The capital of Austria is an elegant city with a rich history. It was voted the Most Liveable City in the world for 2018. With the third highest beer consumption on the planet, it’s easy to find somewhere to relax with a cold drink in Vienna. Let us show you around this amazing city with a Quick Travel Guide to Vienna.
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy for more information.
What to Do in Vienna
Vienna has so many tourist attractions that you will struggle to fit them into a full week vacation. The entire Historic Centre of Vienna is even a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After all, this baroque city was once the capital of the entire Austrio-Hungarian Empire.
Vienna is bursting with exquisite museums, palaces, castles, monuments and parks. Here are our best recommended Vienna activities.
Schonbrunn Palace: The Palace and Gardens of Schonbrunn are a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the biggest attraction in Vienna. Put simply, it is not to be missed when visiting Vienna.
Stephanplatz and St.Stephen’s Cathedral: This massive Gothic 14th century church can’t be missed, it’s probably the biggest church you’ve ever seen. The steeple is massive, 136m high to be precise. And the location is in the centre of the historic city centre, so it should be part of every Vienna city tour.
Vienna Zoo: This is the world’s first zoo. And they have some of the original enclosures on display for old time’s sake. Thankfully there are modern enclosures to keep the animals. Vienna Zoo is also the 8th best zoo in the world according to the Trip Advisor 2018 Best Zoos award.
Albertina Museum: This famous art gallery took our breath away. It is full of paintings by famous painters Picasso and Monet. Whether or not art is your thing, this is a special art gallery not to be missed.
Vienna Military Museum: Another big surprise for us was the Vienna Military Museum. The building housing the museum is incredible, 100% exquisite Viennese style. It also houses a huge collection of genuine medieval artwork depicting battle scenes. And there is a large display of war memorabilia from WW1 and WW2.
Vienna Day Trips
Vienna is in a supremely pretty part of Europe, so it’s not hard to find quality Vienna day trips to surrounding countryside. Here are a couple of the best.
Wachau Valley: Another World Heritage area, the Wachau Valley is a 40km stretch of the Danube River from Melk to Krems. The highlight is a boat trip along one of the prettiest stretches of river on the planet. It is only 70km from Vienna and easily accessible by train.
Salzburg: Think the Sound of Music. Salzburg is an insanely pretty city about 3 hours by train from Vienna. The highlight is to stroll around the old town, and Hohensalzburg Castle.
Where to Stay in Vienna
Staying in Vienna can be expensive. But as a tourist, the best place to stay in Vienna is in the City Centre, called Innere Stadt (District 1). This is the Old Town of Vienna, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site in itself. Staying here you will be in a state of constant wonder every time you leave your hotel.
Cheap Accommodation in Vienna
The Pension Neuer Markt is an older style hotel right in the middle of the Innere Stadt at the very centre of Vienna. Here you are in easy walking distance to a large variety of historic attractions. You simply will not find a better location in Vienna.
Mid Priced Accommodation
Vienna can be an expensive city to find accommodation. Having said that, Uber is generally fairly cheap and the subway system is truly awesome. So you can quite easily stay a little out of the city centre and rely on daily transport to get around. Our choice for some reasonably priced Vienna luxury was Hilton Danube River Waterfront.
Affordable Luxury
When looking for luxury accommodation the sought after Innere Stadt District 1 can be prohibitively expensive. That’s why the Hotel Sans Souci Wien is such a great choice. It’s one of the finest hotels in Vienna, and is located ‘across the road’ from the Innere Stadt district, tucked in behind the museums at the classy end of town. A perfect location to tour Vienna by foot.
Shop Around for a Great Deal
We definitely recommend shopping around for a fantastic deal of your own, and Booking deals finder is a great place to start.
Booking.com
Travel From Vienna to Prague
Vienna is conveniently located midway between Budapest and Prague. If you want to find out how to travel from Vienna to Prague then read this guide. If you would like to learn how to travel from Budapest to Vienna then read this guide.
Quick Travel Guide to Vienna
Plan Your Trip to Vienna
Read More about Vienna
Would you like a free copy of our Ultimate Bucket List?
Not sure where to travel to next? We have created the Ultimate Bucket List to help you plan your next trip. 1170 awesome travel destinations in 167 countries. And we want you to have it for FREE.
