Top 10 Tips For Planning The Best Trip To Vienna

Planning a trip to Vienna? Well you’ve come to he right place! Vienna Austria is an incredible city to visit, I was there for 2 weeks but would go back in a heart beat!

During my trip to Vienna, I learned a few things about planning a trip there.

So here’s how to travel to Vienna and make the most of your time there. In my Vienna travel guide I go over everything you should know to plan your trip to Vienna. Like where to stay, how to get around the city, and just some general Vienna tips to know!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

Why Is Vienna Austria Worth Visiting

Vienna is an incredible city to visit. Vienna is the capital of Austria and it used to be the centre of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Because of that, Vienna has a captivating history, countless palaces, and outstanding architecture to admire.

A trip to Vienna will definitely not disappoint. As I said, I spent two weeks there and would go back in a heart beat!

How To Plan A Trip To Vienna

1. How To Travel To Vienna: Arriving By Plane

If you’re flying in to Vienna you’ll arrive at the Vienna International Airport (A.K.A. the Flughafen Wien).

The easiest way into the city centre is to jump on the train at the airport. It’s a 15 minute non stop train to Vienna Centrale. From you’re connected to the bus and metro, or you can get a taxi.

2. How Long Should You Stay In Vienna?

I was in Vienna for two weeks and there was more than enough sightseeing to fill my time at my own (sluggish) pace.

But if you have limited time, Vienna is a small enough city that it’s very doable in way less time. You can see all the main sites with just 2 days in Vienna (continue reading for the top sites to see!). You’ll have one day to explore the first district and a second day to visit Schönbrunn Palace (in the 13th district).

I would recommend staying longer, though if you can. There’s no shortage of things to do in Vienna, different museums to see, or districts to explore. Plus, part of my two weeks in Vienna were spent exploring the surrounding Austrian towns and even countries. Vienna makes a really good base, instead of constantly having to packing up and move all your belongings (but more on that in a bit!).

3. Vienna Travel Guide: Understanding Vienna’s Districts

Vienna (like Paris) is divided into districts. Vienna is made up of 23 districts in total, but you really only care about districts 1-9 (with an exception for 13!). They’re each known for something different and it’s an easy way to know where you are in the city. Every street sign has the address along with the district number.

The first district (also called Innere Stadt) is the city centre, and it includes all the main attractions you’ll want to see. It’s surrounded by districts two to nine and separated by the Ring (a street surrounding the historic centre of Vienna).

Districts 1-9 are the main districts you’ll be interested in visiting. The only exception, as I said before, is Schloss Schönbrunn in the 13th District.

Related

A Guide To Each District of Vienna

4. Where Should You Stay In Vienna?

The most central place to stay in Vienna is the First District, BUT, this is also the most expensive. If you’re only in Vienna for a short amount of time, it might be worthwhile staying in the heart of the action. But, if you’re staying in a city for a bit more time you can save some money and have a more local experience in one of the surrounding districts.

So if you’re looking to stay outside of the First district, stay anywhere beyond the Ring in one of the bordering districts. We opted to stay in the Eighth district (Josefstadt). Depending on where you are in the district, you can still be really close to the main attractions. We were still able to walk to the city centre from where we were!

I’d recommend the Eighth District for anyone looking to have a good time. It’s not far from the University of Vienna so it’s a very young and lively area. There were a few bars on our block that we went to almost every night (such as SpielBar).

Looking For A Hotel In Vienna?

You might think that you should stay in the first district of Vienna, but you’d be wrong. The first district is where some of the main attractions are, but it’s also the most expensive. So instead, opt to stay in one of the surrounding districts that all border the first. This way, you’ll be equally as close but for half the cost. I recommend Districts Six, Seven, and Eight.

The ultimate place to stay should be either walking distance to the first district Vienna and on a tram line for easy access to the rest of the city.

I stayed in an Airbnb while in Vienna, but here are some hotel recommendations that I found.

If you do want to stay in the heart of Vienna, stay in luxury at Hotel Kaiserin Elisabeth. You cannot get a better location than this, literally a few steps from St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Kärtner Straße shopping street, the State Opera and Hofburg Imperial Palace. See room rates and availability.

For more local Vienna vibes, stay outside the First District. I stayed in Josefstadt (the Eight district) and loved it! Stay at Apartments near Rathaus. They offer apartment living near Rathaus (the city hall of Vienna). You might even be able to get an apartment with a terrace! See room rates and availability.

If you want to still be close to some attractions, stay at Hotel Gilbert in the Seventh District – Neubau. Neubau is home to all the museums in Vienna. Hotel Gilbert offers a truly unique and trendy stay! See room rates and availability.

For more accommodation options in Vienna, click here.

5. Understanding Local Transportation In Vienna

Like most European cities, Vienna has a well established public transit system. They have an underground train (the Ubahn), buses, and trams. The buses and trams run fairly often and have stops all over the city.

When taking any form of public transport, make sure to buy a ticket AND validate it. This is one of the biggest and easiest mistakes you can make when visiting Vienna. There aren’t any barriers to enter the Ubahn, so it’s easy to forget sometimes and just walk on. But, there are undercover cops that’ll stop you for not having a validated ticket.

Validating your ticket is pretty much giving it a timestamp. You can buy several ticket at once and you don’t need to use them all right away. There are boxes around the underground station, on buses and trams to validate. This means that you are now using that ticket for that ride.

Depending on how long your trip to Vienna is, you’ll want to look into buying daily or weekly passes for the public transit system. We were there for two weeks so we bought two weekly tickets. This way we only had to worry about validating once a week and we could use it as many times as we wanted throughout the week. This simplified our lives SO MUCH!

6. Before Doing Anything, Go On A Walking Tour Of Vienna

When you arrive in Vienna it can be a bit overwhelming. That’s why, the first thing I recommend doing when you arrive in Vienna is to go on a walking tour of the city.

They’ll give you a history of the city, take you to all the main spots, give you some local advice, and it’s a good way to get your bearings so you know where you are.

I always love free walking tours (like this one) that are tip based.

7. Top Things To Do In Vienna

There are some things in Vienna that you absolutely have to do.

Visit The Palaces Of Vienna

First off, Vienna is all about the palaces. There are three main palaces that you have to visit: the Hofburg Palace, the Belvedere Palace, and Schloss Schonbrunn.

The Hofburg and Belvedere Palace are more museums now but are still must sees. If you want to tour an actual palace you’ll want to go to Schloss Schonbrunn. That is the furthest one from the city centre, all the way in the 13th District of Vienna.

The Cathedrals Of Vienna

Like the Palaces, there are three churches to go to see in Vienna: St. Stephens, St. Peters and Karlskirche. St. Stephens and St. Peters Church are both in the First district but they could not be more different.

The architectural styles of each are stunning you have the baroque style vs. the gothic style of St. Stephens. You can also go to the top of St. Stephens for a skyline view of Vienna Austria.

Karlskirche is another baroque style church just outside the First District in the Fourth District.

Other Things To See If You Have Time In Vienna Austria

If you have a bit more time in Vienna, some other points of interest are the Prater, Hundertwasser House, and the Naschmarkt.

The Prater is an amusement park in the second district known for the landmark giant wheel dating from 1897.

Hundertwasser House is an apartment building designed by an artist. It doesn’t look like any apartment building that you’re used to, it looks more like a piece of art.

The Naschmarkt is a great outdoor market if your looking to do some shopping!

Must-Do Nighttime Activity: Go To The Vienna Opera

One of the main nighttime activities on a trip to Vienna is to attend the opera. And the best way to do that is to see it standing…

There’s no denying that going to the opera is expensive. But it’s also a very iconic thing to do in Vienna (the Vienna opera house is also a must see on a trip to Vienna). So going to the standing opera is an easy (and cheap) way not only see an Opera, but also the inside of the historic Opera House (which is beautiful). Standing room tickets are only about €3.

The downside (apart from standing for a few hours) is that you can’t reserve tickets online in advance. The tickets are only available on the day of – at the Opera House. So you have to go there a few hours in advance to wait in line.

Make sure to bring a scarf with you to save your standing spot once you get a ticket. You might also want to invest in a battery powered fan (it was quite hot when I went). They cram as many people as they can into a small space, and there’s no A/C.

You can read this for more information about standing at the Opera. 

8. Vienna Tips: The Tap Water Is Drinkable

The tap water in Austria is 100% drinkable. In fact, they have the cleanest water quality in the world. 

But for some reason, the Austrians are also very protective over their water, unlike Rome where they’re promoting drinking from any fountain on the street.

Instead, in Vienna, we almost got into a shouting match with a waiter over asking for a glass of water before we ordered. We were so thirsty after a long day of walking but he told us that we’d only get water depending on what we ordered.

Moral of the story – bring your reusable water bottle (like the Nomader collapsible water bottle).

9. What Food To Try & The Best Restaurants In Vienna

Aside from their unbeatable drinking water, Vienna is of course known for delicacies like apple strudel and schnitzel. But, you also have to try Sachertorte – a delicious Viennese chocolate cake. Plus, if you’re into coffee, try ordering a Wiener Melange (Viennese Mix). It’s pretty much an espresso with steamed milk and then topped with foamed milk! Here’s a complete guide to ordering coffee in Vienna!

We found exquisite apple strudel at Café Eiles, and they also serve a delicious traditional Viennese breakfast you just have to try!

While you’re exploring Vienna you have to make a point to stop at Café Central. It dates all the way back to 1876, and the architecture inside looks like it was a church in a past life. It has high ceilings with grandiose archways. It also has links to famous historical figures like Freud and Trotsky who enjoyed coming here. 

10. Use Vienna As Your Hub City: Easy Day Trips From Vienna

Vienna is so centrally located with a train station in the city that it’s a no brainer to go on day trips from Vienna. We planned 4 day trips during our 2-week trip to Vienna, but we easily could’ve gone on more. We opted to relax a bit in the city instead.

On a trip to Vienna, you’re able to visit surrounding Austrian cities like Salzburg, Hallstatt, and Mödling. You can even explore the Wachau Valley in the lower region of Austria. Or if you’re looking to get out of Austria for a bit, you can head to Budapest or Prague for the day.

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Related Posts

• The Complete Guide To Vienna’s Districts
• Discover The Wachau Valley: Bike From Melk To Krems
• Day Trip To Budapest From Vienna
• Visit Salzburg in One Day From Vienna

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Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API