Visiting Vienna in 3 Days: The Complete Itinerary

A former imperial capital is not a city you criss-cross at random, and that is where most trips to Vienna go wrong. Three days are plenty, provided you follow an order. Day 1: the imperial centre (St Stephen’s Cathedral, the Graben, the Hofburg, the Opera House). Day 2: Schönbrunn Palace in the morning, then the Naschmarkt, the Secession and the MuseumsQuartier. Day 3: the Klimts at the Belvedere, then the Prater and the Hundertwasserhaus, or the vineyards of Grinzing. Budget 110 to 150 euros per day per person excluding flights, book Schönbrunn and the imperial apartments online, and get the 72 hour transport pass: the network is formidably reliable. One detail worth planning around: shops close on Sundays, so do your shopping ahead.

Just two hours’ flight from Paris, the Austrian capital (not to be confused with its modest namesake in the Isère) remains one of Europe’s most comfortable city breaks: a UNESCO listed centre you can explore entirely on foot, imperial palaces, the highest concentration of historic cafés on the continent, and a city regularly crowned the most liveable in the world. Here’s a three day itinerary built district by district, so you see the essentials without spending your day on the underground.

Day 1: The Imperial Centre, from St Stephen’s to the Opera House

Morning: The Cathedral and the Streets of Old Vienna

Start at St Stephen’s Cathedral, whose glazed tile roof (more than 200,000 tiles) forms the imperial eagle. Access to the nave is partly free; the more determined climb the 343 steps of the south tower (around 6 euros) for a sweeping view over the rooftops of the 1st district. Head back down via the Graben, the elegant main street of the centre with its baroque plague column, then the Kohlmarkt and its jewellers’ windows, which lead straight to the Hofburg.

This is the moment for your first coffee stop: at Demel, former purveyor to the court, or at any traditional café in the neighbourhood. A Melange (a long espresso topped with local milk foam) costs around 6.50 euros, you’ll be brought a glass of water without asking, and no one will rush you to leave: Vienna’s café culture is listed as UNESCO intangible heritage.

Afternoon: The Hofburg, the National Library and the Opera House

The afternoon belongs to the Hofburg, home to the Habsburgs for six centuries. The combined Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments ticket (around twenty euros, audio guide included) is the best way into the daily life of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth. Just next door, the state hall of the Austrian National Library, with its eighteenth century panelling and frescoes, is well worth its ten euros or so: it’s one of the most beautiful reading rooms in the world.

End the day in front of the State Opera. A genuinely good tip: standing tickets go on sale online the same day, between 12 and 20 euros depending on the section. Watching an opera in one of the world’s great opera houses for the price of a pizza is hard to turn down. Otherwise, head to a beisl (Viennese bistro): at Figlmüller, a schnitzel institution since 1905, the escalope spills over the edge of the plate for around twenty euros; book ahead, as there’s always a queue.

Day 2: Schönbrunn in the Morning, 1900s Vienna in the Afternoon

Morning: Schönbrunn Palace and Its Gardens

The U4 underground line drops you at Schönbrunn Palace in a quarter of an hour from Karlsplatz. The Habsburgs’ summer residence is visited with a timed entry ticket (25 to 35 euros depending on the tour): book online several days ahead in high season and aim for opening time, around 8.30am, before the tour groups arrive. The gardens themselves are free: climb up to the Gloriette for the best view over the palace and the city. With children, the adjoining zoo (the oldest still operating in the world, founded in 1752) can easily fill half a day; choose accordingly.

Afternoon: Naschmarkt, the Secession and the MuseumsQuartier

Head back towards the centre via the Naschmarkt, Vienna’s great market (closed on Sundays): 1.5 kilometres of fruit, spice and small food stalls, flanked by Otto Wagner’s Art Nouveau buildings on the Linke Wienzeile. Right next door, the Secession building, recognisable by its golden laurel dome, houses Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze (around 12 euros): 34 metres of mural painting, one of the high points of 1900s Vienna.

Finish at the MuseumsQuartier, the former imperial riding stables turned cultural campus. If you only have time for one museum, the Leopold Museum and its Schieles are a must; otherwise, make do with the courtyards and their colourful deckchairs, where locals settle in as soon as the sun comes out, drink in hand.

Day 3: Klimt at the Belvedere, Then Two Options for the Afternoon

Morning: The Kiss at the Upper Belvedere

Belvedere Palace, the former residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy, comprises two baroque palaces linked by a terraced French style garden (free access). The Upper Belvedere (around 18 euros, timed entry ticket) holds the world’s largest Klimt collection, including The Kiss: come at opening time to have it almost to yourself. Allow a good two hours for the Schieles and the Impressionists on the same floor.

Option A: The Prater and the Hundertwasserhaus

To end on a lighter note, head to the Prater. The Giant Wheel, built in 1897 and almost 65 metres tall, turns slowly above the park for around 14 euros: the red wooden cabins are the same ones featured in The Third Man. Around it, the Wurstelprater lines up vintage fairground rides and sausage stands; eating a käsekrainer standing up (around 5 euros) is part of the experience.

A quarter of an hour away by tram, the Hundertwasserhaus displays its undulating facades and trees growing out of its upper floors. You can’t go inside this residential building (viewing from outside is free), but the Kunst Haus Wien museum, five minutes’ walk away and designed by the same artist, rounds off the visit nicely.

Option B: Kahlenberg and the Heurigen of Grinzing

Fancy some greenery? Take bus 38A from Heiligenstadt (the U4 terminus) up to the Kahlenberg: the terrace takes in the whole of Vienna, the Danube and the vineyards. Walk back down through the vineyards towards Nussdorf or Grinzing, then settle into a heuriger, one of the taverns where winegrowers serve their own produce: Vienna is the only capital in the world to produce a serious quantity of wine within its city limits. A glass of gemischter Satz costs 4 to 5 euros, the buffet is served at the counter, and the evening takes care of itself.

Practical Tips for a Successful City Break in Vienna

To put together this programme hour by hour and decide between the Prater and the vineyards depending on the weather, our guide to planning a perfect city break with AI saves precious time, and our tips on estimating and tracking your travel budget help you set the right budget before you leave. Also worth reading if Central Europe appeals to you: our itineraries for visiting Budapest in 3 days and visiting Munich in 3 days, two Danubian and Bavarian capitals less than 3 hours away by train.