Vienna packs imperial grandeur, world-class art, and an unmatched coffee house culture into a walkable historic core. The Innere Stadt (Inner City), a UNESCO World Heritage site, holds the Hofburg Palace, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and the Ringstrasse boulevard’s museum cluster. This guide covers the essential attractions with practical details on tickets, timing, and getting there.
Things to Do in Vienna: Imperial Palaces
Schonbrunn Palace
The Habsburg summer palace, a 1,441-room Baroque masterpiece and UNESCO site 5km from the centre. The Imperial Tour covers 22 state rooms (22 euros, 50 minutes); the Grand Tour adds another 18 rooms including Maria Theresa’s apartments (28 euros, 70 minutes). Open daily: April-June and September-October 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM, July-August until 6 PM, November-March until 5 PM. Timed-entry tickets are mandatory and should be booked at schoenbrunn.at at least a day ahead; in peak season, morning slots sell out weeks in advance. The gardens are free and open from 6:30 AM (the Gloriette viewpoint over the palace is best at sunrise when empty). The Privy Garden and Orangery cost extra (5 euros each). U4 Schonbrunn station (green line); 15 minutes from Karlsplatz. Budget 3-4 hours for palace and gardens.
Hofburg Palace Complex
The Habsburg winter palace in the city centre: a sprawling complex that today houses the Sisi Museum, Imperial Apartments, and the Spanish Riding School. The Sisi Ticket (36 euros) covers the Imperial Apartments, Sisi Museum, and the Imperial Furniture Collection (Hofmobiliendepot) and is valid for one year. The Imperial Apartments tour takes you through Franz Joseph’s and Empress Elisabeth’s private quarters with original furnishings. Open daily 9 AM to 5:30 PM (July-August until 6 PM). The Spanish Riding School morning exercise sessions (Training) are the affordable way to see the Lipizzaner stallions: 15 euros for standing room, Tuesday-Friday 10 AM to 12 PM, book at srs.at 2-3 months ahead. Full performances cost 50-180 euros and sell out months in advance. The Hofburg is a 5-minute walk from Stephansplatz (U1, U3).
Belvedere Palace
Two Baroque palaces connected by a formal French garden, housing Austrian art from the Middle Ages to the present. The Upper Belvedere holds Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss (1908), the single most-viewed artwork in Austria. Other highlights: Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, and the Vienna Secession collection. Tickets: Upper Belvedere 17.90 euros; combined Upper + Lower 24.90 euros. Open daily 9 AM to 6 PM (until 7 PM in summer). The marble hall and garden views toward the old town are themselves worth the visit. Book timed entry at belvedere.at; The Kiss gallery gets very crowded from 11 AM onward. Tram D (Schloss Belvedere stop) or a 10-minute walk from Wien Hauptbahnhof. Budget 1.5-2 hours for Upper Belvedere, an extra hour for Lower Belvedere.
Things to Do in Vienna: Museums
Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM)
One of the world’s great art museums, built in 1891 to house the Habsburg imperial collection. The Picture Gallery has the world’s largest Bruegel collection (including The Tower of Babel and Hunters in the Snow), plus masterworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Raphael, Caravaggio, and Velazquez. The building itself, with its marble stairway and Gustav Klimt ceiling frescos in the main staircase, is an artwork. Tickets: 21 euros. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10 AM to 6 PM (Thursday until 9 PM). The Thursday evening opening is the quietest time to visit. The Kunstkammer (Chamber of Art and Wonders) on the ground floor houses the Habsburg collection of curiosities including Cellini’s golden Saliera salt cellar, valued at 60 million euros. Located on Maria-Theresien-Platz on the Ringstrasse; U2/U3 Volkstheater. Budget 2.5-3 hours. The cafe with its domed ceiling is one of the city’s most beautiful coffee stops.
Albertina Museum
A palace-turned-museum housing one of the world’s largest graphic art collections: 50,000 drawings and prints from Durer to Schiele to Warhol. The staterooms (Habsburg State Rooms) on the first floor survived the 1945 bombing and show the last imperial living quarters in gold-and-silk opulence. The modern extension hosts major photography and contemporary exhibitions. Tickets: 18.90 euros. Open daily 10 AM to 6 PM (Wednesday and Friday until 9 PM with reduced evening admission after 6 PM). The Albertinaplatz entrance faces the State Opera; the rooftop terrace has an excellent view of the Staatsoper. The Monet to Picasso Batliner Collection is on permanent display. Budget 2 hours. The combination ticket with the Albertina Modern (Karlsplatz) is 25.90 euros.
MuseumsQuartier (MQ)
A 60,000-square-metre cultural complex in the former imperial stables, housing the Leopold Museum (Schiele, Klimt, Vienna 1900), the MUMOK (modern/contemporary art), the Kunsthalle Wien, and the Architekturzentrum Wien. The main courtyard with its colourful geometric seating blocks (Enzis) is a public living room where Viennese gather with drinks from the surrounding bars. The Leopold Museum (15 euros) has the world’s largest Egon Schiele collection. The MUMOK (15 euros) focuses on pop art, Fluxus, and Viennese Actionism. Combined MQ ticket: 35 euros for Leopold + MUMOK + Kunsthalle. Open daily, hours vary by museum (generally 10 AM to 6-7 PM). U2 Museumsquartier or U3 Volkstheater. Budget 2-4 hours depending on museums visited. The MQ courtyard bars open at 4 PM and stay lively until midnight in summer.
Things to Do in Vienna: Churches and Landmarks
St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom)
Vienna’s Gothic centrepiece with a 136-metre south tower (Steffl) visible from across the city. The main nave is free to enter. The catacombs tour (6 euros, 30 minutes, departs every 30 minutes) takes you through the bishops’ crypt and the bone chambers from the 1735 plague pit, where an estimated 10,000 bodies were stacked. The south tower climb (343 steps, 6.50 euros) rewards with a panoramic city view; the north tower has a lift (6.50 euros) up to the Pummerin bell, cast from Ottoman cannon captured in 1683. The cathedral treasury (6 euros) holds relics, monstrances, and liturgical objects. Open Monday-Saturday 6 AM to 10 PM, Sundays/holidays 7 AM to 10 PM (tower/catacombs have shorter hours: generally 9 AM to 5:30 PM). Stephansplatz, U1/U3 Stephansplatz. Budget 1-2 hours. Visit early morning (before 9 AM) to see the interior without crowds.
Prater and the Giant Ferris Wheel (Wiener Riesenrad)
The Prater is a 6-square-kilometre public park and amusement area. The Wiener Riesenrad (Giant Ferris Wheel), built in 1897, survived both world wars and features in the film The Third Man. A 12-15 minute ride costs 13.50 euros; private cabin dinners with champagne run upwards of 150 euros. The Wurstelprater amusement park surrounding it has 250 attractions including roller coasters, ghost trains, and beer gardens; entry is free, individual rides cost 1.50-5 euros. The green Prater (Grüner Prater) beyond the amusement area has the Hauptallee, a 4.5-kilometre straight tree-lined avenue for walking, jogging, and cycling. Open daily: Riesenrad 10 AM to 10 PM (winter until 8-9 PM, check wienerriesenrad.com). U1/U2 Praterstern, then a 5-minute walk. The Lusthaus restaurant at the end of Hauptallee has been serving since 1784 and is a good lunch stop.
Naschmarkt
Vienna’s largest outdoor market, operating since the 16th century on the Wien River between Karlsplatz and Kettenbrückengasse. Roughly 120 stalls and restaurants sell fresh produce, spices, cheese, olives, Middle Eastern food, and prepared dishes, running 1.5 kilometres. The market is at its best on Saturdays when the adjacent flea market (Flohmarkt) operates 6:30 AM to 2 PM with antiques, vinyl, and bric-a-brac. The permanent restaurants at the east end (near Karlsplatz) serve full meals with outdoor seating for 10-18 euros per main course. Monday to Friday 6 AM to 7:30 PM, Saturday 6 AM to 5 PM (closed Sunday except for restaurants). U4 Kettenbrückengasse. Budget 1-2 hours to browse and eat. Tachles and Neni are the most popular sit-down spots; arrive before 12:30 PM for a Saturday lunch table.
For more on how to structure your days, see our Vienna neighbourhoods guide and where to stay in Vienna for accommodation recommendations. Check events and festivals for seasonal happenings.
