The Ultimate Vienna Travel Guide

Vienna is a city in the heart of Europe that has been the crossroads of many cultures throughout history. It is a very satisfying place for travelers with its magnificent palaces, stylish cafes, and art shows that are the legacy of empires. In this Vienna travel guide, I will share the things you need to know when planning a trip to Vienna, such as transportation, shopping, eating and drinking, as well as places to visit and things to do in Vienna.

Things to Know Before Traveling to Vienna

• Vienna is the capital of Austria. The spoken language is Austrian German.
• You must have a Schengen visa to visit Austria.
• Euro is used as the currency.
• Most stores are closed on Sundays.

When to go to Vienna?

Vienna is beautiful in every season, so it’s entirely up to your personal preferences to determine the best time to visit the city.

Spring (May and September) and summer are the best times for weather conditions. Spring and Fall are the times when the crowds are not yet abnormal and hotel prices are relatively affordable compared to summer. But of course there is much better weather in summer. By the way, there is always a line in front of the famous places in Vienna, so if you go in winter or spring, I don’t want you to think that you will not wait in line.

In winter, especially in November and December, the city has the most beautiful Christmas markets in Europe, and despite the cold weather, you can have a great time thanks to the enchanting lights and decorations. Don’t go in January and February, there is no need to eat so much cold and question life for nothing. If you like the black winter, that’s up to you.

How Many Days to Visit Vienna?

As I mentioned in the introduction, Vienna is a very full city, so there is a lot to do. I am sure you will find something to explore even if you stay for weeks, but none of us have that much time.

Ideally, I recommend spending 3-4 days to visit Vienna’s main tourist attractions. That’s enough time to visit the most important landmarks, spend some time with the arts and sample the delicacies of Vienna’s famous cafes.

If you want to visit more museums and palaces, experience the city at a slower pace, or get lost in the quieter streets and explore the local life, 6-7 days would be ideal.

If your time is limited and you just want to get a taste of Vienna, you can visit the city’s most famous sights in an intensive 2-day itinerary. However, in this case you should be ready for a faster pace.

Vienna Accommodation Guide

In a busy city like Vienna, choosing accommodation is a very important factor to enjoy your trip. Vienna is a city of 23 districts, with the number of districts increasing as you move away from the center. The heart and most prestigious district of Vienna, District 1, Innere Stadt, puts you within walking distance of the city’s most important historical and cultural attractions. It is the ideal place for those looking for a luxurious and central accommodation. District 2, Leopoldstadt, close to the center with green areas such as Prater park, is a great option for families and nature lovers. I have a more detailed accommodation guide for these and other neighborhoods. Please read that article to choose the most suitable neighborhood for you and to see the best hotel recommendations for every budget in these neighborhoods. Where to stay in Vienna?

Click here for all suitable accommodation alternatives in Vienna.

Vienna Transportation Guide

First, I will explain the transportation between Vienna Airport and the city center, and then I will talk about public transportation in Vienna.

Getting from Vienna Airport to the City Center

Vienna International Airport (Flughafen Wien) is located approximately 20 kilometers from the city center. There are several options for getting to the city center:

• CAT (City Airport Train): This is the fastest way between the airport and the city center. You can reach Wien Mitte station in the city center in about 16 minutes. Ticket price is €14.90 for adults one way, €24.90 round trip, free for children between 0-14 years old.
• S7 S-Bahn Train: This is a much more economical option and takes 25 minutes to reach Wien Mitte. The ticket price is €4.40 one way. Children up to 6 years old are free, ages 6-14 €2.20.
• Vienna Airport Lines Buses (VAL1-VAL2-VAL3): There are also 24-hour buses from the airport to the city center and train stations. A one-way ticket costs 9.5€ and a round-trip ticket costs 16€. Travel time is around 30 minutes.
• Taxi: A taxi from the airport to the city center costs €42 fix. Travel time is 20-30 minutes depending on traffic.

CAT only goes to Mitte, the S7 train also stops at other stations. CAT is also much more expensive than S7. Likewise, buses are also more expensive than S7, so I think it makes the most sense to use the S7 train.

Public Transportation in Vienna

You can easily visit most of Vienna on foot. If the weather is rainy or there is a time constraint, you can of course use public transportation or a taxi.

There are many public transportation options in Vienna such as metro (U-Bahn), tram, bus and suburban trains (S-Bahn). A single boarding ticket costs 2.40€, a 24 hour pass costs 8.00€, a 48 hour pass costs 14.10€ and a 72 hour pass costs 17.10€.

Apart from these, there is the Vienna Card. This card offers unlimited use of public transportation as well as discounts at many museums and tourist attractions. There are 24, 48 and 72 hour versions. The prices are 17€, 25€ and 29€ respectively.

Vienna Food Guide

First of all, I will talk about the famous flavors you should eat in Vienna, followed by the best cafe and restaurant recommendations.

What to Eat in Vienna?

Wiener Schnitzel: We can say that schnitzel made of finely pounded beef or pork is the most famous dish in Vienna. It is usually served with potato salad and a lemon wedge.

Tafelspitz: A traditional Viennese dish of boiled veal, applesauce, spinach and creamy potato salad. I didn’t try it because it didn’t appeal to me, but I saw it on menus.

Frittatensuppe: A soup made of pancakes sliced into strips in broth. It is a nutritious and appealing option especially for children.

Sacher Torte: Vienna’s most famous dessert. Apricot jam is spread between two layers of chocolate cake and covered with chocolate sauce.

Apfelstrudel: A kind of apple and cinnamon tart that you will find in many cafes and patisseries in Vienna.

Kaiserschmarrn: A dessert made of pancake dough and served with powdered sugar and plum sauce. It is named after the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I, who loved this dessert.

Manner wafer: I never thought I would mention a wafer as a traditional flavor, but this is one of the iconic flavors of Vienna. It’s like our 9 times, but more delicious.

Coffee and Breakfast in Vienna

Drechsler Wienzeile: The breakfast here is great, you should definitely have breakfast here one day.

Joseph Brot: This is a bakery chain, and the breakfast options are also very good.

Paremi Boulangerie: One of the good options for croissants and desserts.

Creme de la Creme: This is a patisserie with very good desserts and something for breakfast too.

Cafe Comet & Fürth Kaffee: One of the best coffee shops in Vienna.

Kaffemik: A Scandinavian-inspired place to drink quality coffee.

Öfferl: Vienna’s famous bakery chain.

Vienna Restaurant Recommendations

Figlmüller: One of the first places that comes to mind when you think of Wiener Schnitzel. Famous for its schnitzels, this restaurant claims to serve the best schnitzel in Vienna. There are several branches and there are queues in front of all of them. All the blogger friends who have been there raved about it, so we finally made a reservation in advance and went. It was a big disappointment for me personally, I didn’t like the schnitzel or the potato salad. I should mention that I had schnitzel and potato salad in many places in Austria and in the Bavaria region of Germany, and I think they were all better than here. It’s a matter of taste, of course, but I wanted to give my opinion. The ambiance, service, etc. everything else was very good. By the way, the schnitzel portion is quite big, you can share one schnitzel with two people and try something different from the menu.

Cafe Central: One of the most historic and classic cafes in Vienna. Famous for its Apfelstrudel, it offers traditional desserts as well as breakfast and lunch options. They are also famous for their Viennese Melange coffee.

Demel: Another one of Vienna’s most famous and historic patisseries. In addition to desserts such as Sachertorte and Apfelstrudel, it also sells cakes and chocolates. Kaiserschmarrn is famous here. To be honest, I didn’t want to wait in line here, so I didn’t try it.

Cafe Sacher: This is one of the most famous and prestigious cafes in Vienna. It is known as the birthplace of Sachertorte, so I recommend you to go here to experience the original Sachertorte.

Gerstner Cafe: This is also one of Vienna’s long-established patisseries, with a very elegant atmosphere. It is one of the alternative places to eat traditional Viennese desserts. If there is a long line at one, you can try the other.

Gastwirtschaft Steman: A restaurant in Vienna where you can taste traditional Austrian cuisine, which is also very popular with the locals

Gasthaus Pöschl: This is also a popular place among locals for traditional Austrian food.

Disco Volante: A pizzeria with an oven shaped like a disco ball. It is a place where you can go to eat Neapolitan style pizza. There may be a line here in the evening hours.

Via Toledo Enopizzeria: This place is also a pizzeria, but it was named the 4th best pizzeria in Europe. Their dough is really amazing. Me and my love for carbohydrates is a legendary love story. 🙂 Tiramisu is also good. You need to make a reservation before you go to Vienna.

Naschmarkt: Vienna’s largest open-air market, Naschmarkt offers flavors from around the world and is a great place to experience local products.

Let me name a few cocktail bars: Josef Cocktail Bar, Genre 7, The Chapel Bar Speakeasy, Truth & Dare

Vienna Shopping Guide

You can buy food as a gift from Vienna. SacherTorte, the famous chocolate cake dating back to 1832, and Mozartkugel, chocolate balls made for the famous composer Mozart, are among the souvenirs you can buy. The cakes are specially packaged, so they last a long time.

Vienna’s most famous shopping street is Mariahilfer Straße, which I would liken to our Istiklal Street, with a wide range of stores from international brands to local boutiques.

Innere Stadt, the historic center of Vienna, is the heart of luxury shopping, you can see luxury design stores on Kohlmarkt and Graben streets.

Antique lovers take note, there is a flea market in Naschmarkt every Saturday between 6:30 am and 2:00 pm.

I loved the inside of Ferstel Passage, there are both cafes and shops here. Even though I went there for its photogenicity rather than shopping, let me write about it under this heading.

Things to do in Vienna

Schloss Schönbrunn: The summer palace of the House of Habsburg, Schönbrunn is one of Vienna’s most popular tourist attractions with its magnificent gardens and sumptuous interiors. There are more than 1400 rooms in the palace.

Hofburg: The winter palace of the Habsburg Dynasty. You can visit the Imperial Apartments, the Silver Collection and the Sisi Museum.

Schloss Belvedere: Belvedere, one of the most beautiful examples of Baroque style, actually consists of two palaces: Upper and Lower Belvedere. It is home to many important works of art, including Gustav Klimt’s famous “The Kiss” painting.

Stephansdom Cathedral: Vienna’s most important landmark, St. Stephan’s Cathedral is considered one of the masterpieces of Gothic architecture. You can climb the bell tower of the cathedral and enjoy a panoramic view of the city.

Justizpalast: This is Vienna’s Palace of Justice, a building with impressive architecture. Entrance is free and it is a very photogenic place.

Karlskirche: One of the most beautiful examples of Baroque architecture, Karl’s Church is one of the most important churches in the city. The dome and interior of the church are quite impressive.

Votivkirche: Built in neo-Gothic style, the church commemorates Emperor Franz Joseph’s survival from an assassination attempt.

Hundertwasserhaus: Famous for its colorful and eclectic architecture, this apartment complex was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. I can say that it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Vienna. Each floor of the building is a different color and the windows are of different sizes.

Palais Kinsky: A wonderful little palace with free entrance. It hosts various cultural events and art auctions.

MuseumsQuartier: One of the largest museum complexes in the world, MuseumsQuartier is the center of modern art in Vienna. The complex includes many museums such as the Leopold Museum, MUMOK and Kunsthalle Wien. In addition to modern and contemporary art, it also hosts many cultural events.

Österreichische Nationalbibliothek: The Austrian National Library is one of the largest and most important libraries in Europe. The library contains old book collections and historical manuscripts.

Naturhistorisches Museum Wien: The Natural History Museum has a rich collection of millions of pieces and displays natural treasures from all over the world. I especially recommend it for families with children.

Make sure to read my list of things to do for families with children: Vienna with kids

Going to classical music concerts: As you may know, Vienna is known as the capital of music. If you love classical music, you should definitely go to a concert here. When we were there, there was a costumed concert of the Mozart orchestra at Musikverein Golden Hall, it was great.

We bought tickets for the concert online. Tickets for the Mozart orchestra performances in different halls (Musikverein Golden Hall, State Opera and Konzerthaus) are on sale here.

I would like to give a scam warning, do not buy tickets from people who sell tickets in costume in front of the opera house. They make it sound like they are selling you tickets to a great concert and claim that they are giving you a huge discount. In fact these are really very poor 5th class concerts.

Day Trips from Vienna

In case you have had your fill of Vienna and are looking for a place to visit in the surrounding area, I am sharing some places that are within a day trip from Vienna. I am also writing how long it takes to reach by train one way. Of course, most of these are not places to visit in 1 day, but I am writing for those who want to see a different place, maybe you can consider accommodation.

• Bratislava (Slovakia) – 50 min.
• Esterhazy Palace – 1 hour
• Baden – 1 hour 4 min.
• Melk Abbey – 1 hour 8 min.
• Gyor (Hungary) – 1 hour 12 min.
• Brno (Czech Republic) – 1 h 26 min.
• Budapest (Hungary) – 2 h 22 min.
• Salzburg – 2 h 30 min.
• Graz – 2 h 32 min.

Is Vienna Cheap or Expensive? Vienna Travel Budget

Vienna is not a cheap city. I am not saying it is expensive because there are much more expensive cities in Europe but it is not cheap. I will share more or less budgets according to my experience, you decide.

In hostels, I can say that the price of a bed in a crowded dormitory varies between 30-50€ per night, affordable hotels between 60-90€ per night, mid-range hotels between 100-170€ per night depending on the region. Of course there are luxury hotels with much higher prices.

Coffee starts from 5€, breakfast plates are 15€, if you buy bakery products 5€, desserts 10€, schnitzel and potato salad around 20€. These are average prices in popular places.

Entrance to palaces is around 20-25€, museums 10-15€. For the Mozart concert we went to, we bought tickets online and they were 59€ per person and 29.5€ for children with 50% discount.

I already mentioned transportation prices above. So I can say that an average Vienna trip costs between 150-200€ per day including accommodation. If you cut down on food and drink and choose cheap accommodation, you should be ready for a budget of 70-100€ per day.

I hope my Vienna Travel Guide article will be useful for you and you will plan a nice trip to Vienna.There may be some things I missed, if you have any other questions, please leave them in the comments. If you have any extra suggestions, I would also welcome them in the comments. Have a nice trip!

Don’t forget to follow me for more photos and to be informed about my future posts!

Instagram: lifetime.journey

Tiktok: ihdcnwbcmw.com

Facebook: ihdcnwbcmw.com