Vienna Destination Guide

  Places to See in Vienna

  Events & Nightlife in Vienna

  Eating out in Vienna

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  Best of Vienna in 1-3 Days
 
  Public Transport in Vienna - Getting there and about

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Best of Vienna in 1-3 Days

If You Have 1 Day

Touring Vienna in a single day is a proposition as strenuous as it is unlikely, but those with more ambition than time should first get a quick view of the lay of the city by taking a streetcar ride around the Ringstrasse, the wide boulevard that encloses the city's heart. While you're at your most energetic, hop off at the Kunsthistoriches Museum, one of the great art museums of the world. If art isn't your thing, then spend an hour or two exploring the city center, starting at Vienna's cathedral, the Stephansdom, followed by window shopping along the Graben and Kärntnerstrasse, the two main pedestrian shopping streets in the center.

Around noon head for the MuseumsQuartier, the huge, one of a kind, modern art complex in the city center, for lunch in one of several trendy restaurants. If you're up to seeing more art, there's plenty here to choose from. If you want a change of pace, zip over to Schönbrunn Palace to spend the afternoon touring the magnificent royal residence and strolling through the woods and gardens. Late in the afternoon visit a Viennese institution, the Kaffeehaus, for a Melange and chocolate torte, mit Schlag, naturlich. Demel and Café Central best exemplify this happy tradition.

If the weather is fine, there is no more relaxing way to spend the evening than at a Heuriger. It's magical to sit in the vineyards on the outskirts of the city, sipping wine under the stars. If beer is more to your liking, go to the Prater, Vienna's famous amusement park, where the outdoor beer hall, Schweizerhaus, serves up huge, frosty mugs of fresh Czech Budweiser to go along with roast chicken or Stelze. Afterward, take the kids on some rides, or go for a romantic spin in the oldest Ferris wheel in Europe, the Riesenrad, for a glorious, slow-paced, bird's-eye view of Vienna. If you're in the mood for culture and the opera is in season, spend an elegant evening at the Staatsoper, or the less expensive Volksoper. Then, if you're not too tired, go for a late night walk through the Hofburg Palace complex, straight through the Imperial Gates from the Ring to the Kohlmarkt, perhaps stopping for a nightcap at one of the outdoor cafés on the Graben before turning in.

If You Have 3 Days

Given three days, Day 1 can be a little less hectic, and in any case you'll want more time for the city center. Rather than going on the do-it-yourself streetcar ride around the Ringstrasse, take an organized sightseeing tour, which will describe the highlights. Plan to spend a full afternoon at Schönbrunn Palace.

Reserve the second day for art, tackling the exciting Kunsthistoriches Museum before lunch, and after you're refreshed, the dazzling MuseumsQuartier, which comprises several major modern art collections -- -the Leopold Museum; the Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig (MUMOK); the temporary shows at the Kunsthalle; plus the children's ZOOM Kinder Museum; and the Architekturzentrum (Architecture Center). If your tastes tend to the grand and royal, visit instead the magnificent collection of Old Master drawings at the Albertina Museum or Prince Liechtenstein's private art collection at the Liechtenstein Museum. For a contrasting step into modern art in the afternoon -- don't miss Klimt's legendary The Kiss at Belvedere Palace. Do as the Viennese do, and fill in any gaps with stops at cafés, reserving evenings for relaxing over music or wine.

On the third day, head for the world-famous Spanische Reitschule and watch the Lipizzaners prance through morning training. While you're in the neighborhood, view the sparkling court jewels in the Imperial Treasury, the Schatzkammer, and the glitzy Silberkammer, the museum of court silver and tableware, and take in one of Vienna's most spectacular Baroque settings, the glorious Grand Hall of the Hofbibliothek. For a total contrast, head out to the Prater amusement park in late afternoon for a ride on the giant Ferris wheel and end the day in a wine restaurant on the outskirts, perhaps in Sievering or Nussdorf.
 

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