10 Best Things To Do in Vienna

Walking through the center of Vienna is a privilege and its palaces and monuments complete the charm of the Austrian capital. Few cities are as elegant as this one, but Vienna is not only facade: it is history, art, architecture and gastronomy. These are my 10 must-sees in the city.

You've probably heard stories about Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Sissi. Many of them have Schoenbrunn Palace as their main setting, which is located far from the center of Vienna, but is easily accessible by public transport from any point in the city.

In addition to guided tours of Schoenbrunn Palace, Austria's most important palace also offers premium experiences for travelers such as classical music concerts and dinners.

If you are one of those who enjoy taking advantage of the cities at sunset, include this plan among the best things to do in Vienna at night and you will discover the spectacular illumination of this and other buildings.

Vienna is a big city and although walking through its streets is a pleasure, if you have little time available and want to see all its corners avoiding walking, I recommend you to buy a pass for the tourist bus. There are several companies operating in the city, and the two main ones are Big Bus and Vienna Sightseeing.

The Austrian capital has a lot to offer to the traveler, but not only because of its most emblematic sights; also because of its geographical location. Vienna is close to wonderful landscapes and other European capitals that can be seen in a round trip in one day.

Some of the main experiences are the excursion to Melk Abbey and the Wachau Valley, the excursion to Salzburg, the excursion to Budapest, the excursion to Prague and the excursion to the Mauthausen concentration camp.

If you prefer to go on your own to these destinations around Vienna, be sure to visit these posts where I tell you the best way to get there:

• How to get from Vienna to Budapest
• How to get from Vienna to Salzburg
• How to get from Vienna to Prague

There are all kinds of guided tours of Vienna; from electric vehicle rides through the city to walking tours where you have a local guide present. Regardless of your budget and type of travel, there will be a tour tailored to your preferences and taking a tour is a way to learn more about the city and its way of life.

This experience is the next best thing to touring Vienna with a friend who has lived there for years and is fascinated by all the secrets the city has to offer.

Schönbrunn Palace is not the only palace you will come across in Vienna. In the heart of the city center is the Hofburg, the residence of most of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty. Today, the architectural ensemble of the palace is the most visited place in the city.

If you want to focus on the basics, I recommend buying the Hofburg Imperial Palace ticket which includes access to the imperial apartments and the Sissi museum; it is the most worthwhile for those who want to get a general impression of the palace and are not interested in more specialized visits such as the silver museum or the riding school.

It's no secret that Vienna is known to many as the city of music. If you have walked, even briefly, through its streets, you will have already seen that the figure of Mozart rivals that of Empress Sissi in popularity in all souvenir stores. That is why the Vienna State Opera is one of the most notable and visited monuments of the Austrian capital.

If you want to attend an opera in Vienna, I recommend two things when buying tickets: look online for the cheapest price offers (because you will find tickets from 5 to 150 euros) and book well in advance because with one or two days in advance it will be very difficult to find a seat.

For lovers of this art, you can't miss the House of Music in Vienna where you can discover in an interactive way historical instruments and personal objects of the great classical composers, among many other things! I explain in this link how to get your tickets. Undoubtedly, a fantastic plan if you are traveling with family and include in your list of things to see and do in Vienna with children.

Probably not to go with children, but one of the best Christmas plans in Vienna is undoubtedly the famous New Year's concert. It is not easy to get tickets to see the great musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, but in case you want to try, I leave you this post about the great musical event of the year in Vienna.

The list of palaces to visit in Vienna is considerably long. Belvedere Palace is considered a Baroque masterpiece and houses the Austrian National Gallery where you can see works such as Klimt's The Kiss. In addition to visiting the interior, a tour of the French gardens is a must.

Depending on the areas of the complex you want to visit you can buy one or another ticket to the Palace both at the box office and online. Pay attention to what is included in each ticket as many of the areas to visit are in separate pavilions away from the palace.

A must for art lovers. The Habsburgs managed to gather a collection of world-famous masterpieces and they are all collected in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, also known as the Museum of Fine Arts. Caravaggio, Dürer or Brueghel the Elder are some of the protagonists of this museum. If you are going to visit it, pay special attention to its collection of Egyptian Art.

A tip: try to buy your tickets online and in advance to avoid, as far as possible, the long queues that form at the box office. Children under the age of 18 are free. But to understand the incredible collection of this museum I also recommend one of the guided tours, where they will tell you in detail the story behind the main works.

Without a doubt, this is one of the best museums in Vienna, although not the only one.

What is it like to eat in Vienna? Austrian cuisine is characterized by tradition and international openness and is accessible to all budgets. In Vienna you can eat in the typical street sausage stalls (one of the most popular varieties is the Käsekrainer that mixes pork and cheese) and also in the typical Viennese restaurants known as "Beisin" that will serve you traditional dishes.

My advice is to go by the recommendations of the locals, but if you want to play it safe you can order the Wiener Schnitzel**(veal** or porkescalope in batter) or the Tafelspitz (beef stew). If you are curious about Viennese food, don't hesitate to visit the Naschmarkt market, where you can also access great tastings.

In any other city, going to the amusement park is usually more of an activity reserved for locals than for those visiting the city. There are too many sights to see in a new place to see things you can find anywhere else, so why do I recommend spending a day at Vienna's amusement park? Because the Prater is not just any amusement park.

The Prater is the oldest amusement park in the world, the one with the largest hanging merry-go-round ever built and the largest discotheque in all of Austria. In addition to all this, there are 250 attractions open from March to October. In short, if you like amusement parks, going to the Prater during your visit to the Austrian capital is not a waste of time.

That it is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe is well known to all visitors to Vienna throughout the year. Undoubtedly, choosing this as the European capital for a getaway for a few days is a good decision.

My recommendation is to plan your trip, make sure you book your airport transfers in Vienna and get a tourist card, the Vienna Pass. Do not miss these tips to travel to Vienna and make the most of the city.

When is the ideal time to visit the Austrian city?

The cold temperatures of autumn and winter in Vienna can not make you avoid traveling to the beautiful city at this time of year, since even the snow has its charm there. On the other hand, spring and summer in this area, which bring you warmer and more pleasant temperatures, will also attract more tourists. To clarify if you still have doubts, take a look at these posts about the best activities according to the season in which you travel:

• 10 things to see and do in Vienna in summer
• 10 things to see and do in Vienna in winter
• 10 things to see and do in Vienna in Spring
• 10 things to see and do in Vienna in autumn

Or maybe you prefer to know the options by month:

• 10 things to see and do in Vienna in January
• 10 things to see and do in Vienna in February
• 10 things to see and do in Vienna in March
• 10 things to see and do in Vienna in August
• 10 things to see and do in Vienna in September
• 10 things to see and do in Vienna in October
• 10 things to see and do in Vienna in November
• 10 things to see and do in Vienna in December

And now that we have the when, let me tell you what is the best travel plan depending on the time you have in Vienna:

• Vienna in 1 day: what you can't miss
• Vienna in 2 days: the best itinerary
• Vienna in 3 days: all you need to see
• Vienna in 4 days: a must-see guide
• Vienna in 5 days: get the most out of your trip