Vienna, Austria: sightseeing and useful tips

Welcome to Vienna, the capital of Austria! With its world-famous palaces and museums, this city is a jewel at the crossroads of Europe.

In this travel guide, you’ll discover the must-do things to do in Vienna, tips on how to make the most of your stay at a lower cost, and some good addresses.

What museums are worth visiting in Vienna? How to prepare your stay? What must you see? Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of this exciting city!

This travel guide is produced in commercial collaboration with the Austrian Tourist Office. The opinions and suggestions for activities in this article are therefore entirely sincere

Plan your stay in Vienna

🗺️ How do I get there? The quickest way is of course by plane, with several routes operated by Austrian Airlines and Air France linking Vienna to various French cities. If you prefer to take your time and reduce your carbon footprint, you can also opt for the Nightjet train, which runs from Paris to Vienna in 14h30, with the option of reserving a sleeper or even a single compartment.  To find out more

🗓️ When to go? Winters are fairly cold and summers are increasingly hot. So opt for autumn or spring for milder temperatures. In winter, you can enjoy the charm of Christmas entertainment, while in summer, festivals bring the city to life.

⏱️ How long can I stay? There’s a lot to see in Vienna. Allow at least three days to visit all the must-see sights. Ideally 4, 5 or 6 days to take your time and get off the beaten track.

💬 How do you communicate? In Austria, the official language is German, but most Austrians speak perfect English.

🚶🏻‍♂️ How to get around? From the airport, an express train, the CAT (City Airport Train), takes you to the city center in around 15 minutes for €25 return or €15 one-way – Find out more. Once in the city, you can easily explore the historic center on foot. Alternatively, a network of streetcars and subway trains criss-cross the city.

💰 How much does it cost? The cost of living is quite high in Vienna and similar to Paris. Expect to pay €80 to €150 for a double room in the city center and around €20 for a meal.

What to do in Vienna Must-sees

Walking along the Ring

The 5 km “Ring” is a boulevard that surrounds the city center and is home to Vienna’s most majestic palaces and monuments, including the Opera House, Parliament, City Hall and numerous museums. A stroll along the Ring is a great way to start your visit to Vienna.

This layout is no coincidence: until the ^19th century, Vienna was a modest city, comprising only the present-day historic center (the^1st district), surrounded by city walls. In 1857, Emperor Franz Joseph wished to enlarge the city and had the ramparts demolished, to be replaced by a large boulevard, the Ring. Many new buildings were erected, so most of the buildings you’ll see along this boulevard date from the second half of the ^19th century.

Admire the National Library

I fell in love with this library, one of the most beautiful Baroque libraries in the world, built in 1726 at the request of Emperor Charles VI, whose statue is enthroned in the middle of the room.

The library houses several museums, but I recommend a visit to State Hall.

 Josefsplatz 1
 Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm
 10 €, free for under-19s, €2 discount with Vienna City Card
Online ticketing: https://ticket.onb.ac.at/

Going to the Opera

The Vienna Opera is internationally renowned. Performances are part of the Viennese art of living. Tours of the opera house are only available on a guided basis, so be sure to reserve a slot. And if you want to see a show, tickets sell out months in advance, so plan ahead!

Opernring 2

Visiting museums

Vienna has over a hundred museums! It’s difficult to visit them all, but you’re bound to find a few to your liking. Find a selection of museums to visit in the rest of this article.

Climb one of the towers of St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom)

A visit to this cathedral in the center of Vienna is a must if you want to admire its architecture.

Access to the cathedral is free, but you’ll have to pay to get to the towers. The Guard Tower (South Tower), at 136 meters, is the third-highest bell tower in Europe, and you’ll have to climb 343 steps on foot to reach the top, where you’ll be rewarded with a lovely view of Vienna. – Admission outside the cathedral, €6.5

The Pummerin Tower, accessible by elevator, features Austria’s largest bumblebee, which rings in the New Year. – Entrance from inside the cathedral

 Stephanplatz 3
 Monday to Saturday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sundays from 7 a.m.

Entering St. Charles Borromeo Church (Karlskirche)

You have to pay to visit this church, but it would be a real shame not to. It is Vienna’s most monumental Baroque church, commissioned by Emperor Charles VI to celebrate the end of the plague epidemic and built between 1716 and 1722 by the architects von Elarch, father and son.

The fact that this church has to be paid for means that you can enjoy it in good conditions, avoiding the crowds. You’ll also have access to the gallery, close to the organ and with a view of the church from above, as well as to the outside of the dome with a lovely view of Vienna.

Off the beaten track

Most tourists are content to visit the first arrondissement, where most of the palaces, museums and monuments are located, but it would be a shame not to discover other parts of the city that also have a lot of charm.

In particular, I recommend exploring the Spittelberg district in the ^7th arrondissement, behind the MuseumsQuartier. It’s a more authentic district, as this is where the Viennese live. Here you’ll find many lively streets, cafés and restaurants, art galleries, boutiques and colorful houses, as well as a wealth of street art.

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Which museums to visit in Vienna?

Here is a small selection of museums I particularly recommend in Vienna:

Kunsthistoriches Museum (art history museum)

This is probably the most impressive museum in Vienna, both in terms of its architecture and the works it contains, the fourth largest collection of paintings in the world, including the most important collection of works by Bruegel.

Here you can see some of the greatest masterpieces in the history of art, such as Caravaggio’s Medusa, Brueghel the Elder’s Great Tower of Babel, several works by Velázquez, as well as Raphael, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Rubens, Tintoretto… In short, enough to spend several hours here!

The Belvedere Palace

This palace, built in 1723 at the request of Prince Eugène of Savoy, was acquired by the Habsburgs on his death, to house their collection of paintings and serve as an imperial gallery.

Inside you can see the star of Austrian art: Klimt’s famous Kiss, as well as works by Egon Schiele, Van Gogh and Monet…

At the other end of the park, the Lower Belvedere houses temporary exhibitions, while Belvedere 21, just a few minutes’ walk away, is dedicated to Austrian art of the ^20th and ^21st centuries.

Albertina Museum

The Albertina boasts an impressive graphic arts collection of some 65,000 drawings, prints and watercolors. Its collections include works by great masters such as Raphael, Dürer, Rubens, Goya, Klimt and Picasso.

Housed in one of the Habsburgs’ majestic townhouses, this museum also boasts magnificent architecture and sumptuous rooms.

 Albertinaplatz 1
 Daily 10 am – 6 pm, late-night opening on Wednesdays and Fridays until 9 pm
 Adults €18.9, concessions €16.9, €1 discount with Vienna City Card

Albertina Modern

Opening in 2020, this annex of the Albertina is dedicated to modern and post-modern art, with works by Cindy Sherman, Gerhard Richter, Roy Lichtenstein, Pierre Soulages and Andy Warhol.

 Karlsplatz 5
 Daily 10 am – 6 pm, late-night opening on Wednesdays and Fridays until 9 pm
 Adults €14.9, concessions €12.9, €1 discount with Vienna City Card

The Leopold Museum

Located in the “Museum Quarter”, the Leopold Museum presents a collection of modern art assembled by Rudolph and Elisabeth Leopold. Inside its light-filled halls, you can admire the world’s largest collection of Egon Schiele paintings, as well as works by Klimt, Kokoschka…

You can also visit Café Léopold to enjoy the rooftop terrace with its lovely view over the city.

The Wien Museum

Reopened in 2023 after several years of renovation, the Wien Museum is a brand-new museum whose collections cover the history of Vienna from the Neolithic period to the present day.

 Karlsplatz
 Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm
 8 €, free for under-19s

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Interactive map of Vienna

All the addresses mentioned in this article can be found on this map:

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Where to stay in Vienna?

Enter the dates of your stay below to see the available hotels and their rates:

I recommend staying close to the city center to get the most out of Vienna and to be able to do a lot of things on foot.

During my stay, I stayed at the Andaz Vienna Am Belvedere, located right next to the Belvedere Palace. The rooms are ultra-comfortable and some offer breathtaking views of the city.

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Extend your stay in Austria

If you’d like to discover a little more of Austria, take a trip to Linz, the country’s third-largest city, just 1 hour 40 minutes by train from Vienna.

I also highly recommend discovering Graz, with its rich historical heritage, beautiful panoramas and cultural scene. Only 2 hours by train from Vienna.

Bon voyage!

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This travel guide is produced in commercial collaboration with the Austrian Tourist Office. The opinions and suggestions for activities in this article are therefore entirely sincere.
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