4 days in Vienna

Day by day

1. Day 1: Schönbrunn Palace and Tiergarten Schönbrunn

   Schönbrunn Palace, Tiergarten Schönbrunn and Hofburg Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum, then Vienna State Opera in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Schönbrunn Palace

      Allow Half a day (mid-priced). Book the first time slot, then walk up to the Gloriette and visit the maze and zoo in the afternoon.

   2. Late morning

      Tiergarten Schönbrunn

      Its enclosures radiate from a baroque imperial breakfast pavilion, and modern houses include a rainforest and a polar area.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Wiener Schnitzel

      Traditional Beisl restaurants and schnitzel specialists across the city, especially in the 1st district.

   4. Afternoon

      Hofburg Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum

      Allow 2–3 hours (mid-priced). Allow extra time for the Imperial Treasury, which is a separate ticket but holds some of the most important regalia in Europe.

   5. Evening

      Vienna State Opera

      Check the official site for how standing-room tickets are sold for your date, and dress smart-casual for evening performances.

2. Day 2: Spanish Riding School and St Stephen's Cathedral

   Spanish Riding School, St Stephen's Cathedral and Kunsthistorisches Museum, then Prater and the Giant Ferris Wheel in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Spanish Riding School

      Gala performances are the highlight; morning training sessions with music are a cheaper way to see the horses.

   2. Late morning

      St Stephen's Cathedral

      Allow 1–1.5 hours (free). Entry to the back of the nave is free; pay for the towers, catacomb tour or full nave only if you have time.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Tafelspitz

      Classic Viennese restaurants and Beisln; a few specialise in boiled beef in many cuts.

   4. Afternoon

      Kunsthistorisches Museum

      The Habsburg art collection fills a palatial building of 1891 on the Ring, with the world's largest group of paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, including Hunters in the Snow and The Tower of Babel, Vermeer's The Art of Painting, Caravaggio, Titian and Rubens, plus an Egyptian collection and the Kunstkammer of curiosities.

   5. Evening

      Prater and the Giant Ferris Wheel

      Ride the Riesenrad just before sunset, then walk or cycle along the Hauptallee.

3. Day 3: Albertina and Natural History Museum

   Albertina, Natural History Museum and Haus der Musik, then MuseumsQuartier and Leopold Museum in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Albertina

      Allow 2 hours (mid-priced). Walk out onto the terrace above the entrance for a view over the Opera and the Burggarten.

   2. Late morning

      Natural History Museum

      The twin of the Kunsthistorisches Museum across Maria-Theresien-Platz displays the Venus of Willendorf, a limestone figurine about 30,000 years old, a dinosaur hall, one of the world's largest meteorite collections and halls of minerals and animals in their original 19th-century cabinets.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Sachertorte

      Café Sacher at Hotel Sacher, Demel on Kohlmarkt and most traditional coffee houses.

   4. Afternoon

      Haus der Musik

      Allow 2 hours (mid-priced). Try the virtual conductor station; the orchestra stops playing in protest if your tempo is poor.

   5. Evening

      MuseumsQuartier and Leopold Museum

      Even without a ticket, the courtyard is a free and lively place for a drink in the warmer months.

4. Day 4: Day trip to Wachau Valley and Melk Abbey

   About 1 hour by train to Melk each way. Getting there: Train to Melk, then a river boat or bus along the Danube.

   1. Morning

      Travel to Wachau Valley and Melk Abbey

      About 1 hour by train to Melk (Train to Melk, then a river boat or bus along the Danube); about 85 km.

   2. Day

      Wachau Valley and Melk Abbey

      The baroque Melk Abbey stands high above the Danube at the start of the Wachau, a UNESCO-listed stretch of river lined with terraced vineyards, apricot orchards and wine villages. Take a river boat from Melk to Dürnstein, where Richard the Lionheart was held captive in the castle now in ruins above the town.

   3. Evening

      Back in Vienna

      Dinner: try Apple strudel.

Before you go

Reserve timed tickets for Schönbrunn Palace, Spanish Riding School and Vienna State Opera before you travel; the rest of this plan needs no advance booking.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 4 nights, Innere Stadt keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Leopoldstadt ($$) suits budget, families, food lovers and solo travellers. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 24–31 hours of visiting over 4 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 8.4 hours in December to 16.1 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

More or fewer days

• One day in Vienna
• 2 days in Vienna
• 3 days in Vienna
• 5 days in Vienna
• 7 days in Vienna

Questions travellers ask