Cheap things to do in Vienna
Sausage stands, free courtyards, canal bars and coffee houses that cost almost nothing.
This is Vienna for people who want the real city without the bill: baroque rooms on a cheap ticket, schnitzel priced for students, parks that cost nothing and bars that locals actually drink in. Three days cover the 1st district, the creative hum of Neubau and the quieter, canal-side Karmeliterviertel, so you move through the city rather than camping in one postcard corner. If your idea of a good evening is a cold drink in a low-lit bar, not a tasting menu, this plan is yours.
Day 1: Hofburg, sausage and a late drink
Coffee at Hawelka, one of the world's great baroque library rooms on a cheap ticket, a street sausage, the Albertina, then Gasthaus Pöschl's honest Austrian cooking and a nightcap at Kleinod Prunkstück.
- 9:30 AM
Café Hawelka
Historic artists' café in the 1st district, grab a coffee and soak up the bohemian atmosphere before hitting the sights.
Map - 10:30 AM
State Hall
One of the world's most beautiful baroque library rooms inside the Hofburg, cheap ticket, jaw-dropping hall.
Map - 12:30 PM
Bitzinger Sausage Stand
Käsekrainer at the stand behind the Opera, eaten standing with mustard and a pickle.
Map - 2:00 PM
Albertina
Monet to Picasso plus the Habsburg staterooms on one ticket, and the terrace view over the Opera.
Map - 7:30 PM
Gasthaus Pöschl
Gasthaus Pöschl off Franziskanerplatz: schnitzel or goulash and a glass of Grüner Veltliner.
Map - 9:00 PM
Kleinod Prunkstück
Critic-approved bar a short walk from dinner, wind down the night with a local drink before heading back.
Map
Day 2: MuseumsQuartier, schnitzel, Volksgarten
A locals-only coffee house, a free outdoor cultural courtyard, a no-frills schnitzel room and a sprawling park get you to dinner at Rinkhy and a low-key speakeasy finish at Fitzcarraldo.
- 9:30 AM
Café Jelinek
Classic Viennese neighbourhood coffee house, locals-only vibe, cheap and unhurried morning read.
Map - 10:30 AM
MuseumsQuartier Wien
Enormous free outdoor courtyard of one of the world's great cultural complexes, wander the MQ quarter and dip into free spaces without spending a cent.
Map - 12:30 PM
Schnitzelwirt
Student-proof schnitzel prices in a no-frills Neubau room, exactly the cheap, local lunch this day calls for.
Map - 4:30 PM
Volksgarten
The Volksgarten's rose beds, thousands of bushes, and the Theseus Temple, free and central.
Map - 7:30 PM
Rinkhy Delikatessen Bar
Zieglergasse bar built around an oyster aquarium; wine, cocktails and small plates to share.
Map - 9:00 PM
Day 3: Augarten, the canal and Dino's bar
A free baroque park in the morning, a famous veggie kebab at lunch, a wine shop wander, then NENI on the canal and cocktails at Dino's Apothecary Bar to close.
- 9:30 AM
Der schöne Ernst
Neighbourhood café on Praterstrasse for a cheap coffee and pastry before the Augarten.
Map - 10:30 AM
Augarten
Free baroque park for a morning walk, a favourite green escape right in the neighbourhood.
Map - 12:30 PM
- 4:30 PM
- 7:30 PM
NENI am Wasser
NENI am Wasser on the canal, buzzy Israeli food at a fair price with a great waterfront vibe.
Map - 9:30 PM
Dino's Apothecary Bar | Falstaff Bar des Jahres 23, 24 & 2025
Apothecary-style cocktail bar on Salzgries; order from the house tinctures, steps from the canal.
Map
Where to stay
Hotel Pension Suzanne
The only $ hotel in the list, a short walk from Hawelka and the Albertina, and it sits cleanly in the middle of all three days.
25hours Hotel Vienna at MuseumsQuartier
Right on the MuseumsQuartier doorstep and a straight shot to both the 1st district and the Karmeliterviertel, at a mid-range price that fits a thrifty trip.
Make Vienna your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Schönbrunn Palace: a few days ahead
- Upper Belvedere: a few days ahead
- Vienna State Opera: months ahead
- Spanish Riding School: weeks ahead
- Amador: weeks ahead
- Steirereck im Stadtpark: weeks ahead
Skip these
- Costumed Mozart ticket sellers push mediocre concerts at premium prices. The opera standing ticket costs less and is the real thing.
- Restaurants with touts on Kärntner Strasse, Graben and along the Naschmarkt main run are the overpriced zone. Walk two streets away.
- The Café Sacher queue can run an hour for cake also served at Demel and other grand cafes. Pick the short queue.
- Hundertwasserhaus is homes with no interior tour. Photograph it free, then visit Kunst Haus Wien for the museum.
The full Vienna travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around