vienna sights, attractions and itinerary

Welcome to the Drink in the Sights Vienna Itinerary. Here we'll cover all best sights and attractions in Vienna. 

Imperial Palaces, Capuchin Crypts, and the Best Place to Drink at Sunset. 

There are so many things to add to a Vienna itinerary, and in terms of sheer scale I've never visited a city quite like it. Every monument, every palace, every state building, every Vienna attraction, every stein of beer just feels bigger. The strange thing is though they aren't. They are just better positioned. Most European cities are crowded to the point that no matter how big the monument or palace is you don't really get a good view of them until you're virtually stood outside. It feels different in Vienna, it feels more organised, it feels planned, it feels imperial and imperious. 

I've never seen people wait so long for a pedestrian crossing to change on a completely empty road in any other city. I've never known cleaner, more well managed streets, there's no litter, there's no graffiti, everything looks pristine, and unusually for European cities all the water features seemed to work. Vienna just feels like somewhere that's ordered, but not in a restrictive way. There's a Scandinavian level of politeness and civility about the city which makes it feel calm and relaxed in a way which would usually be difficult to achieve in a city of nearly 2 million inhabitants. 

Vienna is probably most famous for its musical heritage with the likes of Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Strauss and Brahms all hailing from this magnificent city. The Vienna State Opera House is renowned for its beauty and acoustics, which bring in crowds from around the globe. It's probably fitting given all of this that The Sound of Music is filmed in Austria. Vienna was also the home of Sigmund Freud, the sex obsessed Godfather of psychoanalysis without whom the term libido may never have entered the English language. 

The city centre of Vienna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as any city centre this good should be. It's a city built for emperors and princes, which while having Roman roots really became a powerhouse  in the 15th century under Habsburg rule. As the capital of the Habsburg Empire and Holy Roman Empire Vienna was very much the cultural and scientific centre of Europe. From here Vienna went from strength to strength.

By the early 19th century Vienna was the capital of the Austrian Empire, and then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the 20th century Vienna was home to Trotsky, Stalin and Hitler among other notable, and notorious figures. Indeed it was the Austrian born Hitler who ended Vienna's long period of success when he effectively made it part of Nazi Germany with Berlin as the capital. This then led to a period of Soviet rule until Vienna again became capital of an independent Austria in the 1950's. From this point on Vienna has again thrived and is one of the top European city break destinations. Now that's the history done we can start the Drink in the Sights Vienna itinerary.

Travelling to Vienna

Before we talk about the top Vienna sights we need to get you there. Sadly there's not as many flights to Vienna as there should be, which is why it took me longer than I'd have liked to get round to visiting. However you can fly direct, and quite cheaply from Bristol, Edinburgh, Manchester or London Stansted. From the airport it's only a 16 minute train to the city centre, costing 12 euros or 21 euros for a return ticket. Alternatively the bus will take around 30 minutes costing 8 euros each way, or 13 euros for a return. The stop is right outside the airport. For around 14 euros each way Shuttledirect also offer transfers. Now lets go see those Vienna attractions.

Vienna Attractions

Schonbrunn Palace

No Vienna itinerary is likely to start with anything other than Schonbrunn Palace. Now this is what I call a palace. It's an absolute monster of a building on the outskirts of Vienna. There's a zoo, a maze, water features, and statues galore, and that's just on the outside. You can pay for each bit of the palace separately, so if you just want to go to the zoo you can do that, but you're better off getting one of the combined tickets and making a day of it. And there really is a days worth of stuff to do here, which is why it's one of the top Vienna sights. The 22 euro grand tour covers everything inside the building, but really you want the 28 euro 50 cent classic pass which also gets you around all the incredible gardens, the zoo, the maze, and so on.

The palace has nearly 1500 rooms so you don't get to see them all, but you get the main ones, and they are full of all the opulence and luxury you'd expect from a Habsburg palace. Sadly the one thing none of the tickets will buy you is the opportunity to take photos inside, so you'll just have to take my word that it's something you really have to see. You'll also have to trust me that the palace is open 10-5 and you'll need pretty much all that time to see everything which allows it to justify its near 30 euro price tag. It's not bad for a full days entertainment really.

Initially the area Schronbrunn Palace is on was a hunting ground for the wealthy. It was in the mid 17th Century the palace began to take its current glorious form. It was in the hands of the Habsburg's right until their demise in the early 20th century, when it passed to the Austrian Government and became the museum it is today. Not surprisingly this incredible building, and all its vast gardens are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The main features of the gardens are the Gloriette and the hugely impressive Neptune Fountain. By far the least impressive part is the Orangery which you should probably just skip unless you really like seeing orange trees. Personally I'd much rather make sure I saw all the statues that line the gardens, the zoo, and make sure I have time to escape the maze than look at some pretty unimpressive oranges.

This is very possibly the single most impressive palace I've ever visited, and I've been to a fair few on my travels. There's a few such as the palace in Madrid which can match Schonbrunn's interior, but the sheer scale of the gardens here blow anything else away. I also enjoyed the maze more than I thought I would so that's well worth a visit. ​

For a lot of people the Schonbrunn Zoo will be the highlight of the trip, and it's one of the top Vienna attractions in its own right. There's a far greater selection of animals here than you get in most zoos, and they seem fairly content. The polar bears seemed happy playing with their ball, and the chance to see giant pandas should never be missed. There's also the usual array of penguins, sea lions, meerkats, hippos, and a fair few lizards which I particularly appreciate. No trip to Vienna could be complete without a day at Schonbrunn Palace. This really should be top of your Vienna itinerary.

The Imperial Crypt

I'm putting this so high on the list of Vienna attractions because it's so easily overlooked, but it's an absolute macabre must see. This wonderful crypt is the final resting place of most of the Habsburg family, and having dominated Europe for centuries anyone with an interest in history will know the dynasty well. The crypt resides in a small, entirely ordinary Capuchin church which you could walk passed everyday and not even notice was there.

There's an entrance fee of 7 euros and 50 cent, but it's entirely worth the price. The crypt, sarcophagi, and urns containing the hearts of dead Habsburgs  are all still maintained by the Capuchin monks, who go about their duties in a suitably somber manner. Among the 150 dead are 40 emperors and empresses, and their tombs are all spectacular. I'm sure this crypt wont be for everyone, but I think it's wonderful, and a fitting resting place for one of the most powerful and influential families ever to walk the earth. This is very much top of the off the beaten track Vienna sights. 

The Belvedere Museum

When it comes to palaces there's no better place to visit than Vienna. The Belvedere also doubles up as the leading museum for Austrian art in the world. Depending on your budget you can choose to see the gardens, which are the best bit, for free, the Upper Palace for 16 euros, the Lower Palace for 14 euros, or the whole lot for 24 euros. Sadly as with Schonbrunn Palace there's no photography inside either of the Belvedere Palaces. I really have no idea what Austrians have against photography, but it's pretty annoying.

The palaces date back to the 17th century, and were built for Prince Eugene of Savoy who had done great things for the Habsburg dynasty. Eventually the palaces passed to Franz Ferdinand whose assassination led pretty swiftly to the first World War, he'd also eventually have a Scottish rock band named after him. Following the death of Franz Ferdinand the palaces were nationalised and opened to the public as art galleries.

For what it's worth the art in the museums didn't blow me away. The Upper Belevedere contains The Kiss by Gustav Klimt, which I'm told is a masterpiece, but for the life of me I don't see the appeal. There's also works by the likes of Monet and Van Gogh. ​Of the two Palaces the Upper looks best from the outside while the lower has the most exquisite interior. The Marble Hall with it's gorgeous ceiling in the Lower Belvedere was beyond any doubt my highlight, it's absolutely stunning and one of those truly great Vienna sights.

I found both museums interesting, but more for the palace architecture and finery than the actual art work. If you're an art lover then you're almost certainly going to cough up the money to visit these pieces, but if you're not, and you're pushed for time you might have more fun saving the euros and enjoying the beautiful gardens for longer instead of going in. The gardens are open until 17:00 and the statues and fountains are exceptional. Sometimes the best things in life really are free.

St Stephen's Cathedral

This 12th century Romanesque Gothic cathedral only took 30 years to build, which when it comes to cathedral building really is no time at all. It certainly doesn't seem to have been rushed though. Despite it's initial completion the building was gradually expanded over the next 300 years with the large tower only been added in the 15th century. The cathedral bares a resemblance to Matthias Church in Budapest with its wonderful tiled roof and single dominant tower.

While the cathedral roof is certainly the star of the show the interior and unique alter in particular is well worth a visit especially as there's no entrance fee. Hallelujah. For 5 euros 50 cent you can also go up the main tower, but as this building is the dominant force of the Vienna skyline it's best to go up somewhere else for your panoramic views, and we'll get to where to go for them later in this Vienna itinerary.

Vienna Sights

Kunsthistorisches Museum

Just on the off chance that you haven't had your fill of palaces this beauty houses The Museum of Fine Arts. First and foremost this is an amazing 19th century palace, secondly the art here is much more to my taste than anything in The Belvedere. The cost to get in is a steep 16 euros, but if you're only going to do one museum/art gallery in Vienna I'd recommend this one. Even without the artwork inside the building alone would just about justify the price.

The walls, ceilings, and staircases in the palace are all exceptional, and then there's the art.  You'll be treated to 3 works by Caravaggio, most notably David With the Head of Goliath. On top of that there's 5 works by Rubens, 2 by Titan and Raphael and a Rembrandt self portrait. They really aren't skimping on the masters here. This really is a museum for lovers of Renaissance era work in particular and one of the top Vienna attractions.

Even after having your fill of exquisite artwork the Kunsthistorisches isn't finished as it houses one of the most impressive collections of Egyptian history anywhere in Europe. There's a gluttony of sarcophagi, mummies, and Egyptian artwork and pottery to feast your eyes on.  This really is one of the best museums/art galleries you'll find anywhere in Europe, and as they all should be it's in a very special, if difficult to spell palace.

Do a Vienna at Night Tour

You can book this tour through Expedia here.

Usually when I'm writing these pieces I like to plug a good walking tour, without them I wouldn't know anything like enough to write about the amazing Vienna attractions. In this case though I'd really suggest a night tour. The palaces, museums, Opera House, and Town Hall among many other incredible Vienna sights in the day, but lit up at night they are positively spectacular, and a night tour will get you to them all. A tour is also an excellent way to find more to add to your Vienna itinerary. You can book the tour here.

Karlskirche

This 18th century Baroque church is probably the prettiest in Vienna. In all honesty it has no outstanding provenance, and at 8 euros to get in it's ridiculously overpriced for a church, however if like me you love Baroque architecture you wont be too disappointed. While the artwork and statues have no great names attached to them they are still exquisite works. There's no doubting the beauty of this building inside or out, I'm just always disappointed by a large price tag on something that fundamentally should be free.

If you want to see Vienna and much more without any hassle have a look at Travelsphere.co.uk. They have both the Imperial Cities Trip which covers three of my favourite cities Budapest, Prague and Vienna or the more lavish 12 day Danube Cruise Tour. Travelsphere will sort out the transfers, the flights, the hotels, two meals a day and the tours for you while you just sit back and enjoy the trip. Check them out here.

See the Vienna Sights from Loft Bar

I don't usually talk about bars on this bit of the site, but I'm making an exception for this one as you don't really go for the drinks, you go for the view. And just look at that view. During the day I'm sure it's nice to look out over Vienna, but at sunset, when the bars ceiling lights up as if the sky is on fire, and the Vienna lights gradually come on it'll blow your mind. I'm not saying it's the best view ever, but it's up there with Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence and Areopagus Hill in Athens, and it's certainly the best view I've ever had from a bar. It's a great chance to drink in the Vienna sights.

Vienna Itinerary Extra

Day Trip to Bratislava

You can book your Bratislava day trip here. For one without the Danube Boat Trip back click here.

Given my absolute and undying love for Budapest you may be expecting me to preach about the joys of a day trip there, but it's over 2 hours away and impossible to do properly as a day trip, so go to Bratislava instead. The Slovakian capital is only an hour away from Vienna, and it's always good to see as many capital cities as possible. The tour costs less than £70 with a cruise back down the Danube to Vienna or less than £50 getting the bus both ways. This was one of the real highlights of my Vienna trip.

The beautiful Medieval Gothic Old Town of Bratislava is comfortably small enough to visit everything in a day. The architecture is wonderful, and the cathedral which is the final resting place of nearly a dozen Hungarian kings is well worth seeing. Bratislava is certainly a significant pace change from the huge city of Vienna, and the beers are much cheaper too!! Things is certainly the best trip once you've completed your Vienna itinerary.

To book your Bratislava trip with a cruise back on the Danube click here. For the one with the bus back click here.

I hope you enjoyed my Vienna itinerary. Now it's down to you to go and see all the Vienna sights and attractions yourself. Search Expedia for your imperial Vienna trip using the search box below.

Help Planning Your Vienna Trip

If you want more help planning your Vienna trip why not use the Drink in the Sights Free Holiday Planning Service where all you have to do is contact me on the form below or via Facebook messenger and I'll help you plan your next trip. I'll look for the right flights, hotels, transfers and tours just for you, and it wont cost you a penny.