In this article, read about Things to Do in Vienna Austria Tour. Vienna is Austria’s capital city, with flavors of intellectualism, art, and romanticism. Plan your Vienna Itinerary 2 Days in your one week in Austria tour after reading this post.
Vienna has been dramatically influenced by famous legends like Sigmund Freud, Mozart, and Beethoven. It lies in the eastern part of Europe, bordering Czech, Slovakia, and Hungary, and has a high quality of life and living, according to many surveys.
Click here to book some of the best stays in Vienna / Wien Austria
It ranks second after Melbourne for High Quality of Life. Vienna houses many international organizations like the UN and OPEC. Feel a great culture, art, music, history, and famous Viennese coffee houses during your Quick Vienna Tour.
Vienna Itinerary 2 days (48 Hours in Vienna Austria)
Day 1 of Vienna Itinerary 2 Days
- Start early from your hotel. Visit the iconic Schönbrunn Palace, the former summer residence of the Habsburgs.
- Explore the beautiful St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the city’s heart.
- Have a traditional Viennese lunch at a local restaurant near the cathedral.
- Visit the Museum of Fine Arts, which houses an extensive collection of European art.
- Take a stroll through the Naschmarkt, a famous outdoor market selling various foods and souvenirs.
- In the evening, attend a historic Vienna State Opera House concert.
Day 2 of Vienna Itinerary 2 Days
- Visit the Imperial Palace, the former home of the Habsburg dynasty.
- Explore the Kunsthistorisches Museum, one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, to see its extensive collection of art and artifacts.
- Stop by the famous Café Sacher for a taste of the original Sachertorte, a chocolate cake that is a specialty of Vienna.
- Visit the stunning Belvedere Palace, which now houses the Museum of Austrian Art.
- Take a relaxing stroll through the Volksgarten, a beautiful park in Vienna’s heart.
- In the evening, enjoy a traditional Viennese dinner at a local restaurant.
Quick Read: – If you going to Europe for the first time, then read best way to travel through Europe with many tips which are helpful for first-timers.
Best Things to Do in Vienna Austria Tour
SCHONBRUNN PALACE – Places to visit in Vienna
It is an 18th-century summer residence of the Habsburgs Royal family. This Palace consists of many impressive ceremonial rooms with grand frescoes and artistic works. Buy a Schonbrunn Palace ticket – skip the line tour in advance to avoid last minute rush.
This palace has 1440 grand rooms, all decorated in their unique style. This palace is surrounded by sprawling manicured gardens, a maze, and huge open areas. You can spend a few hours in these open areas. You can go through a famous maze formed by bushes and shrubs or trek to the green hill to Gloriette.
Gloriette is a stunning Roman-style arch that overlooks the Palatial grounds and fountains. The view of the Palace with gardens from Gloriette is impressive. You can also go to the famous zoo “Tiergarten” – The oldest Zoo in the world in the Palace area. Therefore Schonbrunn Palace is a famous Austrian landmark in Austria worth visiting.
Tip – Visit this attraction early or first in the morning to avoid huge crowds later on. Take a guided audio tour with tickets for the palace to have all the details and history of the Palace and Vienna. There is a special discount for Vienna Card holders for this palace. Click here to purchase a Vienna city card, which has unlimited free access to public transport with a hop-on hop-off add-on.
Schönbrunn Park is free to enter and open all year for visitors. This park has a great collection of fountains, statues, monuments, a zoo, flora & fauna, horse carriages, a zoo, and a maze. Click here to book your guided tour to the garden and Palace.
Schönbrunn Palace requires an entry ticket, which you can purchase online from their official site to avoid massive Qs. Click here to book your skip-the-line tour at Schonbrunn Palace with the Vienna city tour. Click here for timings, the price of ticket, map/Location of Schönbrunn Palace.
HOFBURG PALACE
Located in the center of the old city, this palace is an excellent example of Neo-classical to Baroque architecture. This 13th-century Palace was a royal residence for the Habsburg monarchy till 1918, but now it houses the office of the President of Austria. This Palace is also known as Imperial Palace.
Hofburg Palace opens every day from 9:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M., varies according to the season. There is an entrance fee to visit inside. Admire the splendid and magnificent collections of the noble royal family. Check the official website of Hofburg Palace for full details.
St. STEPHEN’S CATHEDRAL
This is an icon of Vienna, or it forms the iconic skyline of Vienna. It was constructed in the 12th century with Gothic Architecture. From the North towers, you can have spectacular views of Vienna. This cathedral was severely damaged during World War II and the Turkish War, but it was reconstructed later.
This cathedral has beautiful interiors with beautiful relics decorated in gold and precious stones. Many famous legends have their final resting place in this cathedral. You can also attend weekly mass and Easter concerts. Entry is free, but for climbing towers and visiting catacombs, you need to pay a nominal amount of 6$ per person.
AUSTRIAN PARLIAMENT BUILDING
This is not the only center of the political activity of Austria but a beautiful historic building with noble architecture which is following Greek and Roman styles.
The state of Pallas Athnene in front of it is an eye-catcher and an excellent piece of sculpture. You can visit inside and take impressions of how politicians work actually. Go through their official guided tours and check their timings by clicking here.
The UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA
The Public University of Vienna, Austria, is one of the oldest universities in the German-speaking area. It is one of the largest universities in Europe and is famous for its Humanities Faculty. 15 Nobel prize winners have been associated with this University.
BELVEDERE PALACE
This 18th-century place is an excellent example of Baroque architecture. It is divided into two parts –
- The Upper Belvedere
- The Lower Belvedere
Go for the lovely views of the whole of Vienna city from Upper Belvedere.
Tips – Things To Do In Vienna Austria Tour
- Vienna is the perfect place to visit in Central Europe, and there are many places nearby where you can plan your own Central Europe tour. Read more about the Central Europe itinerary – Austria – Prague – Hungary.
- There are many things to do on the Vienna Tour for which you really need a couple more days to spend here. Be it classical music opera compositions by Vienna’s Mozart or passing through magnificent. Grab Vienna’s famous creamy and frothy coffee, which is not to be missed. Vienna has a vibrant and colorful Coffee culture.
- There are many other exciting things to do in Vienna. Read about 25 top things to do here.
- Vienna can be very much planned during weekends, and you can have 1, 2 or 3 Days trip to Vienna.
- Check Best Christmas Markets in Vienna and read here to know about the 25 best places to spend Christmas in other parts of Europe too.
HOW TO REACH VIENNA – 48 Hours in Vienna
Vienna is the International Airport of Austria.
Vienna is very well connected to the Euro Rail network and therefore can be reached through major cities of Europe.
COMMUTING IN VIENNA – Vienna Itinerary
Metro and Public transport is a cost-effective and time-efficient mode of transport.
WHERE TO STAY IN VIENNA – WHAT TO EAT IN AUSTRIA
- Stay near Vienna Main Railway station or at the famous shopping street of Vienna – “Kaerntnerstrasse.” This lively shopping street starts from State Opera House to St. Stephen’s Cathedral and is located in Vienna’s heart. Check my stay at Mariahilfer Straße, which is Vienna’s largest shopping street, by clicking here.
- Try some fantastic traditional Austrian food when visiting Austria.
DAY TRIPS FROM VIENNA – Best Things To Do In Vienna Austria Tour
- Go for a Day trip or overnight stay to Salzburg – a City of Music and beautiful countryside surrounded by the Austrian Alps. Click here to book your Sound of Music tour to Salzburg from Vienna with stunning stopovers.
- Check beautiful Austrian lakes while going to Salzburg, and click here to book your Austrian lakes with Salzburg tour.
- Hallstatt is another beautiful Austrian town which you can also go to for a day trip or side trip from Vienna.
- Click here to book your Melk, Hallstatt and Salzburg private trip.
- Or you can go cycling around the famous Danube path to Budapest from Vienna.
As Vienna is on the border of Prague (Czech Republic) and Hungary(Budapest), you can go for side trips or extended weekend trips to these places.
Generally, people include Austria, Prague (Czech Republic), and Budapest in their Eastern Europe Tour. Click here to book your Prague day trip from Vienna. I did Austria and Prague during East Europe Tour.
Read this for what to do in Historical Prague.
Till then KEEP TRAVELING……………… KEEP EXPLORING……………………………………………………
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Vienna is close to home and there is always tons to see and do, love this city. It’s elegant, beautiful with great food and excellent galleries.
Love Vienna! Too much to see and do and one day is definitely not enough. You need at least a week of hard sight-seeing to really see the essence of the city. i love to return to Vienna regularly and explore another layer. And the closest day trip to another European capital is Bratislava, Slovakia, just 30 min by car. 🙂
Good to know that Brastislava is just 30 min by car and I missed it.
This is great. I haven’t been to Vienna, this article helps me plan my trip. I definitely want to add the Schonbrunn and Hofburg Palaces to my itinerary.
I really loved visiting Austria and Vienna mainly and this post helped me plan a few things before I went. Like one of the highlights of this post the Schonbunn Palace is one of the most iconic places to visit in Vienna. I almost spent a whole day here. The lovely cafes and are such a good way to spend some quality time and soak in the city whist reading a book and sipping on a coffee. Overall a great experience and a good way to thank you for the tips was to pen down a comment.
I love your shots of the University of Vienna! We accidentally wandered in on our trip and were blown away by how stunning it is. Well done!
Great article Yukti, thanks for sharing 🙂
Vienna is an incredible city and the reason I’m now working in real-estate within Austria.
I’m a very well traveled individual and have always struggled to find cities that can match Vienna for it’s rich culture and incredible architecture.
Thanks Branson!
I haven’t been to Vienna so this post was very informative for me. Your tips about day-trips and where to stay will come in very handy. Definitely on my bucket-list.
I love Vienna and had a marvellous time when we went there. I most enjoyed Belvedere, just because the grounds and gardens are so spectacular. Schonbrunn was nice, but too busy and touristy for me. Still it was nice to see. A great little guide to the city!
I was preempting the places you would’ve recommended before reading through your post and I am happy to see that your suggestions match everything I would’ve also listed in a quick Vienna Austria tour! Schonbrunn Palace, St Stephens Cathedral, Belvedere Palace and Hofburg Palace are the top four places I would have also recommended to someone with limited time in the city.
I must go back to Austria at some point – I went in April 2015, and only for a few days. There’s so much more there that I want to see and do! x
Great post for those who want to hit the highlights of Vienna on a quick visit. I love the architecture of Schönbrunn and Hofburg Palace and of course St Stephen’s Cathedral is stunning, it’s the one thing I remember most clearly from a brief visit many decades ago. I also love the view from Upper Belvedere!
Went to Europe in April and we did have Vienna on our list and then realised we had too many places ot go in too short a time so we picked Vienna as the one ot cancle. Now I regret it after looking at your stunning photos! mmm….. guess I’ll just have to go back!
Great post! When I was in Vienna I really loved and enjoyed it. My favorite place was the Schönbrunn Palace and as you mentioned it can get really crowded, but early in the morning it was perfect!
Your photos are stunning!! I have never been, but it looks beautiful by teh photos you have shared! what a fun tour to see all the popular stops! I would love to go someday!
Yes, Vienna is beautiful with lovely musical operas. You must go there.
I just love Vienna and it just has so much to do there. I went for a weekend but I didn’t find it longer enough to explore, I never had a chance to go to St. Stephens Cathedral but it is on the list for next time. That is a cool fact about 15 Nobel prize winners have been associated with this University.
You have put a great list of things to do in this magical city. For me St. Stephen’s Cathedral looks amazing especially for the photography. I love exploring cities with so much history, I have not been to this side of the world yet, but I will one day.
Your post covers mostly every attraction in Vienna. Such a lovely city…its grand without being over-the-top. One of the big cities I didn’t have enough of the first time.
Somehow I’ve never considered Vienna. For me, the main place I plan to visit in Austria is Salzburg.
Looking at your post, Vienna sounds interesting too. Hofburg Palace and St.Stephan Cathedral look fascinating.
May be stay in Salzburg and visit Vienna on a day trip?
Vienna is 5 hours away from Salzburg and have many monuments and palaces.. so for me do a overnight stay in Vienna. But actually as you are historic and architecture lover, VIENNA is place meant for you ….
It’s a pity. We will be in Innsbruck in the second week of October and will go to Salzburg, only 2 hours away. But I just googled that Vienna is 5 hours away. So pretty.
Yes Vienna is very close to Salzburg and Innsbruck and I did the other way round. From Vienna to Salzburg – Innsbruck.
You pretty much got it all for a quick visit. Beautiful place to visit… Thanks for sharing; I’ll be forwarding this to my clients who are visiting soon.
Great post! Austria is the #1 country on my list and I would love to visit Vienna and Salzburg. You’ve got a great list for a quick trip there and I can’t wait until I can see these things in person!
Such a great post! Visiting the Hofburg Palace is high on my list.
We only had one day in Vienna and somehow managed to cover pretty much all of this! Just wish we had more time because it’s such a beautiful city! We will definitely stop for longer next time!
I too agree with you on having more time in this lovely city – Vienna.
Vienna looks like such a dream. The architecture is so stunning. It just looks like one of the most aesthetically-pleasing cities ever haha. I can’t wait to explore it one day and this post definitely helps!
I’ve romanticised this city so much and I dream of visiting it some day. The architecture has my heart. I could spend days wandering the streets of Vienna. Then there is coffee and sacher torte, of course.
Such a nice post! I was in Vienna last summer and visited most of these places. I didn’t get inside St. Stephen’s Cathedral though, such a pity! Would love to go back this city and visit more museums.
Yes, I too missed many attractions from inside due to lack of time. But Vienna is really a pretty city.
Great tips for an introductory Vienna visit! I wish I would’ve known about the great views from the Belvedere Palace – I was actually just looking through my photos from Vienna the other day and realized I didn’t have a single one from overhead. I would also recommend the sound museum as another tourist attraction – it’s an interactive museum and is one of my favorite museums in the world!
I think the first thing I would see in Vienna would be St. Stephen’s Cathedral – I have seen so many stunning photos and I would love to see it in person! Incredible architecutre. I think it would be hard to see everything in this magnificent city in such a short time!
Vienna is high up on my list for the next time we get a chance to go on a European weekend break. All the architecture looks fabulous! In particular St Stephen’s Cathedral looks stunning.
Vienna a beautiful city with beautiful people. A real gem in Europe to visit. I ha e visited this city and you brought back memories. The imperial palace I love and the history and culture so much to offer. A great city with great visuals you ha e presented. Thanks for sharing. City of the masters of music.
Yes, this city is truly living and worth visiting in Europe
The Schönbrunn Palace sounds amazing and I’d totally love to visit. Taking your advise and will buy the ticket online cause I do hate queues. And will sooooo go first thing in the morning so avoid the crowds. I also do love baroque architecture and so will totally check out the Belvedere Palace.
I was in Vienna in the 1980’s and enjoyed the Sound of Music tour. I wonder if it is still available?
Yes it is still available, with special buses too.
Vienna has so much history, beautiful place and really enjoyed my time there! Didn’t so inside the St. Stephens Cathedral though, looks fantastic. Would love to go back to Austria and see the suburbs next time!
I have been to Vienna and I agree with you in considering the Schonbrunn Palace and the belvedere as two main city’s attractions. I truly loved the Albertina, the Leopold Museum and most of all the Art history museum. As an art lover, Vienna is an amazing destination!