WHAT TO DO IN VIENNA

Vienna is the capital of Austria, a very aristocratic city with impressive buildings and gorgeous architecture!

Best time to go: Spring , Autumn and Christmas. Especially during the Christmas period with all the incredible Christmas markets & decorations, Vienna is amazing but be prepared for low emperatures!

Duration of stay: In my opinion 4 days are needed in Vienna to get a good look at this beautiful city.

Currency: € Euros

Language: German but they speak and understand English.

Tourist-Info address: Albertinaplatz/Maysedergasse 1010 in Vienna every day 10:00 – 18:00

Accommodation: Try to choose your accommodation in Vienna’s city center so you are very close to most of the main attractions. Angel’s tip: A local friend of mine, Thomas advised not to stay near workers district – Favoriten, Simmering, Erdberg- as it’s not a good location. You can take a taxi/bus, tram, e-scooter and metro to the city center if you choose to stay a bit further out, an example is somewhere near the street Leegasse that it’s close to the metro station, close to the famous Schonbrunn castle, Gloriette, the gardens and 20 min from the city center.

Plug:  European electrical plug. In any case it is a good idea to take an adapter with you. Or if you forget , you can maybe ask for one at the hotel reception. (some high end hotels may have usb port where you don’t need a plug)

Car: There is no need in my opinion to rent a car, especially if you choose to stay in the city center. You can easily discover the city purely on foot and by e-scooter (road network with bike lanes is very well organized) ;  sometimes for longer distances you can call uber or take a taxi.

What to do in Vienna?

Check below the 15 things you cannot miss if you visit Vienna for the 1st time:

1. Palaces, palaces and palaces. Yes Austria has many impressive palaces with so much history, marvellous gardens and views. It is much better to book in advance in order to avoid the big queues. Angel’s tip: You can check here some group tickets that you can buy if you plan to visit many palaces.

You can see below the most important for me and the ones I visited :

• the Schönbrunn Palace that was the main summer residence of the Habsburg  rulers with opening times from 09:30 to 17:00 every day. Angel’s tip: in case you just want to visit only some of the gardens and enjoy the palace from the outside, it is free. In case you want to see the inside of the palace (it is wonderful, it takes about 1-2 hours time but I found it expensive) I recommend the classic pass for €28.50 per person to enjoy the tour of the palace along with access to some of the beautiful gardens with magnificent flowers(especially during spring). It is located a bit outside of Vienna city center, so i got there by taxi.
• the Hofburg-Imperial palace: the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty and the main winter residence of the Habsburg rulers. The popular Sisi museum is there and with entrance fee for both 15 €. Open daily from 08:00 to 18:00. Angel’s tip: many say that this is their favorite.
• the Belvedere palace, which originally was the summer residence of Austrian Prince Eugene. On the outside you can see some incredible gardens, admirable sculptures and fountains. Belvedere is consisted of two Baroque palaces, the Orangery and the Palace Stables. It houses a museum as well. The museum has the world’s largest collection of the artist Gustav Klimt, so if you are a fan, this is a must do while in Vienna – the paintings are amazing and the museum offers an application that you can download details and info for many of the paintings and know what you see during your stay there. 2-3 hours are needed. Angel’s tip: If you are not a fan of paintings and art in general, skip it and see it only from outside.

2. Strolling around Stephansplatz where the famous and incredible St. Stephen’s Cathedral is a must. So many shops,

restaurants, bars around and for sure a visit inside the Cathedral is great. The entrance fee to the top of the Cathedral is €5.5, and you need to climb 343 stairs to get there. Angel’s tip: I am not sure if I would recommend it. Although the view from the top is splendid, you can only enjoy it behind closed windows with steel bars and it is tiring haha.

3. Museums, museums, museums. If you are a museum lover, you will adore Vienna. Angel’s tip: on the 1st Sunday of every month some museums have free entrance like the following: Wien Museum Karlsplatz, Roman Museum, Collection of Clocks and Watches, Wien Museum Hermesvilla in the Lainz Game Reserve and the Museum of Military History.

If you have plenty of time to visit some of the incredible museums located in Vienna, some examples follow below:

• Albertina museum is an excellent modern art museum in the heart of Vienna with impressive rooms full of Picasso and Monet artworks.
• Mumok is the largest museum of modern and contemporary art in central Europe.
• Leopold museum with the exquisite paintings.
• The museum of Natural history  is in the extraordinary building.
• Kunsthistorisches- art history museum.
• and so many more that vary from a chocolate museum and a museum of illusions to a Tortuge museum or a museum of Collections of clocks and watches…!

You cannot miss a visit to the MuseumsQuartier, one of the largest cultural quarters in the world. It combines institutions of different art fields, a combination of baroque buildings and modern architecture, restaurants, shops and cafés .

4. Check the modern side of the city,  a different Vienna where the street art conquers : the Hundertwasser house and its museum Kunst Haus. Actually they are buildings where every day people visit and admire. Not possible to enter inside since it is not permitted.

5. Vienna is so elegant, the buildings and the architecture it has are really incredible. So many squares with beautiful statues and fountains. Really impressive buildings apart from the palaces that I recommend you to visit are:

• the Gloriette close to Schönbrunn palace with the cafe
• the Austrian Parliament
• the Justizpalast -Palace of  Justice
• the Rathaus
• the State Hall of the National library (entrance from Josefsplatz 1)
• the Saint Peter’s catholic Church
• the church Kirche am Steinhof

6. If you have kids, a visit to Prater is unavoidable. But even if you don’t, you must see the oldest ferris wheel in the world called ‘Riesenrad’ from 1897 in an impressive entertainment park for kids and adults. The view from above is so beautiful and entrance fee is 12 euros.

7. You cannot leave Vienna without trying the famous viennese Schnitzel. I really recommend to make a reservation for any of the below restaurants:

• “Ribs of Vienna” for absolutely delicious ribs. (€€)
• “Figlmüller” for a huge amazing viennese Schnitzel. (€€)

• “Pürstner” for local Austrian cuisine and atmosphere. (€€)
• “Do & Co” in Stephansplatz for incredible views and great dishes. (€€€) Angel’s tip: The “North Sea cod and lobster beurre blanc” and the “Tuna mango tartare & fried avocados” were really tasty. 

8. Breakfast, Viennese coffee or hot chocolate and a dessert in “Café Central“ in Vienna is absolutely necessary. This is the café where Trotsky, Freud, several writers and poets like Zweig, Polgar and Altenbergafé were going back in 1876). Beautiful interior and kind service but the queue is usually long, so make a reservation in advance. Many people were ordering the popular Viennese dessert “Kaiserchmarrn” which is a lightly sweetened fluffy shredded pancake in slices that took its name from the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I. It is served as a dessert or  light lunch. It is usually accompanied with Zwetschgenröster, something like a plums marmelade.

9. I am sure you have heard of the famous Sacher Torte. Yes, this is the most famous chocolate cake in the world and the most famous in Vienna where it was “born”. You can find the Original Sacher-Torte in hotel Sacher in the city center but queues are extremely long. I waited for 1,5 hour on a Sunday afternoon and I am not sure if it deserved it… Angel’s tip: They accept reservations but not on holidays and not on the same day. I recommend calling for reservation at least 3 days in advance. Alternatively I suggest trying the “Demel” cafe.

10. My favorite bar and hidden gem was “Prunkstuck Kleinod” (closed on Mondays). Amazing ambience, great cocktails/spirits and exquisite service. Another similar is “Kleinod”. “Do&Co” and “25 Hours Hotel” rooftop bar are excellent choices as well for drinks with a view.

11. You must see the Vienna from above in at least one of the following buildings: “Danube Tower”, The Prater “Riesenrad” (the ferris wheel mentioned above), “25 Hours Hotel” rooftop bar, “Gloriette” above the Schönbrunn Palace, the St Stephen’s cathedral. The view is breathtaking!

12. If you are a coffee lover, try something different for a coffee to go. A coffee on a chocolate cone close to Stephanplatz from “Fenster cafe” is an interesting idea.

13. Vienna has beautiful open markets (with cheese, fruits, vegetables and delicious food) to visit and Naschmarkt is one of them, actually the most popular in Vienna. A great place to grab a bite, enjoy your lunch/breakfast with some fresh delightful local specialties or other cuisines.

14. Last but not least, Vienna State Opera: one of the world’s leading opera houses, known especially for performances of works by Richard Wagner, Mozart, and Richard Strauss. You can book tickets here to attend an opera, or ballet night but you can also have a guided tour during the day instead (without watching an opera or a ballet). Guided tours take place daily on specific hours and reservations are not required. You just go there, wait in the queue and choose your group and language (available groups in English, German and French language). Tickets for performances in the opera start from 5-10 €  up to 300 € for the best seats. You can book online or visit the tourist office in order to check where are the best seats available. Angel’s tip: If you want to enjoy a performance and not pay much, there are “standing room” tickets available which are really cheap (€4-6). Tickets go on sale 80 minutes before each performance and seats are not assigned. Our guide told us that these are really great option but you need to be there at least 2 hours before the start of each performance.

You can find more details here.

15. I combined Vienna with Bratislava in Slovakia, so if you are looking into visiting another city close by for 1 day or 2, Bratislava is a great option and only 1 hour far by train! I paid only 16 euros to go and return same day.

Angel’s tip: Bratislava is nothing extraordinary but pleasant, I liked Vienna much more though and my local friend told me that Slovakia has so much more and better things to offer than Bratislava. I had no idea than Slovakia has great castles you can visit and even sleep like Liptovský Hrádok and Hotel Grand Vígľaš, did you? .

Angel’s tip: Another amazing day trip you can do form Vienna is Hallstatt. A fairytale village 3.5 hrs by train or car that I totally recommend it. You can read more in my Hallstatt article. 

 

VIENNA, you are so gorgeous and elegant! I will be back soon!

*For more pictures check my posts, guide & highlight “Vienna” on my Instagram account!*

IG: angeliki.a_