Vienna carries its Habsburg-era grandeur lightly — grand palaces and opera houses share the city with unhurried coffeehouses where lingering for hours is the whole point. It's compact, clean and easy to navigate, with the Danube and its islands a short tram ride from the historic centre.
Good to know
- Validate your transit ticket before your first ride; a day pass covers trams, buses and the U-Bahn.
- Coffeehouse etiquette: order at the table and you're welcome to linger for hours over one coffee.
- Standing-room tickets for the State Opera go on sale in person a couple of hours before showtime, for a fraction of the seated price.
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Places the planner can use
Mark places as a must or something to skip. The itinerary is built only from this list; ★ marks the destination’s highlights.
A Gothic cathedral with a glazed tile roof at the centre of the old town's pedestrian shopping streets.
A slice of dense chocolate sachertorte with whipped cream in a wood-panelled coffeehouse that's been open since the 1800s.
One of the world's leading opera houses, with a packed rotating repertoire and cheap standing-room tickets on the night.
The former imperial palace, now housing the Sisi Museum and the Lipizzaner horses of the Spanish Riding School.
The Habsburgs' summer palace, 1,441 rooms strong, with formal gardens climbing to a hilltop gloriette overlooking the city.
A baroque palace complex holding Klimt's The Kiss, plus formal gardens between its two grand buildings.
Vienna's biggest and oldest market, stalls of Middle Eastern, Balkan and Austrian food side by side, plus a Saturday flea market.
A historic amusement park anchored by the 1897 Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel, with views over the whole city from the top.
Rustic wine taverns in the vineyard-covered hills above the city, serving this year's new wine with buffet-style Austrian food.
One of the world's largest museum complexes, from classical modern art to the playful Zoom Children's Museum.
A narrow artificial island in the Danube, popular with locals for swimming, cycling and lakeside bars in summer.
A Danube gorge of vineyards, hilltop abbeys and apricot orchards, an hour from Vienna by train with an optional river cruise.