Three Perfect Days in Vienna

Austria is central Europe's gem. The country is filled with so much history, architecture, culture, and of course, a lot of famous people. Mozart, Sigmund Freud, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Theresia... just to name a few! From its proportion of the Alps in the East and Vienna in the West, Austria is well worth your time to visit.

Language: German

Population: 1.9 million

Currency: Euro €

Average price of a coffee: €4,20

BELVEDERE PALACE, VIENNA

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Before you arrive in Vienna: Decide how much of this itinerary you want to do and how many museum entry tickets you are likely to buy. Vienna offers a Vienna City Card of which there are many options and packages you can opt for. The card can include a free bus ride on the ‘hop on, hop off’ bus services, as well as free public transportation and discounts for museum tickets. This card is definitely worth it if you plan on entering more than 2 museums. For us, we didn’t, as we only entered one museum, bought our own hop-on hop-off bus tickets and bought our 24-hour public transport tickets separately on the WienMobile app which worked out much cheaper.

Day 1

You will be arriving into Vienna most likely from either flying into Vienna International Airport (VIE) or via train from another European city.

If you’re flying into Vienna you can either take a taxi to the city or you have a choice of two train services. Vienna airport advertises the CAT train which is marketed as a 16-minute direct train into Wien Mitte train station, which is relatively slap-bang in the city centre. This train is quite pricey and costs €12,45 for a return if you buy the ticket online in advance, €14,90 for a single if you buy the ticket in advance, and up to €30 if you wait and purchase the ticket at the airport. We decided to opt for the cheaper alternative option, and buy a €3,50 single ticket from the self-service machines at the OBB counter and travel for 16-minutes into Vienna Hbf station. This train station is situated right next door to Belvedere Palace. From here, you can use the tram, metro or bus services to move freely around the city.

Once you arrive in Hbf, it is likely that it is too early to check-in to your accommodation and you’re likely carrying luggage. In order to productively kill time and explore Vienna all at once, we recommend that you head out of the train station, turn right and explore the Schweizergarten park. You can grab some lunch from the supermarket or take-away joints at the airport and enjoy the sunshine in the park. Of course the weather may not always be so blissful, so please check the weather before you land and plan accordingly.

Once you’ve checked into your hotel, we recommend that you go into the centre of Vienna (around Stephensplatz) for your evening meal and soak up the atmosphere of the Austrians having after work drinks and the hustle and bustle of fellow tourists. Be careful, there are many restaurants situated along the main strip, so take a good look at some of the reviews before you commit to eating anywhere. We ate at a casual burrito restaurant near Staatsoper and it was really delicious (El Burro, Margaretenstraße 9, 1040). If you're more into sophisticated dining, Vienna has some really beautiful restaurants so utilise Google Maps and TripAdviser to chose your spot.

On your first night, we recommend heading over to St Stephens Cathedral to see it in all its gothic glory at night. If you have been to Barcelona, you will notice some striking resemblance. Sitting down for a nice Hugo Spritz (elderflower spritzer), an Austrian favourite, will be a perfect end to your first night in Vienna.

Note:

If you can, see if you can bag tickets to the ballet or the opera at the Staatsoper. It is a fantastic evening. We were lucky enough to get tickets for the opening night ballet of Die Kameliendame - superb. Don't skimp out on the seats though! We were to the right of the stage and it was a real struggle to see anything at all. After the long travels from London Luton, Emmy's parents gave up craning their necks and were fast asleep within 5 minutes of show - whoops.

STAATSOPER, VIENNA

Day 2

Your day starts at the Staatsoper (opera theatre) in the centre of Vienna. There are many options for travelling here, you can do so by public transport or a taxi. Uber and Bolt work in Vienna. Take in a moment to appreciate the opera house. We haven’t seen any building quite so marvellous.

From Staatsoper, jump on the Vienna Sightseeing yellow hop-on hop-off bus (much cheaper than the Big Bus company) on the yellow-route line. This yellow route will take you out towards SchonBrunn Palace, an area of Vienna which is not so accessible due to being so far out of the city centre. Enjoy the 60-minute ride around this part of the city, plug in your earphones for a history lesson, and make sure to stop off at SchonBrunn to absorb some culture. We like to use the hop-on and hop-off buses (where affordable) because it gives us a feel for the place and also is a great way to determine what is and what isn’t worth your precious time.

Once the bus loops round and you reach Staatsoper again, exit the bus and wait in line for the alternative bus route - the blue-route bus. This tour is a 120-minute tour, seeing other parts of the city. On this route, you get to see the Museum Quartier, Burgtheatre, Sigmund Frued museum and the river Danube. We recommend you hop off at Stop 10, nearest the Karmelitremarkt. From here, take a walk along the river and stop for some lunch either at the Karmelitremarkt or somewhere nearby. This market offers some trendy food and some traditional Austrian dishes. We didn’t stop here as we were quite a big group and actually headed to a sourdough pizza restaurant nearby at Pizza Mari (Leopoldsgasse 23A, 1020) to rest our legs. It was a solid 5 stars and over a year later, we all refer to it.

Hop back on the blue-line bus path (find the nearest stop) and enjoy the second half of the tour. Don’t get off at Staatsoper this time, go all the way around to the Sigmund Freud museum. Don’t worry, there is a stop for it on route. Here, you will find ticket entry for €15 adult and €11 with a Vienna City Pass and a very sweet cafe and souvenir shop. For anybody remotely interested in Psychology, this museum will be very worth your time. It is the actual treatment room and apartment of the famous Freud, and around his apartments, you get to learn about the beginnings of psychoanalysis and some of the now barbaric but then revolutionary practices he underwent.

Head back into the centre of Vienna using public transport and find a nice spot for dinner. Enjoy your evening.

RIVER DANUBE, VIENNA

RIVER DANUBE, VIENNA

Day 3

Last day already!

Get an early start and head out to Belvedere Palace and beat your fellow tourists. It says online that the gates open at 9am (we went for 8:50 and they were open) and at that time, there will be plenty of opportunities for photos without people in the background. You can enter the palace too if you wish as they showcase the wonderful Kiss painting. As well as this, there are many other artworks and artifacts to view at the palace, as well as admire the stunning grounds at both the lower and upper gardens.

Head over to St Stephens Cathedral again and take a good look at the stunning religious building in the daylight. If you can head inside, do it. Grab some brunch at the well-priced breakfast spot, Zwischengang Café & Wein. We had a traditional Austrian breakfast here and some coffee and it was fabulous. A beautiful sunny spot right outside the cathedral.

Head over to the Museum Quartier using the metro and admire the statue of Maria Theresa. You can enter both the art gallery (Kunsthistorisches Museum) and the National History museum if you wish, but do note the art gallery is closed on a Monday and the National History museum is closed on a Tuesday. Take the couple minutes walk to the Austrian parliament building. Its Roman pillars and tens of statues around the perimeter will have you in a moment's trance.

Walk on further to the Rauthaus. Here you will find the Town Hall, a marvelous neo-Gothic era building with striking features. If you can, head inside or just enjoy the afternoon in the Rauthaus park.

Head out for some evening supper and enjoy the hustle and bustle of Vienna. If you’re in the mood for chicken schnitzel, we headed to a kebab-style shop which served the nicest schnitzel - Opern Schnitzel. We may have eaten our dinner down an alleyway that night, but it was a great way to end the trip.