Vienna
5
Day Itinerary •
Austria
Five days in Vienna give you the full extraordinary depth of the greatest imperial city in Europe, from the Stephansdom and the Habsburg Hofburg to Schoenbrunn Palace and its 1,441 rooms, the world's finest Klimt collection at the Belvedere, the extraordinary Ringstrasse with its monumental museums and opera house, the Naschmarkt, the Vienna Woods, and the extraordinary coffee house culture that has shaped Viennese intellectual life for 350 years. This route covers the complete Vienna. The first district's extraordinary medieval core and imperial palaces, Schoenbrunn and the Belvedere, the Kunsthistorisches and Natural History Museums, the Vienna State Opera and the Musikverein, the extraordinary Sigmund Freud Museum and the Narrenturm, the Naschmarkt and the seventh district galleries, the Vienna Woods and the extraordinary wine villages of the Heuriger tradition.
Best Time To Visit
April to June or September to October
Getting There
Direct flights from most European cities
Getting Around
Vienna Card covers all U-Bahn, tram and bus. Approx 21 euros for 72 hours
Budget Per Day
Approx 100 to 180 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and public transport
DAY 1
VIENNA OLD TOWN
MORNING
STEPHANSDOM AND THE FIRST DISTRICT
The Stephansdom is the greatest Gothic building in Austria, its patterned tiled roof and 136-metre south tower dominating the Vienna skyline for seven centuries. The catacombs beneath contain the bones of over 11,000 plague victims and the entrails of the Habsburg emperors in bronze urns. The extraordinary carved stone pulpit by Anton Pilgram and the Wiener Neustadter Altar are outstanding. The first district around the cathedral is the most concentrated imperial architecture in Europe. Tower entry approx 6 euros. Travel: 15 min walk
MIDDAY
THE HOFBURG AND IMPERIAL APARTMENTS
The Hofburg is the most extraordinary palace complex in Europe, 19 courtyards and 2,600 rooms the seat of Habsburg power for six centuries. The Imperial Apartments show the extraordinary private rooms of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth. The Sisi Museum within tells the extraordinary story of the empress. The Swiss Court and the Burgkapelle are extraordinary. The Augustinian Church beside the Hofburg contains the hearts of the Habsburg emperors in silver urns. Entry approx 16 euros. Travel: 15 min walk
AFTERNOON
THE NASCHMARKT AND THE SECESSION
The Naschmarkt is the finest outdoor market in Austria, 1.5km of stalls between the Karlsplatz and Kettenbruckengasse selling extraordinary produce. The Secession building beside it, built in 1897, contains Klimt's extraordinary Beethoven Frieze in the basement, 34 metres of painting created for the 1902 Vienna Secession exhibition. The extraordinary gilded dome of the Secession, nicknamed the golden cabbage, is one of the finest Art Nouveau buildings in Europe. Entry approx 9.50 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Augustinerkeller beneath the Albertina is the most extraordinary wine cellar in Vienna, a 14th-century vaulted cellar where Habsburg wine was stored for centuries, now serving outstanding Austrian wines. The Kaisergruft in the Kapuzinerkirche contains 149 Habsburg sarcophagi in extraordinary baroque splendour. Entry approx 8 euros. The most moving royal tomb in Europe.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe Central, Vienna The most extraordinary coffee house in Vienna in a Gothic arcade. Melange and Kipferl since 1876. | Lunch: Gasthaus Poschl Outstanding traditional Viennese. Tafelspitz with chive sauce and local Gruner Veltliner. | Dinner: Zum Wohl, Vienna Outstanding natural wine bar. Local Gruner Veltliner and extraordinary Viennese small plates.
DAY 2
SCHOENBRUNN AND BELVEDERE
MORNING
SCHOENBRUNN PALACE, GRAND TOUR
Schoenbrunn Palace with 1,441 rooms is the most extraordinary baroque palace in Austria, the summer residence of the Habsburg emperors from Maria Theresa to Franz Joseph. The Grand Tour of 40 extraordinary state rooms including the Great Gallery where Mozart performed at age 6 for Maria Theresa is outstanding. The Bergl Rooms, painted floor to ceiling with exotic plants and animals, are the most extraordinary private rooms in the palace. Grand Tour approx 29 euros. Travel: 20 min tram
MIDDAY
SCHOENBRUNN GARDENS AND THE GLORIETTE
The Schoenbrunn Palace gardens are the finest formal gardens in Central Europe, 1.2km long with extraordinary fountains, sculptures and the Neptune Fountain at the far end. The Gloriette colonnade on the hill above the palace gives the most extraordinary panorama over Vienna, the palace gardens stretching below with the city beyond. The Roman Ruin, the Obelisk Fountain and the extraordinary Palm House are all outstanding. Gardens entirely free. Travel: 30 min tram to Belvedere
AFTERNOON
THE UPPER BELVEDERE AND KLIMT
The Upper Belvedere palace, built for Prince Eugene of Savoy between 1714 and 1723, contains the world's finest collection of Gustav Klimt paintings. The Kiss in Room 1 is the most famous painting in Austria, its extraordinary gold leaf technique extraordinary in person. The collection also includes outstanding works by Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka. The Belvedere gardens between the two palaces are the finest baroque gardens in Vienna. Entry approx 22 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Hermesvilla in the Lainzer Tiergarten is the most extraordinary imperial hideaway in Vienna, built by Franz Joseph for Empress Elisabeth in 1886 in a 2,450-hectare walled forest. The rooms decorated by Hans Makart for the empress are extraordinary. Entry approx 8 euros. The forest contains red deer and wild boar and is entirely free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe Residenz, Schoenbrunn Outstanding imperial breakfast in the palace cafe before the morning crowds. | Lunch: Cafe Restaurant Lusthaus, Prater Extraordinary imperial hunting lodge restaurant in the Prater. Local Austrian cuisine. | Dinner: Steirereck im Stadtpark The finest restaurant in Vienna in the extraordinary Stadtpark pavilion. Book weeks ahead.
DAY 3
THE RING AND THE PRATER
MORNING
THE KUNSTHISTORISCHES MUSEUM
The Kunsthistorisches Museum is the finest art museum in the German-speaking world. The Bruegel room contains 12 panels by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, the largest collection in the world. The Egyptian collection, the extraordinary Greek and Roman Antiquities, Vermeer's Art of Painting and the outstanding decorative arts collection are all extraordinary. The building itself, designed by Gottfried Semper and opened in 1891, is one of the great museum buildings of Europe. Entry approx 21 euros. Travel: 15 min walk
MIDDAY
THE RINGSTRASSE AND STATE OPERA TOUR
The Ringstrasse boulevard, built between 1857 and 1865, is the most extraordinary collection of monumental buildings constructed in a single generation in Europe. The Vienna State Opera, the Parliament, the Rathaus and the Burgtheater stand within 15 minutes walk. The guided tour of the State Opera shows the extraordinary Main Staircase, the Foyer and the Tea Room. Stand-by tickets for evening performances are available from 80 minutes before curtain. Travel: 20 min tram to Prater
AFTERNOON
THE PRATER AND THE RIESENRAD
The Prater, given to the Viennese people by Emperor Joseph II in 1766, contains the Riesenrad, the extraordinary 64.75-metre Ferris wheel built in 1897 giving views over Vienna from the top. The 4.5km Hauptallee chestnut avenue is the finest urban promenade in Austria. The Planetarium in the Prater has extraordinary shows. The Prater Museum tells the extraordinary story of the park. Riesenrad entry approx 13 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Michaelergruft beneath the Michaelerkirche is the most extraordinary church crypt in Vienna, containing 4,000 mummified Viennese buried between 1631 and 1784 with their clothes and jewellery intact. Entry approx 6 euros. The Kapuzinergruft beneath the Kapuzinerkirche contains 149 Habsburg sarcophagi in extraordinary baroque splendour. Entry approx 8 euros.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe Landtmann The most celebrated coffee house in Vienna opposite the Rathaus. Frequented by Freud and Mahler. | Lunch: Figlmuller Wollzeile The most famous Wiener Schnitzel in Austria. The schnitzel overhangs the plate. Book ahead. | Dinner: Meixner am Graben Outstanding modern Austrian on the Graben. Local lake fish and the finest Austrian Riesling.
DAY 4
FREUD AND THE SEVENTH DISTRICT
MORNING
THE SIGMUND FREUD MUSEUM
The Sigmund Freud Museum at Berggasse 19 in the ninth district is the most extraordinary biographical museum in Vienna, preserving the apartment and consulting rooms where Freud developed psychoanalysis from 1891 to 1938. The extraordinary collection of Freud's personal possessions, including his famous couch, the ancient Egyptian figurines on his desk and his extraordinary library, are all present. The museum tells the story of Freud's life and forced exile with extraordinary sensitivity. Entry approx 14 euros. Travel: 20 min walk
MIDDAY
THE SPITTELBERG AND THE SEVENTH DISTRICT
The Spittelberg quarter of the seventh district is the finest undiscovered neighbourhood in Vienna, its extraordinary Biedermeier houses and cobbled lanes giving a character entirely unlike the imperial first district. The extraordinary Museumsquartier immediately beside it contains the Leopold Museum with the finest Egon Schiele collection in the world and the MUMOK museum of modern art. The Mariahilfer Strasse is Vienna's finest shopping street. Leopold Museum entry approx 16 euros. Travel: 20 min walk
AFTERNOON
THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM AND THE EPHESUS MUSEUM
The Natural History Museum opposite the Kunsthistorisches contains the most extraordinary collection of prehistoric Venus figurines in the world, including the Venus of Willendorf, carved 30,000 years ago and only 11cm tall. The Ephesus Museum within the Kunsthistorisches contains extraordinary Roman sculptures excavated from Ephesus by Austrian archaeologists. The extraordinary Kunstkammer Wien on the ground floor of the Kunsthistorisches is the finest decorative arts collection in Europe. Entry approx 16 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Narrenturm in the old General Hospital complex is the most extraordinary museum in Vienna, a circular tower built in 1784 to house the insane, now containing the Pathologisch-Anatomische Sammlung, the world's largest collection of pathological specimens in their original glass jars. Entry approx 4 euros. The most extraordinary and unsettling museum in Austria.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe Hawelka, Vienna The most extraordinary bohemian coffee house in Vienna. Frequented by artists since 1939. | Lunch: Bitzinger Wurstelstand The most extraordinary sausage stand in Vienna at the back of the State Opera. Extraordinary at any hour. | Dinner: Gasthaus Stern, Spittelberg Outstanding traditional Viennese in the extraordinary Spittelberg quarter. Local wine and Schnitzel.
DAY 5
VIENNA WOODS AND HEURIGER
MORNING
KAHLENBERG AND THE VIENNA WOODS
The Kahlenberg at 484 metres above the Danube is the most extraordinary viewpoint near Vienna, its panorama over the city, the Danube and the surrounding vineyards giving the finest view of Vienna from outside the city. The bus from Heiligenstadt U-Bahn takes 25 minutes. The Battle of Vienna was decided on this hill in 1683 when the Polish king Jan Sobieski led the relief army against the Ottoman siege. The extraordinary church of St Joseph on the summit marks the spot. Travel: 40 min bus to Grinzing
MIDDAY
THE HEURIGER WINE VILLAGES
The Heuriger tradition, established by Emperor Joseph II in 1784 allowing wine growers to sell their own wine directly to the public, is the most extraordinary and enduring Viennese institution. The villages of Grinzing, Nussdorf, Sievering and Heiligenstadt on the edge of the Vienna Woods contain the finest Heuriger taverns, where local Gruner Veltliner and Riesling from the current year are served with cold buffet food in extraordinary garden settings. Most Heuriger open from 4pm. Travel: 30 min U-Bahn to Klosterneuburg
AFTERNOON
KLOSTERNEUBURG MONASTERY
The Klosterneuburg Augustinian monastery above the Danube north of Vienna is the most extraordinary religious complex in Austria, its extraordinary Baroque imperial wing built by Emperor Karl VI to rival the Escorial in Madrid. The monastery church contains the finest medieval enamel altarpiece in the world, the Verdun Altar of 1181 with 51 extraordinary panels. The monastery's own vineyard produces the finest wines in the Vienna region. Guided tour approx 14 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Grinzing cemetery contains the grave of Gustav Mahler, designed by Josef Hoffmann in 1907, the most extraordinary simple monument in Vienna, a plain white marble block with only the name MAHLER. The cemetery also contains the graves of many extraordinary Viennese artists and intellectuals. Entirely free. The village of Grinzing surrounding it is the finest Heuriger village in the Vienna Woods.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe Schwarzenberg, Vienna The oldest coffee house on the Ringstrasse, open since 1861. Extraordinary imperial interior. | Lunch: Heuriger Mayer am Pfarrplatz Outstanding wine tavern in Heiligenstadt where Beethoven lived in 1817. Local Riesling and cold buffet. | Dinner: Weinschenke am Graben, Vienna Outstanding farewell dinner on the Graben. The finest Austrian Riesling and Wiener Schnitzel.
Where To Stay
First District, All Nights Hotel Sacher or Palais Hansen Kempinski. Walking distance to everything. Approx 150 to 500 euros. Fourth or Seventh District More affordable, excellent tram connections, near Naschmarkt and galleries. Approx 80 to 160 euros. Budget Option Hotel Daniel or A&O Hostel. Excellent value with good transport links. Approx 40 to 100 euros.
Top Tips
1. The Stephansdom south tower at 9am before the tour groups is extraordinary. The rooftop view over the first district is the finest in Vienna.
2. Stand-by opera tickets from 80 minutes before curtain are the finest value in Vienna. Queue at the standing room entrance.
3. The Naschmarkt on Saturday morning between 8am and 10am has the finest produce stalls before the tourist crowds arrive.
4. Vienna's coffee houses are UNESCO heritage. Order once, stay for hours. The waiter will not hurry you.
5. The Heuriger wine taverns in Grinzing and Nussdorf serve local Gruner Veltliner from the current year. Extraordinary value.
6. The Kunsthistorisches Museum's Bruegel room at 10am opening has the finest paintings in Austria with nobody else present.
Total Budget
100 to 180 euros/day