Vienna travel guide
9 Places to Visit in Vienna
Also known as Wien
Vienna sits on the Danube in north-eastern Austria and has been an imperial capital since the Habsburgs made it their seat in the 13th century, a history visible in the Hofburg complex at its centre and in Schönbrunn Palace on the western edge.
Updated ·Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted ·How we rank
- Best time
- Apr – Jun, Sep – Oct
- Time needed
- About 3 days
- 17 hours of sightseeing
- Fly into
- Vienna International Airport (VIE)
- Nearest station
- Karlsplatz U-Bahn station (U1
- Free to enter
- 3 of 9
Top things to do in Vienna
Ranked on five published criteria- 1Free entry
Church
St. Stephen's Cathedral
St. Stephen's Cathedral lets visitors into its nave free of charge as of 2026, while the towers, catacombs and treasury each need a separate ticket.
1.5 hrs
2Museum
Albertina Museum
The Albertina Museum charges EUR 20.90 for adults and is free for visitors under 19, as of 2026, and it houses one of the world's largest collections…
2 hrs€20.90
3Heritage
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera guided tour costs EUR 18 for adults aged 27 and over, as of 2026, and standing-room tickets for a performance start at EUR 4…
1 hr€18
4Museum
Kunsthistorisches Museum
The Kunsthistorisches Museum charges EUR 22 online and EUR 24 at the desk for adults, as of 2026, and is free for everyone under 19.
3 hrs€22
5Church
Karlskirche (St. Charles's Church)
Karlskirche charges EUR 9.50 for adults and EUR 6 for students, as of 2026, and is Vienna's grandest baroque church, built as a plague votive by…
1 hr€9.50
6Free entryMarket
Naschmarkt
Naschmarkt is free to enter and stretches about 1.5 kilometres along the Wienzeile, with produce stalls, cheese counters, spice merchants and…
1.5 hrs
7Palace
Belvedere Palace
The Upper Belvedere charges EUR 23 for adults and admits everyone under 19 free, as of 2026, and it holds the world's largest collection of Gustav…
2 hrs€23
8Palace
Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace charges EUR 30 for the State Apartments and EUR 42 for the Palace Ticket, as of 2026, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with…
3 hrs€30
9Free entryHeritage
Prater and the Giant Ferris Wheel
The Giant Ferris Wheel in the Prater is one of the oldest in the world, built in 1897 and standing about 65 metres tall, and entry to the surrounding…
2 hrs
Map of places to visit in Vienna
Numbers match the ranking; the top 3 are orange. Tap a pin for its guide. 1 place has no map position yet.
Day trips from Vienna
Worth a day out if you have one to spare, nearest first.
26 km · 30m by car; about 25m by regional train
Baden bei Wien
A spa town at the edge of the Wienerwald with sulphur baths, a Biedermeier centre and a large Kurpark, reachable by regional train from Wien Hauptbahnhof or by the Badner Bahn tram-train from the Oper stop.
65 km · 1h by car; about 1h by train or bus
Bratislava
Slovakia's capital sits on the Danube just across the border, with a compact old town beneath its castle; direct regional trains leave Wien Hauptbahnhof roughly hourly, and no border checks apply within the Schengen Area.
85 km · 1h 15m by car; 1h by train to Melk
Wachau Valley (Melk Abbey and Krems)
A UNESCO-listed stretch of the Danube lined with terraced apricot and Riesling vineyards, with the baroque Melk Abbey at its western gate; regional trains from Wien Hauptbahnhof reach Melk in about an hour, and river boats run between Melk and Krems in season.
295 km · 2h 30m by car; about 2h 20m by Railjet
Salzburg
Mozart's birthplace and a baroque old town under Hohensalzburg Fortress, reachable on direct ÖBB Railjet trains from Wien Hauptbahnhof; a long but workable day trip if you leave before 08:00.
About Vienna
The old town (Innere Stadt) is a compact district of about 3 square kilometres circled by the Ringstrasse, where the Vienna State Opera, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Parliament were built from the 1860s onwards, and most headline sights are within a 25-minute walk of Stephansplatz and the Gothic bulk of St. Stephen's Cathedral. Outside the Ring, the Belvedere palaces, the Naschmarkt and the Prater are each a short tram or U-Bahn hop away.
Public transport is the practical way to move around: the five U-Bahn lines, trams and buses of Wiener Linien share one fare system, with 24-, 48- and 72-hour tickets available, and the Vienna City Card bundles transport with museum discounts. Vienna International Airport (VIE) is about 18 km south-east of the centre and connects to Wien Mitte by S-Bahn line S7, the City Airport Train service or a Railjet to the main station. Wien Hauptbahnhof, opened in full in 2015, is the hub for ÖBB Railjet services to Salzburg, Graz, Budapest, Prague and Munich.
April to June and September to October offer the most comfortable walking weather; July and August are hot and crowded at the imperial sites, and January is cold but quiet outside the Christmas market season from mid-November to 24 December. Most museums close on Monday, and shops close on Sundays by law, while cafés, restaurants and the main churches stay open. Book timed tickets for Schönbrunn, the Hofburg's Imperial Apartments and the Belvedere in advance, and reserve a State Opera guided tour or standing place on the day.
Vienna travel FAQs
How many days do you need in Vienna?
Plan about 3 days for Vienna. Its top attractions take roughly 17 hours of sightseeing in total, so 3 days covers the highlights without rushing — you can move faster if you are short on time.
What is the best time to visit Vienna?
The best time to visit Vienna is Apr – Jun, Sep – Oct.
Is Vienna cheap or expensive to visit?
Entry to Vienna's top attractions ranges from €9.50 to €30, and 3 of the top 9 are free to enter. Prices are the latest checked on each place's page; always confirm current rates on the official website.
What is Vienna famous for?
Vienna is best known for its top sights, including St. Stephen's Cathedral, Albertina Museum and Vienna State Opera. The full ranked list of things to do is on this page.
How much time should you spend at St. Stephen's Cathedral?
Allow about 1.5 hrs for St. Stephen's Cathedral.
Spotted something wrong, or a place we missed?
Tell us and an editor will check it against official sources and fix the page.