Vienna City Guide

Grüße aus Wien

Vienna is the home of Baroque elegance, Imperial Palaces, the Habsburgs, Mozart, Beethoven, Klimt, Opera, Art, opulent Coffee Houses and irresistible Cakes.

Experience the Imperial splendour of Vienna, visit museums and cafes, enjoy Viennese cuisine and have the opportunity to go to an opera or a musical performance.

This Vienna City Guide provides advice and tips so you can plan your holiday including accommodation, transport and restaurant guides.

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Contents

Essential Information: How to get to Vienna- Where to Stay- Public Transport and more.

What to See: The main sights and Palaces

Vienna Itineraries

Essential Information 

Click on one of the topics below to start planning your visit to Vienna.

What to See

Historic Innenstadt

The historic Innenstadt (city centre or First District) is encircled by the grand Ringstraße and is resplendent with Baroque buildings, palaces, museums, churches and historical buildings and the vast majority of all sightseeing attractions.

The Ringstraße

The 5.3 km Ringstraße is the grand boulevard that circles the first District, is home to many of Vienna’s most important architectural buildings including the Opera, the Kunsthistoriche Museum, The Hofburg, the Parliament, the Rathaus, the University and The Votive Kirche.

Stephansdom

Stephansdom (St Stephen’s Cathedral) is one of Vienna’s most important monuments and located in the centre of Vienna-both spiritually and geographically. The Gothic cathedral dates to the 12th century. Climb up the 343 steps of the South tower for a view of Vienna and visit the Catacombs. Kirche.

Vienna State Opera House

Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera) is one of the leading opera houses in the world. To see the opera, you can either buy a ticket to an Opera or Ballet performance, or take a guided tour of the building.

Museums

Thanks to the Habsburgs extensive art collections and the home of the Fin de Siècle Vienna Succession Art movement of the late 19^th century, Vienna is a paradise for art and museum lovers with over 100 museums. The top three art museums are the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Art History), the Albertina, and the Belvedere, featuring Gustav Klimt paintings.

The Prater

The Prater is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. Vienna’s Riesenrad, or Giant Wheel, was opened in 1897 to celebrate Emperor Franz Joseph’s jubilee.  Enjoy views of Vienna and the Danube from the Riesenrad, the site of the famous scenes in the Third Man.

Gardens and Parks

The city of Vienna has many beautiful gardens and green spaces including: Volksgarten-a beautiful, landscaped park with rose bushes,  the Empress Elizabeth Monument and the Temple of Theseus. Burggarten-whose most famous residence is the Mozart Monument, is also home to  the Palmenhaus (Palm House) and Schmetterlinghaus (Butterfly House),  Stadtpark (City Park) is Vienna’s largest park with its windy paths, ponds and greenery.

Coffee Houses

No visit to Vienna is complete without visiting a Viennese Café. UNESCO named the Vienna Coffee House on the “National Agency for the Intangible Cultural Heritage” list. Some of the most famous Viennese Coffee Houses are: Café Central, Kaffee Alt Wien, Café Hawelka and Café Landtman.

The Palaces

Free Vienna Itineraries

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