What to See in Vienna: The Best Attractions to Discover in 2 or 3 Days

The complete guide to the best things to do and see in Vienna at least once.

What to see in Vienna? Vienna, the capital of Austria, is a city that encompasses history, art, and a unique atmosphere.

Among its elegant streets, you can still breathe the era of the Habsburgs, with opulent palaces, classical music, and culinary traditions that capture the hearts of visitors.

But Vienna is not only about the past: it's a modern and vibrant metropolis, with a contemporary art scene, creative neighborhoods, and historic cafes where time seems to stand still.

If you are planning a visit, here's everything you need to know to make the most of this city in two or three days.

In three days, you will have time to explore the main attractions of Vienna and immerse yourself in its history and culture.

We suggest starting from the Ringstrasse, an elegant avenue that embraces the historic center, where you can admire iconic buildings such as the Opera House, the Parliament, and the City Hall.

Day 1: Historic Center and Hofburg

Your journey must begin at St. Stephen's Cathedral, the symbol of the city. Climbing the south tower, you can enjoy a breathtaking view of Vienna.

Continue to the Hofburg complex, the former residence of the Habsburgs, which now hosts the Sisi Museum and the Imperial Apartments. Spend the afternoon exploring the MuseumsQuartier, where modern and baroque art meet.

Day 2: Schönbrunn and Belvedere

The second day is perfect for exploring the magnificent Schönbrunn Palace. Stroll through its gardens, visit the royal rooms, and don't miss the view from the Gloriette.

In the afternoon, move on to Belvedere Palace, where you can find the famous "Kiss" by Gustav Klimt and other extraordinary works of art.

Day 3: Contemporary Art and Prater

Dedicate the last day to discovering the modern side of Vienna with a visit to Hundertwasserhaus, a colorful and unique building. After lunch, relax in Prater, the large public park famous for its Ferris wheel.

Conclude your trip with a slice of Sachertorte in one of the city's historic cafes.

The Hofburg is one of the largest palace complexes in the world. It was the Habsburg residence in the heart of Vienna and for a long time the political center of the Austrian Empire.

Today it is the residence of the Austrian Federal President. The Imperial Palace consists of buildings from different eras with richly decorated rooms that transport you to the magical world of Viennese nobility.

You can visit the 24 rooms of the Royal Apartments of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth, known as Sissi and Franz, the most famous imperial couple of the Habsburg dynasty, immortalized by the successful film saga of the 1950s.

Those who want to delve deeper into the history of Empress Elisabeth can visit the Sisi Museum located inside the Imperial Apartments, which traces her life from her birth in Bavaria to her tragic assassination in Geneva, between myth and reality.

Among the museum's treasures are numerous personal belongings of Elisabeth and the most famous portraits of the beautiful empress.

Don't miss the Schmetterlinghaus, the butterfly house in Vienna, located in the Hofburg gardens, which has hosted hundreds of exotic butterflies in freedom since 1998.

In summer, the Habsburg court would move to Schönbrunn Palace, one of the most beautiful baroque buildings in Europe.

Owned by the Habsburgs since 1569, Ferdinand II's wife, Eleonora Gonzaga, had a noble residence built here in 1642 and named it "Schönbrunn."

Construction started in 1696, after the Turkish siege, and the palace with garden underwent radical changes after 1743, during Maria Theresa's time in Austria.

In its elegantly decorated rooms, events that changed European history took place, such as the Congress of Vienna and the end of the Habsburg monarchy. Here, Emperor Franz Joseph was born and a very young Mozart made his first public appearances before the Habsburg court. The palace is now a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its historical significance, unique location, and lavish furnishings.

Schönbrunn Palace comprises a total of 1,441 rococo-style rooms, but only 45 can be visited.

Surrounding the palace is a vast park, accessible to visitors year-round, adorned with impressive fountains, statues, monuments, trees, and flowers, along with the majestic Gloriette, a monumental baroque structure that now houses a café and pastry shop with views over Vienna.

In the park, you can also visit the Imperial Carriage Museum, the Crown Prince's Garden, the Orangery Garden, the maze, the Zoo, the Palm House, and the Desert House.

St. Stephen's Cathedral is the symbol of Vienna and the center of the city. With its height of 136 meters, it is the tallest church in Austria.

It is a gothic masterpiece dating back to the 11th century, situated in the heart of Innere Stadt, the historic center of the city. From afar, you will spot its tall towers, curiously of different heights. You can climb the south tower, the tallest (136 meters), from which you can enjoy a stunning panoramic view of Vienna.

The north tower is known for housing the second-largest swinging bell in Europe. Another peculiarity of the cathedral is the colorful tiled roof that forms the coat of arms of the double-headed eagle of the Habsburg Empire and the coats of arms of the city of Vienna and Austria.

After visiting the cathedral with its numerous altars and valuable chapels, you can also see the impressive cathedral treasury and the catacombs, where Duke Rudolf IV, known as the "Founder", who laid the first stone for the new Gothic construction of the cathedral in 1359, rests.

But other notable figures are also buried here, including Emperor Frederick III, who rests in an imposing marble sarcophagus, and Prince Eugene of Savoy in his chapel.

It is the only one of the most famous princely palaces in Vienna that was not built at the behest of the Habsburgs.

Belvedere Palace was founded by the wealthy Prince Eugene of Savoy, a military leader in the service of Austria who distinguished himself in the fight against the Turks.

The prince, a great lover of art, had a summer residence built by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. Thus, a baroque palace with a garden was born, at that time still outside the city, consisting of two castles: the Upper Belvedere and the Lower Belvedere.

Today, it houses a collection of Austrian artworks from the Middle Ages to the present day. The heart of the collection, however, consists of 24 paintings by Gustav Klimt, including the famous Kiss. Don't miss the Belvedere garden.

In front of the castle lies the so-called reflection pond, which reflects the façade of the building. Three wide terraces with water basins connect the Upper Belvedere with the Lower Belvedere.

The Kammergarten, a private garden, was originally reserved for the master of the house and his closest companions. The alpine garden in the castle park is the oldest in Europe.

After visiting the cathedral, it's worth seeing Karlskirche, dedicated to the Italian saint Charles Borromeo born on Lake Maggiore.

The church with its imposing dome is the last major work of the famous baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach.

Completed in 1739 by his son Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach, the construction had been commissioned by Emperor Charles VI to fulfill a vow made due to an outbreak of plague in Vienna.

The church was then dedicated to St. Charles Borromeo, the patron saint of the emperor and a member of the Habsburg family. In the small Borromeo museum, you will see various objects, including the travel garments of the Bishop of Milan.

Inside the church, admire the opulent and colorful frescoes by Johannes Michael Rottmayr that celebrate the glory of Saint Charles Borromeo. A panoramic elevator will take you up to a platform 32.5 meters high where you can observe the frescoes up close.

The central Rathausplatz, the square of the city hall, is the liveliest place in Vienna. Throughout the year, it hosts numerous events, including the Christmas market, the summer Musikfilm festival, the Life Ball (a charity event dedicated to the fight against AIDS), New Year's fireworks New Year, and many other outdoor shows.

Overlooking the square is the Rathaus (city hall), a neo-Gothic building constructed between 1872 and 1883, designed in the style of Flemish city halls by Friedrich von Schmidt, the former master builder of Cologne Cathedral. Atop the city hall tower stands the Rathausmann, the statue of a medieval knight whose armor was modeled after that of Emperor Maximilian I.

Once an imperial hunting reserve, Prater is the famous park in the center of Vienna dominated by the renowned Riesenrad, the Ferris wheel, inaugurated in 1897 and became one of the symbols of the Austrian capital.

From its height of 65 meters, you can enjoy a view over the entire city. Adrenaline seekers of roller coasters will find many attractions in the large amusement park.

But Prater is also a place for leisurely strolls along its meadows and tree-lined avenues lined with cafes, restaurants, and kiosks.

Naschmarkt is the most famous market in Vienna, set up between Karlsplatz and Kettenbrückengasse since the 16th century when mostly bottles of milk were sold.

Then from 1793, fruits and vegetables were also sold at Naschmarkt, brought to the city by farmers on carts.

Today, it is an open-air market with almost 120 stalls offering a wide variety of food ranging from Viennese cuisine to Indian, Vietnamese, and Italian. Naschmarkt has thus become a meeting point for locals and tourists. On Saturdays, a flea market is also held.

Vienna hosts numerous museums, making it difficult to choose. Among those not to be missed is the Albertina.

The building was the major residential palace of the Habsburgs and still retains lavish rooms, some furnished with original furniture. However, the imperial charm dialogues with modern architecture: since 2003, a roof shaped like a wing designed by Hans Hollein has been added.

The collection is equally fascinating. Founded in 1768 by Albert von Sachsen-Teschen (1738-1822), from whom the museum gets its name, it contains over a million prints and 60,000 drawings. Albertina indeed houses the largest collection of graphic art in the world.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum, meanwhile, is a monumental museum with sumptuous interiors, inaugurated in 1891, which houses items collected by the Habsburgs spanning five millennia, from ancient Egypt to the end of the 18th century.

You will be dazzled by the quantity of exhibited works, particularly from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The Museum of Natural History of Vienna, founded by Emperor Franz Joseph I, illustrates the history of our planet and the multiple expressions of nature. The collection is housed in a sumptuous neo-Renaissance building inaugurated in 1889.

Today the museum holds 30 million objects, including very ancient finds like the Venus of Willendorf dating back 29,500 years, giant dinosaur skeletons, the Steller's sea cow, a huge marine mammal extinct over 200 years ago. It also boasts the largest and oldest collection of meteorites in the world, containing 1,100 stones "fallen from the sky."

Vienna's MuseumsQuartier is one of the ten largest cultural districts in the world. Next to the historic center, the former imperial stables now house numerous museums and cultural institutions spanning 90,000 square meters, along with restaurants, cafes, and shops amidst baroque buildings and contemporary architecture. In the museum quarter, you can find: MUMOK, a monolith in black basalt housing masterpieces of Modernism, Pop Art, and Viennese Actionism; the Leopold dedicated to the masterpieces of Egon Schiele; Kunsthalle Wien, being the center for contemporary art of the City of Vienna; the Architekturzentrum Wien, dedicated to architecture; the Zoom Kindermuseum, oriented to children.

The Liechtenstein Palace in baroque style showcases the art collection of Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein, among the largest private collections in the world, featuring masterpieces by Rubens, van Dyck, Lucas Cranach, Raphael, and Rembrandt.

The Museum of Applied Arts, known as MAK, presents unique pieces from various epochs and styles, from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The Secession Building is recognizable for its imposing dome clad in golden leaves that houses the famous Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt. The palace dates back to April 1897, when a group of artists around Gustav Klimt, Kolo Moser, Josef Hoffman, and Joseph Maria Olbrich separated from the rest of the Viennese art movement and established their own exhibition space. Thus, the Vienna Secession was born, along with the renowned variant of Jugendstil. Even today, the building hosts exhibitions of contemporary artists.

Finally, you can visit the recently renovated Freud Museum. From 1891 to 1938, Sigmund Freud lived and worked in this rented house at number 19 Bergasse in Vienna, where the museum now stands, before fleeing to London at the outbreak of World War II.

Here, his most important works were born, and in the waiting room of his office, meetings of the famous Wednesday Psychological Society took place. In 2021, for the first time since the museum's founding in 1971, all of Freud's private rooms were opened to visitors. The new exhibition spaces have nearly doubled to present the father of psychoanalysis as never before.

Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived in Vienna for about 10 years of his life, from 1781 to 1791, loving it much more than his hometown of Salzburg.

For three of those years, from 1784 to 1787, Mozart resided in a noble palace in the center of Vienna, precisely at Domgasse 5.

These were particularly happy and productive years for the Austrian musician, who by then was already established and composed some of the most famous works of his career here, including The Marriage of Figaro and three of the six string quartets dedicated to Franz Joseph Haydn.

On January 27, 2006, the day of the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth, the house was opened to the public, converted into a modern museum over three floors that retraces the life, works, and secrets of the composer who made history in music. On the first floor, you will find Mozart's apartment, while the second floor continues with the section called "Mozart's Music" and on the third floor "Vienna of Mozart."

Vienna is not just an imperial city with lavish Habsburg palaces, but also a modern capital that continues to stand out in the fields of art and architecture.

A testimony to this vibrancy is the Hundertwasserhaus, a house with a colorful façade designed by the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000). Residents of the Hundertwasserhaus also have the right to decorate the façade around their windows according to their personal taste.

More than 200 trees and shrubs on the balconies and terraces of the Hundertwasserhaus transform the building into a green oasis in the heart of the city. You can only see the exterior of the Hundertwasserhaus.

But you can visit the Hundertwasser Village, located just across the street. It is the only shopping center created by the artist. Built in 1990-91, it occupies the site that was once home to a tire store and includes a "village square," a café, and numerous shops in the typical Hundertwasser style.

1. MELK

2. KREMS

3. WACHAU VALLEY

4. BADEN NEAR VIENNA

5. BADEN NEAR VIENNA ABBEY

6. LAXENBURG CASTLE

7. SEMMERING RAILWAY

8. CARNUNTUM

9. NEUSIEDLERSEE LAKE

10. BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA

In Vienna, Christmas is experienced like a fairy tale. The main squares transform into charming Christmas markets, with traditional markets such as the one at Rathausplatz, where the imposing Christmas tree and the sparkling lights create a unique atmosphere.

As you stroll through the center, streets like Graben and Kärntner Strasse shine with refined decorations, while along Mariahilfer Strasse, you will find everything you need for festive shopping.

READ ALSO: NEW YEAR IN VIENNA

Vienna is easily reachable by a direct flight from Italy. Once there, the city is easily navigated via public transportation and also on foot in its center.

Gardens of Schönbrunn and Belvedere Palaces

Rathaus

Street Art of Vienna

Vienna Cathedral

Hundertwasser

Prater

From a climate perspective, May, June, and September are the best months to visit Vienna. The periods between the end of spring and the start of autumn are indeed when it rains the least.

From an events perspective, in December, Vienna hosts the famous Christmas markets, in February the Fasching, or the Viennese carnival, in June the Donauinselfest, a large outdoor festival on a Danube island featuring more than 200 live acts across rock, indie, pop, alternative, punk, hip hop, electronic, folk, and revival music, in July the Jazz Fest Wien among many other events.