Vienna packs an extraordinary amount into a walkable center: imperial palaces, world-class art, a UNESCO coffeehouse tradition, and one of the great musical heritages on earth. This list balances the unmissable icons with a few experiences that show how the city actually lives. We have ranked them by how essential they feel on a first visit, spanning the Habsburg palaces, the Ringstrasse's monuments, the markets, and the green spaces where the Viennese spend their weekends. You could do the top five in two busy days, but the joy of Vienna is in slowing down - lingering over a Melange, catching standing-room opera for the price of a sandwich, or walking the palace gardens at golden hour. Save the ones that appeal to you and drop them into your own itinerary; each links to its place on the map so you can group them by district and avoid criss-crossing the city.
The Best Things to Do in Vienna
Schonbrunn Palace
The Habsburgs' 1,441-room summer palace, with rococo state rooms, vast formal gardens, and the Gloriette viewpoint above. Vienna's answer to Versailles.
St. Stephen's Cathedral South Tower
The Gothic cathedral at the city's heart, its tiled roof unmistakable. Climb the South Tower for the best rooftop view in town.
Hofburg Imperial Palace
The Habsburgs' winter palace and a maze of museums, including the Sisi Museum and the baroque National Library - a city within the city.
Belvedere Palace
A baroque palace holding the world's largest Klimt collection, including The Kiss, with gardens linking its upper and lower halves.
Kunsthistorisches Museum
The imperial art collection - Bruegel, Vermeer, Caravaggio, Raphael - in a building as opulent as any palace.
Naschmarkt
Vienna's famous market: 120-plus stalls of cheese, wine, oysters, spices, and street food, plus a Saturday flea market.
Vienna State Opera
One of the world's great opera houses, staging a different production nearly every night - with standing-room tickets from EUR 13.
Prater Park & Riesenrad
Vienna's green playground, anchored by the 1897 Riesenrad Ferris wheel and kilometres of tree-lined avenues for walking and cycling.
Ringstrasse Grand Boulevard
The 5.3 km showpiece boulevard ringing the old town, lined with the Opera, Parliament, City Hall, and twin museums. Ride trams 1 and 2 to orient yourself.
Cafe Central
The grandest of the historic coffee houses, all vaulted ceilings and marble columns - the place to experience Vienna's UNESCO cafe culture.
Secession Building
The golden-domed temple of Vienna's Art Nouveau movement, home to Klimt's monumental Beethoven Frieze.
Zentralfriedhof
The vast central cemetery where Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and the Strauss family lie - a uniquely Viennese, oddly moving day out.
FAQ
- What is the one thing not to miss in Vienna?
- If you can do only one thing, make it Schoenbrunn Palace and its gardens, ideally first thing in the morning. For a single evening, standing-room tickets at the State Opera deliver world-class music for the price of a snack.
- What can you do in Vienna for free?
- Plenty. Walking the Ringstrasse, the Innere Stadt, and the Schoenbrunn, Belvedere, and Volksgarten gardens costs nothing, and several monuments (Parliament, City Hall) offer free guided tours. The Danube Canal street-art walk and a stroll through the Naschmarkt are also free.
- Is Vienna good for families?
- Very. The Prater funfair and Riesenrad, the Schoenbrunn zoo and maze, the Natural History Museum, and the city's parks and trams make it easy and fun with children, and distances are short.
Make it your trip
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