Planning a visit to beautiful Vienna, Austria, but short on time? These are the top 5 things to do in Vienna that should make the cut in your itinerary.
A Walking Tour of the Historic Center
There’s no better way to get your bearings in Vienna than with a walking tour. We love starting our trips with walking tours because they’re a great way to see several of the city’s top sights, get familiar with the area, and get tons of helpful local tips from your tour guide. A walking tour in Vienna will focus on the city’s historic center in the 1st district (Innere Stadt), with a guided stroll past the iconic St. Stephen’s Cathedral and along the Ringstrasse. As you can probably tell from the name, the Ringstrasse is a historic boulevard that circles the city’s center, and is actually a UNESCO World Heritage site all on its own! It’s home to many notable buildings like the State Opera House, Hofburg Palace, and Parliament. We book our walking tours on GuruWalk, an app that offers free walking tours in over 800 cities and 100 countries – just make sure to tip what you can!
Schönbrunn Palace
If you can only fit one palace visit in your Vienna itinerary, we recommend Schönbrunn Palace over Hofburg Palace. While it’s a bit further out than centrally located Hofburg, this summer palace of the Hapsburg’s is far more impressive. Touring Schönbrunn Palace is a full-day activity, but it’s well worth your time. The palace itself is stunning, modeled after the Palace of Versailles in France, but this is just the start! There are tons of gardens – including a fun hedge maze – stunning vistas from the Gloriette, and the Tiergarten Zoo, which is the oldest zoo in the world! Note that you’ll need to book a timed entrance for the palace – we recommend doing this first thing in the morning to cut down on crowds and give you the rest of the day free to tour at your own pace.
A Classical Music Concert or Waltz Class
Known as the “City of Music,” Vienna is famous for the invention and popularization of the waltz. Birthplace of legendary composer Johan Strauss II, the waltz is a huge piece of Vienna’s culture, and you’d really be missing out if you didn’t take part in it in some way during your visit. We personally recommend taking a waltz dance class, a fun and interactive way to immerse yourself in Vienna’s culture. However, if dancing isn’t for you, there are classical music concerts literally every night of the week somewhere across the city. Use this site to find a concert that interests you, or attend the concert we did, which was absolutely fantastic!
Austrian National Library, State Hall
This lesser known site may have been my favorite in the city, and is not to be missed by book lovers. Walking into this beautiful, historic library felt like stepping into “Beauty and the Beast,” with towering polished bookshelves lined with rolling ladders, stunning statues and touches of gold, and incredible frescoes adorning the domed ceiling. In addition to its beauty, the Austrian National Library owns one of the world’s most significant collections of manuscripts, including works as old as the 4th century! Admiring the ancient calligraphy and art is awe-inspiring, and definitely shouldn’t be missed on a visit to Vienna.
Classic Viennese Food
Finally, you can’t visit Vienna without trying some of its incredible cuisine! While you may come in thinking Viennese food will be dense and heavy – we certainly did – it’s anything but. Viennese food was surprisingly varied and delicious. Even the fried Wiener schnitzel was so much lighter and crispier than we expected! Don’t miss that, along with Tafelspitz, a boiled beef dish favored by Emperor Franz Josef I, and kasekrainer, a sausage stuffed with melted cheese. Make sure to save room for dessert though, as this is where the city really shines. They’re well-known for iconic classics like apfelstrudel (apple strudel) and Sachertorte (a chocolate cake with apricot filling), but we highly recommend Kaiserchmarrn, a crispy fried pastry like a donut/funnel cake hybrid topped with a delicious plum sauce. Try Cafe Demel for Kaisershmarrn at its finest!
Wrapping Up – The 5 Things You Can’t Miss in Vienna
While there are so many more than 5 can’t-miss things to do in Vienna, we hope this post gives you a taste of what Vienna has to offer! In our opinion, this beautiful European capital is so underhyped and begging to be explored. Check out this post on Two Packs And A Pup for a detailed itinerary you can use to plan your 2-5 day trip to Vienna!
Author Bio
Meredith is the owner and lead travel writer for Two Packs And A Pup, a travel blog providing premade itineraries, top bar and restaurant recommendations, and other travel tips for hot and up-and-coming destinations around the world. She and her husband, Colby, are full-time digital nomads that travel with their dog, Cali, and are passionate about sharing worldwide cultural experiences.
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