One day in Vienna

Day by day

1. Day 1: Schönbrunn Palace and Tiergarten Schönbrunn

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

   1. Morning

      Schönbrunn Palace

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

   2. Late morning

      Tiergarten Schönbrunn

      Enter from the palace gardens and combine the zoo with the Schönbrunn maze and children's museum. Allow 3–4 hours.

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

   5. Late afternoon

      Spanish Riding School

      If performance tickets are sold out, book a morning exercise session or a guided tour of the stables. Allow 1–1.5 hours.

   6. Evening

      Prater and the Giant Ferris Wheel

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

Before you go

• Schönbrunn Palace: Palace tours use timed tickets that sell out in summer and at weekends; book online in advance.
• Spanish Riding School: Performances sell out weeks ahead; book on the official site.

If it rains

• Swap in Belvedere (Landstraße): The gardens are free and give the classic view of the Upper Belvedere reflected in its pool.
• Swap in Kunsthistorisches Museum (Innere Stadt): Take coffee and cake in the café under the grand cupola, one of the most beautiful museum cafés in Europe.
• Swap in Albertina (Innere Stadt): Walk out onto the terrace above the entrance for a view over the Opera and the Burggarten.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 11–16 hours of visiting over one day, 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.

Getting between stops: Metro. The U-Bahn connects the centre with Schönbrunn (U4), the Prater (U1 and U2) and the main stations.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Vienna
• 3 days in Vienna
• 4 days in Vienna
• 5 days in Vienna
• 7 days in Vienna

Questions travellers ask