The Universität Wien's Sprachenzentrum charges about €1,000 for a whole A1 in two evening phases, but its evening groups start only in April and in the summer.

What German do I need for an Austrian residence permit or citizenship?

Most first residence permits come with the integration agreement: A2 within two years of the first permit, which can be extended by 12 months. Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte holders count as having met it, and EU Blue Card holders are exempt. Long-term residence (Daueraufenthalt – EU) and citizenship need B1. The A2 is shown with the ÖIF integration exam, which tests speaking and writing at the level: €190 for the ÖIF integration exam at IKI. Moving to Switzerland instead? The permit test there is fide: see fide test preparation in Zurich.

Where can I sit an ÖSD exam in Vienna?

IKI is one of the centres: ÖSD exams at IKI: €85 a single module, €220 for B1, €230 for B2, €250 for C1.

How long does A1 take in an evening course?

From two months to twenty weeks, depending on the school: IFU covers a level in two months on four evenings a week, IKI in ten weeks on two, the Volkshochschulen in two parts of about ten to eleven weeks each, DeutschAkademie in sixteen weeks and inlingua in twenty. The hours behind each differ even more, from about 40 to about 160.

Can I learn German online instead?

Yes. DeutschAkademie runs the same semi-intensive A1 online for about €620 for both parts, in groups of up to 14, though it does not say whether the online classes run in the evening. Echoa is the other online route: no live class, a 15-minute speaking lesson whenever suits you, with Sam answering every sentence. If you are weighing an online school against an app, see Lingoda vs Babbel for German.

About Echoa

German. Accelerated. Echoa is a speaking course on your phone or computer, in German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch and Italian. In each 15-minute lesson you build sentences and say them out loud, and Sam answers every one. Real conversations in 20 hours. A2 in weeks, not years. It costs €39 a month for every language course, and the first 3 lessons are free. We also compare German courses in Zurich and German courses in Berlin, and, for other languages, Spanish classes in Madrid, French classes in Paris, Portuguese classes in Lisbon, Dutch courses in Amsterdam and Italian classes in Rome.

How we compared

This page is published by Echoa, one of the options compared. Every price comes from the source linked for it below, the provider’s own website unless named otherwise, on the date shown. The page is drafted with AI from those sources, then checked against them before it is published. Every option except Echoa, which is priced by the month, is priced on the same basis: a whole A1 level in an evening group. Options under “also checked” were looked at too and are not compared here, because they are priced on another basis or weren’t picked. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Wiener Volkshochschulen (VHS), checked 2026-11-06
IKI Internationales Kulturinstitut, checked 2026-11-06
IFU Institut, checked 2026-11-06
DeutschAkademie Wien, checked 2026-11-06
inlingua Wien, checked 2026-11-06

Also checked, not picked here: Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien, DeutschAkademie online, Berlitz Wien.

Other sources: preply.com, wien.arbeiterkammer.at, ikivienna.at, vhs.at, sprachenzentrum.univie.ac.at.