Rainy day · Vienna · Austria
8 things to do in Vienna when it rains
Indoor sights that make a wet day feel planned rather than lost.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Start with Hofburg Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum, Spanish Riding School and Belvedere. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 15–18 hours across 5 areas; all charge for entry. May is usually the wettest month, with about 8 rainy days.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 0
- Time to see them all
- 15–18 hours
- Areas
- Innere Stadt, Landstraße and Neubau
Vienna on a rainy day
Palace · Innere Stadt
1.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.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Experience · Innere Stadt
2.Spanish Riding School
If performance tickets are sold out, book a morning exercise session or a guided tour of the stables.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Gallery · Landstraße
3.Belvedere
The gardens are free and give the classic view of the Upper Belvedere reflected in its pool.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Museum · Innere Stadt
4.Kunsthistorisches Museum
Take coffee and cake in the café under the grand cupola, one of the most beautiful museum cafés in Europe.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- Rainy day
- History
Gallery · Innere Stadt
5.Albertina
Walk out onto the terrace above the entrance for a view over the Opera and the Burggarten.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Neubau
6.MuseumsQuartier and Leopold Museum
Even without a ticket, the courtyard is a free and lively place for a drink in the warmer months.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- After dark
Street · Ringstrasse
7.Ringstrasse by tram
Ride the regular trams 1 and 2 with an ordinary ticket for most of the loop, hopping off at the Parliament and City Hall.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Gallery · Wieden
8.Secession Building
Read the motto over the entrance — 'To every age its art, to art its freedom' — then go straight down to the Beethoven Frieze.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Innere Stadt | Hofburg Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum, Spanish Riding School, Kunsthistorisches Museum and Albertina | 2–3 hours + 1–1.5 hours + 3 hours + 2 hours |
| Landstraße | Belvedere | 2 hours |
| Neubau | MuseumsQuartier and Leopold Museum | 2–3 hours |
| Ringstrasse | Ringstrasse by tram | 30 minutes–2 hours |
| Wieden | Secession Building | 1 hour |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 2 low cost, 6 mid-priced. Book ahead for Spanish Riding School and Belvedere. The longest visit is Hofburg Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Spanish Riding School: Performances sell out weeks ahead; book on the official site.
- Belvedere: Timed tickets are recommended in summer and around holidays.
How to fit them into 5 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Innere Stadt): Hofburg Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum → Spanish Riding School, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Innere Stadt): Kunsthistorisches Museum, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Innere Stadt and Landstraße): Albertina → Belvedere, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Neubau and Ringstrasse): MuseumsQuartier and Leopold Museum → Ringstrasse by tram, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 5 (Wieden): Secession Building, at least 1 hour.
The wettest months
- May: highs of 21°C (70°F), about 8 rainy days, busy crowds. Warm and green, with terraces and heurigen gardens open and a busy cultural calendar.
- June: highs of 24°C (75°F), about 8 rainy days, busy crowds. Long, warm days; swimming on the Danube Island begins and the city fills with festivals.
- July: highs of 26°C (79°F), about 8 rainy days, very busy crowds. Warmest month, with occasional heatwaves and thunderstorms; the State Opera is in summer break, but open-air events replace it.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Innere Stadt — The historic 1st district inside the Ring: cathedral, Hofburg and classic coffee houses
- Landstraße — The Belvedere palaces, the Hundertwasserhaus and the airport train terminus
- Wieden — Karlskirche, the Naschmarkt and the galleries and bistros of the Freihausviertel
- Neubau — MuseumsQuartier, Spittelberg's Biedermeier lanes and independent designers
More of Vienna
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Vienna?
Hofburg Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum. The Habsburgs' winter palace grew over six centuries into a city within the city.