Vienna is one of Europe's most cultured and elegant cities — a former imperial capital with world-class museums, a legendary opera house, extraordinary coffee house culture and some of the finest art in Europe. Here are the 10 best things to do in Vienna in 2026.
✔ Schönbrunn Palace — visit early morning before tour groups arrive
✔ Vienna State Opera — even standing tickets (€5) are extraordinary
✔ Naschmarkt — Vienna's greatest food market, Saturday flea market alongside
✔ Prater & the Riesenrad — iconic Giant Ferris Wheel since 1897
🏰 Schönbrunn Palace & Gardens
The Habsburg summer residence — 1,441 rooms, immaculate formal gardens and the Gloriette hilltop folly with the finest view in Vienna. Go at 9am to beat tour groups. The Imperial Apartments tour is essential; the Grand Tour covers more rooms including the Great Gallery where Mozart played at age 6.
Book Skip-the-Line →🎭 Vienna State Opera
One of the world's great opera houses. Standing tickets (Stehplatz) cost €5–10 and go on sale 80 minutes before performance — an extraordinary cultural experience at budget price. Guided tours available daily. The building itself is worth seeing even if opera isn't your thing.
Book Opera Tour →🎨 Kunsthistorisches Museum
One of Europe's great art museums — Bruegel, Raphael, Caravaggio, Velázquez and the world's finest collection of Habsburg treasures. The building itself is as impressive as the collection. Allow a full morning minimum. The rooftop restaurant is an excellent lunch stop.
Book Museum Tour →☕ Vienna Coffee House Culture
Vienna's Kaffeehäuser are UNESCO-listed cultural heritage — institutions like Café Central (1876), Café Schwarzenberg and Café Landtmann where Freud and Trotsky once sat. Order a Wiener Melange (Vienna's signature coffee) and a slice of Sachertorte. Reading newspapers on a wooden frame is encouraged. This is not a tourist attraction — it's a way of life.
Book Food Tour →🏛️ Hofburg Palace & Imperial Apartments
The Habsburg winter palace — home to the Spanish Riding School (Lipizzan stallions, booking essential), the Imperial Silver Collection and the Sisi Museum. The Heldenplatz courtyard is open free of charge. The Imperial Crypt beneath the Augustinerkirche holds the sarcophagi of 149 Habsburgs — eerie and unmissable.
Book Palace Tour →🎡 Prater & Riesenrad
Vienna's great public park — the Riesenrad Giant Ferris Wheel (built 1897, famous from The Third Man film) gives the finest aerial view of Vienna. The surrounding Prater park has free fairground rides, chestnut allées perfect for cycling and the Lusthaus pavilion for coffee in the trees. Entirely free to enter.
Book Vienna Tour →🌟 Belvedere Palace & Klimt
The Upper Belvedere houses Klimt's masterpiece The Kiss — one of the most recognisable paintings in the world. The palace itself is breathtaking and the formal gardens between Upper and Lower Belvedere are among Vienna's finest. Less visited than Schönbrunn but arguably more beautiful.
Book Belvedere Tour →🛒 Naschmarkt
Vienna's greatest market — 500m of food stalls selling Austrian produce, Balkan specialities, Middle Eastern spices, fresh oysters and Viennese pastries. Open Monday–Saturday. On Saturday mornings, a vast flea market extends alongside. The best cheap lunch in Vienna: grab a Würstel from a sausage stand (€2.50) and eat standing.
Book Food Tour →🚲 Vienna by Bike — Ring Road Cycle
The Ringstrasse — Vienna's grand 19th-century boulevard — is perfectly suited to cycling: wide, flat and lined with the Opera, Parliament, Rathaus and Kunsthistorisches Museum. Bike rental from multiple city stations. A guided cycling tour covers the Ring and the Prater in 3 hours. One of the best ways to understand Vienna's imperial scale.
Book Cycling Tour →🚂 Day Trip to Salzburg or Hallstatt
Salzburg is 2.5 hours from Vienna by direct OBB train (€30–50 return) — Mozart's birthplace, Sound of Music filming locations and a stunning Alpine old town. Hallstatt (the most photographed village in Austria) requires a train to Attnang-Puchheim then a boat across the lake — worth every minute. A guided day tour from Vienna is the most convenient option.
Book Day Trip →Book Vienna Tours Before They Sell Out
Schönbrunn skip-the-line and opera tours fill up fast in summer
View All Vienna Tours →FAQs
How many days do you need in Vienna?
3 days covers the main highlights comfortably. 4–5 days allows a day trip to Salzburg or Hallstatt and deeper exploration of the museums.
Is Vienna expensive?
Mid-range by European capital standards — cheaper than Zurich or Copenhagen, similar to Paris. Coffee houses and sausage stands keep food costs manageable. Museum tickets are €15–20 each.
Is Vienna worth visiting in winter?
Absolutely — Vienna's Christmas markets (Rathausplatz, Schönbrunn) are among Europe's finest, and the opera and concert season runs November–June.