Vienna travel guide
Where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Things to do in Vienna, planned over three days
Best time to visit Vienna
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring, one of the two best windows. Mild weather, gardens return, terraces open and crowds stay moderate.
Summer festival season with real heat. The main opera season ends in late June and smaller places close in August.
Autumn, the other best window. Seasons reopen, wine harvest and Heuriger time, gold light and thinner crowds.
Winter. Christmas markets to 26 December, then quiet January museums and ball season in January and February.
What's on
- Easter Markets Easter
Spring markets across the city, with Schönbrunn's the prettiest.
- Vienna City Marathon April
The city's big spring marathon.
- Wiener Festwochen May to June
Vienna's big theatre and festival season.
- Donauinselfest late June
Europe's largest free open air festival on the Danube Island.
- Rathausplatz Film Festival July to August
Free nightly music films with a big food garden in front of City Hall.
- Vienna Wine Hiking Days late September to early October
Vineyard trails open with taverns pouring along the route during harvest.
- Christmas Markets mid November to 26 December
Rathausplatz is the giant, Schönbrunn and Karlsplatz are local favourites, Spittelberg is the romantic one.
- New Year's Concert 1 January
At the Musikverein Golden Hall, entered by ballot only.
- Wiener Eistraum January to March
A large ice rink city outside the Rathaus.
- Vienna Opera Ball February
The crown of ball season at the State Opera, strictly formal and bookable by the public.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Vienna
Schönbrunn Palace
The Habsburg summer palace with grand state rooms, vast gardens and the Gloriette view over Vienna.
Upper Belvedere
A Baroque palace holding the largest Klimt collection, centred on The Kiss.
Vienna State Opera
One of the great opera houses, with a different production most nights and standing places for a few euros.
Kunsthistorisches Museum
The imperial art collection with the largest Bruegel holdings and a beautiful domed cafe.
St. Stephen's Cathedral
Vienna's Gothic symbol, with a South Tower climb for the definitive view over the old town.
Café Landtmann
The grand Ring coffee house version of the ritual, open since 1873 by the Burgtheater.
Café Jelinek
A local coffee house where residents linger over one coffee and the newspapers.
Café Hawelka
A much loved artists' cafe known for Buchteln pastries late in the evening.
Where to stay in Vienna
Innere Stadt
first trip, all round base
Inside the Ring with the cathedral, Hofburg and Opera walkable, and quiet nights.
Neubau
local feeling base, repeat visitors
MuseumsQuartier district with boutiques and cafe bars, cooler and cheaper than District 1.
Josefstadt
quiet base, light sleepers
Residential and calm between the Ring and the Gurtel, with theatres and old cafes.
Leopoldstadt
families and value
Greener, roomier and cheaper across the canal, with the Prater and Karmelitermarkt.
Wieden and Margareten
food trips and younger travellers
Naschmarkt home turf with small restaurants and bars, a short walk from the Opera.
Landstrasse
practical base, rail travellers
Belvedere, Stadtpark and Wien Mitte airport trains, at below District 1 prices.
Think twice about
- Favoriten south of the Hauptbahnhof, around Reumannplatz and Keplerplatz
A rougher street scene with drug use and loitering, and few visitor amenities. It is cheap hotel territory that traps visitors by accident.
- Immediately around Praterstern station
The forecourt and underpasses concentrate visible homelessness and loitering at night. Pass through, do not sleep beside it.
- The Gürtel late night strip
A loud ring road under the U6 arches with red light stretches and traffic noise. A hotel on it buys noise, not charm.
- Simmering and the far outer districts
Not dangerous, just industrial and residential with few sights or cafes and a daily commute tax on a short trip.
Best restaurants in Vienna
Amador
Juan Amador's three star avant garde tasting menu, served in a vaulted wine cellar in Grinzing.
Steirereck im Stadtpark
Vienna's defining fine dining room, built on hyper local Austrian produce in the Stadtpark.
Mraz & Sohn
A two star family restaurant with no tablecloths, a surprise menu and great natural wine.
TIAN
A vegetarian tasting menu holding a star and a Green Star by St Stephen's.
Plachutta Wollzeile
The temple for Tafelspitz, beef simmered in broth and served in the copper pan.
Figlmüller Wollzeile
The famous schnitzel that overhangs the plate, tourist loved and genuinely excellent.
Gasthaus Woracziczky
A relaxed neighbourhood Gasthaus in Margareten with Viennese classics and an affordable weekday lunch menu.
Meierei im Stadtpark
Steirereck's casual sibling, known for over 100 cheeses and superb goulash.
Outdoor things to do in Vienna
Wachau Valley
A UNESCO Danube valley of vineyards, apricot orchards and villages between Melk and Krems.
Danube Cycle Path
A flat paved riverside ride through Wachau vineyards, with wine stops and kayaking options.
Kahlenberg
Vienna's vineyard hike up through the Nussberg vines to a panorama over the city and Danube.
Donauinsel
A long river island with free swimming, cycling and rollerblading paths all summer.
Alte Donau
A calm lake like arm of the Danube for sailing, rowing, electric boats and paddleboarding.
Strandbad Gänsehäufel
Vienna's huge municipal beach club on its own island in the Old Danube.
Lainzer Tiergarten
A former imperial hunting reserve with free entry, forest trails, deer and wild boar.
Bratislava Old Town
Slovakia's compact capital, about an hour away, with a castle, old town and strong cafes.
Best hotels in Vienna
Hotel Sacher Wien
Vienna's most famous hotel opposite the Opera, home of the Original Sacher Torte.
Park Hyatt Vienna
A grand former bank headquarters with vast rooms and a pool in the old vault.
Hotel Imperial Vienna
A Ringstrasse palace hotel of 1863, all chandeliers and state guests.
The Guesthouse Vienna
A design boutique by the Albertina with calm apartment feeling rooms and a great bakery.
Pension Suzanne
A plain, spotless family pension near the Opera with an enormous breakfast.
Hotel Austria
An honest family run budget pension a few streets from the Opera.
Hotel Altstadt Vienna
A beloved art filled boutique in a patrician house, with a legendary breakfast salon.
Sans Souci Wien
Neubau's polished boutique luxury option with a serious spa and pool by the MuseumsQuartier.
Is Vienna expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €85 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €160 a person |
| Splurge | €420 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to 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
- Mraz & Sohn: weeks ahead
- Figlmüller Wollzeile: a few days ahead
- Schönbrunn sells out days ahead in season. Book the official site and take the first slot.
- Upper Belvedere is timed entry. Book ahead, especially at weekends.
- Opera and Musikverein seats for popular productions sell out months ahead. The New Year's Concert is ballot only, about a year ahead.
- Amador, Steirereck and Mraz and Sohn need weeks ahead at weekends. Figlmüller and Mochi need days ahead.
- Most shops close on Sundays and public holidays. Plan Saturday shopping accordingly.
Is Vienna safe?
- Vienna is one of Europe's safest capitals. Watch for pickpockets at Stephansplatz, in Christmas markets and on busy trams.
- Praterstern and Favoriten can feel uncomfortable rather than dangerous for most visitors.
- Check prices before ordering in late night bars that tout you in. Emergency number is 112.
- Tip by rounding up or adding 5 to 10 percent in cash to the server with the bill.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Vienna travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- 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.
- Hallstatt as a day trip means a long day for a crowded village at its worst hour. Stay overnight or skip it.
Getting around Vienna: public transport and more
- Walk District 1 and use Wiener Linien for the rest, buying tickets in the WienMobil app.
- The 24 hour and weekly tickets are the visitor sweet spots. Trams 1 and 2 around the Ring are a sightseeing tour for a normal fare.
- Validate before you ride. Inspectors are frequent and the on the spot surcharge is well over 100 euros.
- For the airport, Railjet trains reach the Hauptbahnhof in about 15 minutes for a standard fare. Do not take the CAT on price alone.
Who Vienna suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Vienna your trip
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