Vienna caught me out the first time. I had three days and a list, and I lost most of day one queueing at Schönbrunn because nobody told me the palace runs on timed slots. So let me save you that.
This is what to do in Vienna with the booking bit attached. Twenty things, each with a real price and a straight answer on whether you need a ticket in advance.
- Schönbrunn and the Spanish Riding School are the two that genuinely sell out.
- Most museums you can book the night before and be fine.
- Coffee houses, the Prater grounds and half the city centre cost nothing.
- The Vienna Pass only pays off at four or five paid sights a day. Honestly, most people do two.
Want to book Vienna attraction tickets first? Go ahead. The planning is here when you come back.
20 things to do in Vienna, at a glance
Skim it. Pick seven. Prices are the published starting point, not a quote, since Vienna moves them most years.
| # | What | From | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Schönbrunn Palace, State Apartments | €28 | Yes, 2 to 3 weeks in summer |
| 2 | Schönbrunn Palace Ticket, the full route | €38 | Yes, same |
| 3 | Schönbrunn Gardens | Free | No, just walk in |
| 4 | Upper Belvedere and The Kiss | Paid | A day or two |
| 5 | Hofburg, Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments | Paid | A day or two |
| 6 | Imperial Treasury | From USD 18.75 | A day or two |
| 7 | Kunsthistorisches Museum | From USD 28.12 | Cheaper online than at the door |
| 8 | Albertina | Paid | A day or two |
| 9 | Leopold Museum | From USD 22.26 | A day or two |
| 10 | Natural History Museum | From USD 21.09 | A day or two |
| 11 | Spanish Riding School, morning exercise | €18 to €22 | 2 to 3 weeks, closed Jul and Aug |
| 12 | Musikverein concert | Paid | 1 to 3 weeks |
| 13 | Karlskirche Vivaldi concert | Paid | A few days |
| 14 | St Stephen’s giant organ concert | Paid | A few days |
| 15 | Mozarthaus | From USD 25.78 | No, rarely busy |
| 16 | Haus der Musik | From USD 33.98 | No |
| 17 | Giant Ferris Wheel at the Prater | From USD 16.99 | No, though skip-the-line helps |
| 18 | Danube Canal sightseeing cruise | Paid | A day or two |
| 19 | Schönbrunn Zoo | From USD 33.98 | No |
| 20 | Hallstatt or Salzburg day trip | From USD 134.75 | 1 week |
Three of those twenty cost nothing, and a fourth, the Prater grounds, is free to wander even if the rides are not.
What to book ahead in Vienna, and what you can walk into
Vienna sits somewhere between London and Bangkok on this. Two things really sell out. Everything else is a day or two of notice.
| Group | Examples | Lead time |
|---|---|---|
| Book weeks ahead | Schönbrunn interior in summer, Spanish Riding School performances | 2 to 6 weeks |
| Book days ahead | Belvedere, Hofburg, Kunsthistorisches, Albertina, concerts | 1 to 7 days |
| Book the night before | Mozarthaus, Haus der Musik, Ferris Wheel, the zoo | Same day often fine |
| Just turn up | Schönbrunn gardens, Stephansplatz, Naschmarkt, the Ringstrasse | Nothing needed |
What needs booking in advance in Vienna?
- Schönbrunn interior. Slots go two to three weeks out between June and August, and at weekends year-round.
- Spanish Riding School performances. Weekend dates vanish four to six weeks ahead.
- Musikverein and the better church concerts, especially around Christmas and New Year.
- Hallstatt and Salzburg day trips, since the coaches are small.
One thing worth knowing: the Kunsthistorisches is cheaper online than at the door. Not by much, around two euros, although it saves the queue as well.
Everything paid on this list sits in our Vienna tickets range, and the Vienna combo tickets bundle the museum pairs people actually do together.
The Habsburg palaces: Schönbrunn, Hofburg and Belvedere
Three palaces, three very different days out. Do not try all three in one.
1 to 3. Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens
The big one. 1,441 rooms, though you see 22 or 40 of them depending on the ticket.
- State Apartments: €28 adult, €19 for ages 6 to 18, and about 40 minutes inside.
- Palace Ticket, the longer route: €38 adult, €28 child, around 75 minutes.
- Classic Pass at €44 bundles the palace with the garden attractions.
- Under-6s go free. Students 19 to 25 pay €23 or €31.50.
- Palace opens 9.30am. Closing is 5.30pm from late March to June, 6.30pm in July and August.
- The park and gardens open at 6.30am and cost nothing at all.
- Entry is timed. More than 10,000 people a day come through in summer, so walk-up slots disappear.
My advice? Go at opening or after 3pm, and give the gardens an hour either side. Book the Schönbrunn Palace skip-the-line guided tour, or take the small-group version if crowds bother you. There is a palace and zoo combo too, which saves about 6 per cent.
4. Upper Belvedere, and The Kiss
Klimt’s most famous painting hangs here, and the building is a baroque palace in its own right. Around €32 for Upper and Lower together, going by current Vienna pricing.
Most people only need the Upper. Upper Belvedere skip-the-line tickets get you past the queue, while the Upper and Lower combo saves 8 per cent if you want both.
5 and 6. Hofburg, the Sisi Museum and the Imperial Treasury
The winter palace, right in the centre. The Sisi Museum does Empress Elisabeth properly, which is to say it does not pretend she was happy.
- Sisi Museum, Imperial Apartments and the Silver Collection come as one ticket.
- The Imperial Treasury is separate, from USD 18.75, and it holds the Habsburg crown jewels.
- A combo of the two saves about 5 per cent.
- Allow two hours for the Sisi route, plus an hour for the Treasury.
Sisi Museum and Hofburg guided tour and Imperial Treasury tickets both book in a minute. More in our Vienna landmarks range.
Vienna’s great museums, ranked by who they suit
The Museumsquartier and the two big twins on Maria-Theresien-Platz. You will not do them all, so pick by temperament.
| Museum | From | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Kunsthistorisches Museum | USD 28.12 | Old masters, Bruegel, and the building itself |
| Natural History Museum | USD 21.09 | Its twin opposite, plus the Venus of Willendorf |
| Albertina | Paid | Monet to Picasso, and the Habsburg state rooms |
| Leopold Museum | USD 22.26 | Schiele and Klimt, the best Schiele anywhere |
| Sigmund Freud Museum | Paid | The actual flat at Berggasse 19 |
| KUNST HAUS WIEN | USD 17.58 | Hundertwasser, and the floors are uneven on purpose |
| Imperial Carriage Museum | USD 14.06 | At Schönbrunn, better than it sounds |
| MAK, Applied Arts | USD 18.16 | Design, and usually empty |
If you only do one: Kunsthistorisches. If you only do one and you prefer modern: Leopold.
Combos are where the value is here. Natural History plus Kunsthistorisches saves 5 per cent, Kunsthistorisches plus Leopold pairs old and modern, and Kunsthistorisches plus the Treasury works if you are already doing the Hofburg. Browse the full Vienna museums range.
Classical music, which is the real reason to come
No other city does this. You can hear a proper orchestra most nights of the week, in a church or a gilded hall, for less than a West End ticket.
- Musikverein Golden Hall. The acoustics are the famous part, and the New Year concert happens here.
- Karlskirche, where Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is played under a baroque dome. Touristy, and still lovely.
- St Stephen’s Cathedral giant organ concerts, which you feel through the floor.
- St Peter’s and St Anne’s churches for smaller ensemble evenings.
- Schönbrunn Palace for Mozart and Strauss, sometimes with an after-hours palace tour attached.
- Haus der Musik, from USD 33.98, which is a museum by day and a concert venue some evenings.
- Old Stock Exchange Palace, from USD 64.44, for the Vienna Residence Orchestra.
Which Vienna concert should you book? Musikverein if the hall matters to you, Karlskirche if the setting does, and St Stephen’s if you want something you will not hear anywhere else.
Book Musikverein concert tickets, Karlskirche Four Seasons tickets or St Stephen’s organ concert tickets. The Vienna classical concerts and church concerts ranges have the rest.
One cheap trick: Vienna State Opera standing room goes for €13 to €18. You queue, you stand, you see world-class opera for the price of lunch.
The Spanish Riding School
Lipizzaner stallions, inside the Hofburg, and nothing else in Europe is quite like it.
- Morning exercise runs €18 to €22 and lasts around two hours.
- Full performances run €35 to €120 depending on seat, also about two hours.
- There is a shorter 45-minute show at roughly €27 to €35.
- Season is September to June. Closed July and August, when the horses go to Piber.
- Morning exercise is most weekday mornings, though not every day.
- Performances happen two to four times a month on selected dates.
- Michaelerplatz 1, with entrances on Reitschulgasse and Michaelerplatz.
Weekend performances sell out four to six weeks ahead, whereas morning exercise is often available one to two weeks out. Check the current schedule before you fix a date, because the dates move.
The Prater and the Giant Ferris Wheel
The Riesenrad has been turning since 1897, and it is the thing on every Vienna postcard that is not a palace.
- Tickets from USD 16.99, or around €14.50 at the gate.
- One rotation takes roughly 15 minutes in a wooden cabin.
- The Prater grounds themselves are free. Rides are pay-per-ride, which adds up fast.
- Go at dusk. The view over the city and the Danube is worth the timing.
- U1 to Praterstern, and you are there.
Giant Ferris Wheel skip-the-line tickets avoid the summer queue, and the Belvedere plus Ferris Wheel combo saves 10 per cent if you are doing both.
On the Danube: cruises and the canal
Here is the thing nobody tells you. The Danube does not run through central Vienna. The Danube Canal does, and the river proper sits a bit further out.
- A Danube Canal sightseeing cruise is the short, central option.
- Evening cruises on the river run with an optional dinner.
- The Wachau Valley cruise between Krems and Melk is the scenic one, and it is a full day.
- Sunday brunch cruises with live music exist, which is very Vienna.
- A Bratislava day trip by boat is genuinely good value, since Slovakia is an hour away.
Start with the Danube Canal sightseeing cruise for an hour, or the Wachau Valley cruise if you have a spare day. The Vienna sightseeing cruises and Vienna dinner cruises ranges cover the evening options.
Coffee houses, Naschmarkt and eating in Vienna
The coffee house is UNESCO-listed as intangible cultural heritage, which sounds absurd until you spend two hours in one and nobody asks you to leave.
| Thing | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Melange coffee | €4 to €6 | The default order. Say Melange, not latte |
| Wiener Frühstück at a coffee house | €12 to €18 | Eggs, bread, coffee, a newspaper on a stick |
| Sachertorte with coffee at Café Sacher | €16.60 to €19 | Touristy, and you will do it anyway |
| Würstel stand | €4 to €6 | Käsekrainer. Late night. No regrets |
| Beisl lunch | €12 to €20 | A Beisl is a neighbourhood tavern |
| Schnitzel restaurant | €30 to €55 | Figlmüller is the famous one, and the queue shows |
| Mid-range dinner | €25 to €50 | Plenty of good options off the Ring |
Naschmarkt is the market everyone names. It is half produce, half restaurants, and Saturday brings a flea market alongside it. Prices at the restaurant end run high for what you get, so eat at the stalls instead.
Our Vienna food tours cover the coffee houses properly, and Vienna cooking classes go further if you want to make the Schnitzel yourself.
Mozart’s Vienna
He lived here for ten years, and the city has never stopped mentioning it.
- Mozarthaus, from USD 25.78, is the only surviving Vienna flat he lived in. Figaro was written here.
- Haus der Musik, from USD 33.98, is interactive and genuinely good with teenagers.
- A Mozarthaus plus Haus der Musik combo covers both for the price of one and a bit.
- Mythos Mozart is the immersive one, and it pairs with Mozarthaus at 5 per cent off.
- Schönbrunn Palace runs Mozart and Strauss concerts, some with an after-hours tour of the palace.
Mozarthaus tickets with audio guide, the Mozarthaus and Haus der Musik combo and the Schönbrunn Mozart and Strauss concert are the three worth comparing.
Free things to do in Vienna
More than the palace prices suggest. You could fill a day and spend nothing but tram fare.
- Schönbrunn gardens, open from 6.30am, and the walk up to the Gloriette costs nothing. Only the terrace at the top is ticketed.
- St Stephen’s Cathedral nave. The towers and catacombs are paid, the main body is not.
- The Ringstrasse. Ride tram 1 or 2 around it and you pass most of the grand buildings for the price of a transport ticket.
- Naschmarkt, free to wander, and the Saturday flea market alongside it.
- Stadtpark and the gold Strauss statue everyone photographs.
- Hundertwasserhaus from the outside, which is the bit worth seeing anyway.
- Prater grounds, where only the rides cost money.
- Donauinsel, the island in the Danube, for swimming and cycling in summer.
- Karlsplatz and the exterior of Karlskirche, which is free to stand in front of.
The Vienna parks range has more green options, and the Vienna deals page carries whatever is discounted at the time.
Day trips from Vienna
Austria is small and the trains are good, so one day out of four is usually worth giving up.
| Day trip | From | Length | Worth it if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hallstatt by bus | USD 134.75 | Full day | You want the lake village photo, and accept the crowds |
| Hallstatt, mountains and Alpine lakes | USD 134.75 | Full day | You prefer scenery to villages |
| Salzburg by bus | USD 134.75 | Full day | Mozart, the fortress and Sound of Music country |
| Hallstatt, Salzburg, Melk, Alps and lakes | USD 162.87 | Long day | You only have one spare day and want everything |
| Bratislava by bus and boat | Paid | Full day | A second country, an hour away |
| Wachau Valley by boat | Paid | Full day | Vineyards, abbeys and the Danube at its best |
A word on the four-stop combined trip. It is a very long coach day, so take it only if you genuinely have one spare day and no more.
Book the Hallstatt day trip, the Salzburg day trip or the Bratislava bus and boat trip. The full Vienna day trips range has more.
Is the Vienna Pass worth it? Pass versus Flexi Pass versus City Card
Three different products, and people confuse them constantly. Here is the difference in plain terms.
| Product | From | What it is | Worth it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vienna Pass | USD 165.44 | Free entry to a long list of sights | You do 4 to 5 paid sights a day, every day |
| Vienna Flexi Pass | USD 64.44 | Pick 2, 3, 4 or 5 attractions | You know exactly which sights you want |
| Vienna City Card | USD 19.92 | Unlimited public transport plus discounts | You travel a lot and want small discounts |
| Vienna City Card, 7 days | USD 10.55 | Discounts on 200+ attractions, no transport | A long stay at a slow pace |
| Vienna Welcome Card | Paid | Transport, with optional hop-on hop-off | You want transport and the bus in one |
My honest read: the Flexi Pass suits most visitors best. The full Pass needs a pace that almost nobody keeps for three days, and at two sights a day it loses money.
Compare the Vienna Pass, the Vienna Flexi Pass and the Vienna City Card side by side in our Vienna city cards range before committing.
Getting around Vienna, and the airport run
The public transport here is the best argument for Vienna as a city break. U-Bahn, trams, buses, all on one ticket.
| Ticket | Paper | Digital |
|---|---|---|
| Single journey | €3.20 | €3.00 |
| 24 hours | €10.20 | €9.70 |
| 7 days | €28.90 | €25.20 |
| CAT, airport to Wien Mitte, one way | €14.90 | €14.90 |
| S7 train from the airport, one way | €5.50 | €2.30 with a City Card or multi-day ticket |
That last line is the money-saver nobody mentions. If you already hold a Vienna City Card or a multi-day Wiener Linien ticket, the S7 from the airport costs €2.30 rather than €5.50. The CAT is faster and sixteen minutes direct, so it is a time-versus-money call.
City Airport Train one-way tickets and CAT round-trip tickets both book ahead. For sightseeing, the Vienna hop-on hop-off bus starts from USD 41.01, or Big Bus with the evening tour from USD 44.29.
What a Vienna trip actually costs
Per person, per day, excluding flights. These are the figures Vienna travellers actually report.
| Style | Per day | What that buys |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | €85 to €120 | Hostel or cheap double, Würstel and Beisl food, one paid sight |
| Mid-range | €150 to €220 | 3-star hotel, a proper dinner, two paid sights, a concert |
| Luxury | €300 to €500+ | 4 or 5-star, fine dining, taxis, whatever you fancy |
Where the money goes if you let it: hotels during ball season and the palace tickets. A 3-star double runs €70 to €110, a 4-star €200 to €330, and a 5-star can pass €1,200 in the wrong week.
And the cheap wins: a Würstel stand dinner for €5, opera standing room for €13, free gardens, and tram 1 around the Ring.
Best time to visit Vienna
There is no washout season here, although there is definitely a cheap one and an expensive one.
| When | Crowds | Prices | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late Jan to early March | Low | Lowest | Cheapest of all, outside ball weekends |
| March and April | Building | Moderate | Good, although Marathon week spikes hotels |
| May and June | Busy | High | Best weather. Schönbrunn needs booking |
| July and August | Peak | High | Hot, crowded, and the Riding School is shut |
| September and October | Easing | Moderate | Quietly the best window |
| November | Low | Low | Cheapest, except the Christmas market opening week |
| Late Nov to Dec | Very busy | High | Christmas markets, and they are worth it |
When is the best time to visit Vienna? September and October, or late April to early June. Both give you workable weather without July prices. For the markets, go in early December and book the hotel in August.
Two dates to avoid if money matters: ball season in January and February, when hotel rates can double, and Vienna Marathon week in April.
A 2-day and 3-day Vienna itinerary
Built around the timed tickets, since those are the only fixed points in a Vienna day.
Two days
| When | Do this |
|---|---|
| Day 1 morning | Schönbrunn at opening, interior slot booked. Gardens after |
| Day 1 afternoon | Tram 1 around the Ring, then St Stephen’s |
| Day 1 evening | Karlskirche or Musikverein concert |
| Day 2 morning | Hofburg, Sisi Museum and the Imperial Treasury |
| Day 2 afternoon | Kunsthistorisches, or the Upper Belvedere for The Kiss |
| Day 2 evening | Giant Ferris Wheel at dusk, then a Beisl dinner |
Three days
Keep days one and two, then pick. Hallstatt or Salzburg if you want scenery. Spanish Riding School morning exercise plus the Leopold and Albertina if you would rather stay in town. Or the Wachau Valley by boat, which is the gentlest of the three.
Doing Vienna in a day? Schönbrunn gardens, the Ring by tram, St Stephen’s, and an evening concert. Skip the palace interiors entirely, because the timed slots will eat your day.
Mistakes first-time visitors make in Vienna
- Turning up at Schönbrunn without a slot in July. You will not get in that day.
- Buying the full Vienna Pass for a relaxed trip, then using it twice.
- Booking the Spanish Riding School in July or August, when it does not run.
- Paying at the door for the Kunsthistorisches, which is cheaper online.
- Doing Schönbrunn and Belvedere on the same day. Both deserve half a day each.
- Paying €5.50 for the S7 from the airport when a City Card drops it to €2.30.
- Eating at the restaurant end of Naschmarkt rather than the stalls.
- Missing opera standing room, which is €13 to €18 for a world-class house.
- Visiting during ball season without checking hotel rates first.
Is Vienna worth visiting?
Yes, and it is one of the easier short breaks in Europe to get right. The transport works, the centre is walkable, the museums are world-class, and you can hear a proper orchestra on a Tuesday for the price of a pizza.
What it is not: cheap on hotels, or spontaneous. Two things need booking weeks out, and both are worth it.
Book the Schönbrunn slot first, pick one concert, leave a morning for the gardens, and the rest falls into place. Price your own list on things to do in Vienna, or start with Vienna tours and Vienna guided tours.
Frequently asked questions
Schönbrunn Palace, the Hofburg with the Sisi Museum, the Upper Belvedere for Klimt’s The Kiss, a classical concert at the Musikverein or Karlskirche, and the Giant Ferris Wheel at the Prater. Schönbrunn needs a timed slot booked ahead, while the others usually need only a day or two.
The State Apartments ticket is €28 for adults, €19 for ages 6 to 18, and takes about 40 minutes. The longer Palace Ticket is €38 adult and €28 child, at around 75 minutes. A Classic Pass at €44 adds the garden attractions. Under-6s go free, and the park and gardens cost nothing.
Schönbrunn Palace interior, where summer slots go two to three weeks ahead, and Spanish Riding School performances, where weekend dates sell out four to six weeks out. Most museums, concerts and cruises are fine with one to seven days’ notice.
Only if you visit four or five paid sights a day for the whole length of the pass. At the more typical two sights a day it loses money. The Vienna Flexi Pass, where you pick 2 to 5 attractions, suits most visitors better, and the Vienna City Card is really a transport ticket with discounts attached.
Three days covers the palaces, one or two museums, a concert and an evening at the Prater without rushing. Two days works if you skip one palace interior. Four lets you add Hallstatt, Salzburg or the Wachau Valley as a day trip.
More on visiting Vienna
A single journey is €3.20 on paper or €3.00 digital. A 24-hour ticket costs €10.20 or €9.70 digital, and a 7-day ticket €28.90 or €25.20 digital. One ticket covers the U-Bahn, trams and buses, and tram 1 around the Ringstrasse doubles as a sightseeing tour.
The S7 train at €5.50 one way, which drops to €2.30 if you already hold a Vienna City Card or a multi-day Wiener Linien ticket. The City Airport Train is €14.90 one way and faster, running direct to Wien Mitte in about sixteen minutes.
No. The school runs September through June, and closes in July and August while the Lipizzaner stallions are at the Piber stud farm. Morning exercise costs €18 to €22, while full performances run €35 to €120 depending on the seat.
Plenty. The Schönbrunn gardens open at 6.30am and cost nothing, the nave of St Stephen’s Cathedral is free, and so are Naschmarkt, Stadtpark, the Prater grounds, Donauinsel and the exterior of Hundertwasserhaus. Riding tram 1 around the Ringstrasse costs only a transport ticket.
Late January to early March, outside ball weekends, and November outside the Christmas market opening week. Hotel rates can double during ball season in January and February, and again during Vienna Marathon week in April.
