7 days in Vienna

Day by day

1. Day 1: Schönbrunn Palace and Tiergarten Schönbrunn

   Schönbrunn Palace and Tiergarten Schönbrunn, then Vienna State Opera in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Schönbrunn Palace

      Hietzing · Half a day · mid-priced. Palace tours use timed tickets that sell out in summer and at weekends; book online in advance.

   2. Late morning

      Tiergarten Schönbrunn

      Hietzing · 3–4 hours · mid-priced.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Wiener Schnitzel

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

   4. 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: Hofburg Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum and Spanish Riding School

   Hofburg Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum and Spanish Riding School, then Prater and the Giant Ferris Wheel in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Hofburg Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum

      Innere Stadt · 2–3 hours · mid-priced.

   2. Late morning

      Spanish Riding School

      Innere Stadt · 1–1.5 hours · mid-priced. Performances sell out weeks ahead; book on the official site.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Tafelspitz

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

   4. Evening

      Prater and the Giant Ferris Wheel

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

3. Day 3: St Stephen's Cathedral and Kunsthistorisches Museum

   St Stephen's Cathedral and Kunsthistorisches Museum, then MuseumsQuartier and Leopold Museum in the evening.

   1. Morning

      St Stephen's Cathedral

      Innere Stadt · 1–1.5 hours · free.

   2. Late morning

      Kunsthistorisches Museum

      Innere Stadt · 3 hours · mid-priced.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Sachertorte

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

   4. 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

      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.

5. Day 5: Albertina and Natural History Museum

   Albertina and Natural History Museum, then Gürtel in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Albertina

      Innere Stadt · 2 hours · mid-priced.

   2. Late morning

      Natural History Museum

      Innere Stadt · 2–3 hours · mid-priced.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Apple strudel

      Coffee houses and konditoreien throughout the city; Schönbrunn's café offers strudel-making demonstrations.

   4. Evening

      Gürtel

      Bars and live-music clubs in the arches beneath the U6 elevated railway line.

6. Day 6: Day trip to Bratislava

   About 1 hour by train or 75 minutes by boat each way. Getting there: Regional train from the Hauptbahnhof, or the seasonal Twin City Liner catamaran.

   1. Morning

      Travel to Bratislava

      About 1 hour by train or 75 minutes by boat (Regional train from the Hauptbahnhof, or the seasonal Twin City Liner catamaran); about 60 km.

   2. Day

      Bratislava

      Prices are lower than in Vienna.

   3. Evening

      Back in Vienna

      Dinner: try Kaiserschmarrn.

7. Day 7: Haus der Musik and State Hall of the Austrian National Library

   Haus der Musik and State Hall of the Austrian National Library, then Bermuda Triangle in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Haus der Musik

      Innere Stadt · 2 hours · mid-priced.

   2. Late morning

      State Hall of the Austrian National Library

      Innere Stadt · 45 minutes · low cost.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Kaiserschmarrn

      Traditional restaurants and coffee houses, and huts in the Vienna Woods.

   4. Evening

      Bermuda Triangle

      A cluster of bars around Ruprechtskirche in the old centre, popular with students and visitors.

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 7 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 25–32 hours of visiting over 7 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
• 4 days in Vienna
• 5 days in Vienna

Questions travellers ask