UNESCO🏛️ What to see
Things to do in Vienna
Six centuries of Habsburg ambition left Vienna with an almost unreasonable amount of palace — Schönbrunn, the Hofburg, the Belvedere — and a museum quarter to match. Around them: the Gothic cathedral, the Ringstrasse, Klimt and Schiele, the Prater's Ferris wheel and vineyards inside the city limits. Every major sight, museum, viewpoint and monument, sorted by district, with live opening hours.
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UNESCOVienna State Opera
Innere Stadt4.7(63,699)out of 5 on Google
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Free entryHundertwasser House
Landstraße4.5(35,209)out of 5 on Google
Free entryMuseumsQuartier Wien
Neubau4.6(34,232)out of 5 on Google
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UNESCOMusikverein Wien
Innere Stadt4.7(16,907)out of 5 on Google
Where to start
If you have one day, give the morning to Schönbrunn — the palace park opens at 06:30 and is free — and the afternoon to the Innere Stadt: the Hofburg, the cathedral and a coffee house in between. With a second day, add the Upper Belvedere and the Kunsthistorisches Museum; with a third, the Prater and an evening at a Heuriger.
The ones that need planning
Most of Vienna can be seen by turning up. These cannot:
- Schönbrunn sells fixed time slots, and in summer the good ones go early. The Palace Ticket (all the state rooms, including the Franz Joseph and Sisi apartments) is €42; the shorter State Apartments ticket is €30. The palace itself says genuine online tickets are sold only through imperialtickets.com — ignore the resellers.
- The Kunsthistorisches Museum has required a pre-booked time slot for every visit since 8 September 2026. It is closed on Mondays and open until 21:00 on Thursdays.
- The Spanish Riding School performances often sell out well ahead; the morning exercise (from €17) is the realistic way in for most visitors.
- The Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments in the Hofburg also run on time slots (€20). The Silver Collection is closed for refurbishment.
The honest word
Klimt's *The Kiss* is in the Upper Belvedere (€23), not the Lower — people buy the wrong ticket every day. The Albertina stays open until 21:00 on Wednesdays and Fridays, which is when to go. And the State Hall of the National Library (€12) is one of the most beautiful Baroque rooms in the city, and most visitors never enter it.
Where the views are
The cathedral's South Tower is 343 steps (€8); the North Tower has a lift and the Pummerin bell. The Wiener Riesenrad, turning since 1897, gives the Prater view. The Danube Tower is 150 metres high. And the Kahlenberg, above the vineyards, is free and shows you the whole city, the Danube and on a clear day far beyond. Prices checked September 2026.
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Tickets & tours
Skip-the-line tickets, tours and experiences bookable ahead — free cancellation on most.
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Where to stay in Vienna
Live prices and availability on a map centred on this exact spot — hotels, apartments and hostels, so you can judge the walk from here rather than guess from an address.
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Before you go
Skip-the-line ticketsTimed entry booked ahead for Schönbrunn, the Sisi Museum and the Kunsthistorisches Museum — which in Vienna's high season is a genuinely long queue avoided, and at KHM now a requirement.Check tickets →Museum & palace ticketsMobile tickets for Vienna's museums, palaces and the Riesenrad, bought in advance — useful now that the Kunsthistorisches Museum requires a time slot.See tickets →City passOne pass covering a set of attractions. It pays off only above roughly three paid sights a day — worth the arithmetic before you buy.See what it covers →Self-guided audio toursA guided route on your own phone, at your own pace, for a fraction of a walking tour. Good on the Ringstraße and in the Hofburg courtyards, where the story is not written on the buildings.Browse audio tours →
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Frequently asked
How many days do you need in Vienna?
Three is the honest answer for a first visit: one for Schönbrunn and the Hofburg, one for the museums and the Belvedere, and one for the Prater, a coffee house afternoon and a Heuriger evening. Add a fourth if you want a concert and the Kunsthistorisches Museum without rushing.
What is free to visit in Vienna?
Schönbrunn's palace park, the rear part of St. Stephen's Cathedral, the permanent exhibition of the Wien Museum on Karlsplatz, the Naschmarkt, the Prater park, the Zentralfriedhof with Beethoven's and Schubert's graves, the MuseumsQuartier courtyards and the Kahlenberg view. Federal museums, including the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Albertina and Belvedere, are free for visitors under 19.
Is Schönbrunn or the Hofburg better if I only have time for one?
Schönbrunn, for the gardens, the Gloriette and the sense of a summer court — but book a time slot. The Hofburg is easier to fit into a city-centre day and its Sisi Museum tells the empress's story better, so if you are staying only in the centre it is the practical choice.
