I first visited Vienna in 2019, on a winter trip that included a few days in Prague and a long weekend in Munich. I picked Vienna (or Wien as the locals call it) for convenience; Prague was high on my wishlist, and Munich had the best flight options with Delta Skymiles. The third city that made the most sense was Vienna. (Suffice it to say, I knew very little about Vienna before visiting!) I only had a couple of short days in Vienna, but it was enough to know that I would return someday!

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It took me a few years, but I finally returned to Vienna in 2025, and it was every bit as amazing as I remembered! On my recent trip, my niece and my sister joined me for a winter visit to the Vienna Christmas markets. After two winter trips to Vienna, I’m ready to plan a longer trip to Vienna in the fall or summer. (The biggest drawback to a winter trip to Vienna is having less daylight. It gets dark at 4:30 in the winter, but luckily, the city is beautiful at night, too!)

If you only have a few days in Vienna, take advantage of guided tours of Vienna so you can let someone else lead the way and show you around!

Big Bus Vienna

I always try to start my first day in a new city with whatever Hop On Hop Off Bus they have. On our recent Vienna trip, we purchased the 48-hour pass for Big Bus Vienna because there are two different routes, so we rode each route on consecutive days. At $45/person for the two-day pass, it’s more expensive than public transportation, but not too bad, considering how frequently the buses run.

The Red Route is the city route and takes you all over the city of Vienna, crossing the Danube River and stopping at the famous Prater amusement park. The Blue Route is slightly shorter, but stays closer to the city center. This is called the Palace Route because it stops at the main palaces of Vienna: Schönbrunn, Belvedere Palace, and Hofburg.

Schönbrunn Palace is a great place to hop off and stretch your legs. The summer residence of the Habsburg family is stunning, and you can easily spend a full day exploring the grounds, gardens, and the Gloriette on the hill, which now houses a cafe.

Vienna Food Tour

On my first trip to Vienna, I joined a Vienna Food Tour, which covered several tasty stops over the course of four hours. Lukas, our guide, is a total foodie, and it was fun to learn all about Viennese cuisine from someone so passionate about food. We had a wonderful tour, sampling some interesting Austrian food and wine. If you want more of a historical context, there are many guided walking tours in Vienna.

Check out these amazing Viennese Coffee Houses!

We met at Cafe Sperl to start the morning with sweets and hot drinks. From Sacher torte to apple strudel and delicious cake, this set the tone for the indulgent day ahead. Cafe Sperl has been around since 1880 and is a classic Viennese cafe. (It was also featured in one of my favorite 90’s movies, Before Sunrise. Which I learned once I got home. Thanks, Instagram!) Subsequent stops included the Naschmarkt, where we sampled three amazing kinds of cheese. We also visited a meat shop where we tried horse meat and other sausages, a candy shop, a chocolate shop, an underground wine cellar, a bakery, and finally a butcher where we had the freshest, best ham I’ve ever tasted. (I also ate horse meat on a food tour in Iceland)

Vienna State Opera House

You can’t visit Vienna without experiencing an opera. With over 350 performances a year, it’s not hard to get tickets. If you are standing on the Opernring, facing the opera house, head down the street along the left of the Opera, and you’ll see a storefront with performance info and prices in the window. Some of the opera performances are quite affordable, under 20 Euros, but I have a secret tip below if you are visiting Vienna on a budget. If you purchase your tickets ahead of time, you’ll have a few hours to enjoy dinner or more sightseeing before the opera begins.

If an opera ticket is not in your budget, you can get a standing-room-only ticket for four Euros! Yes, for less than $5, you can see an opera at the famous Vienna Opera House. (Prices may have gone up slightly since then, but it’s still a great deal!) The line for standing-room tickets starts on the left side of the building at 4 pm. For a popular opera, you want to arrive early, however, you can arrive closer to 5 pm for less popular evenings. There’s a sausage stand across the street, where I recommend grabbing some food while you queue up. You will stand in line until the performance begins, around 8 pm, and as noted, the “seats” are standing room only. Luckily, I was with a couple of travel bloggers who did their research! We did not dawdle upon entering; we raced to get the first row of the standing area as it filled in quickly. Once you’ve secured your spot, you can leave to use the washroom or visit the snack stand, but it’s really important to grab your spot ASAP. Each standing area has a small screen, where you can follow the opera in your preferred language. Honestly, I thought I would leave at intermission because it was a lot of standing after a full day of walking, but by then I was sucked into the story and stayed the whole time. Wear comfortable shoes!

Bringing the family to Vienna? Thrifty Family Travels has the best things to do in Vienna with kids!

Vienna Christmas Markets

I have always wanted to visit the Christmas markets of Europe and finally got the chance this year. Vienna has over 20 Christmas markets, and we just kept stumbling upon them as we walked around town on our first night. We also signed up for a guided tour of the Vienna Christmas markets, which was so fun. Our guide, Wolfy, took us to several different markets and showed us how to use the public transit system. Every stop on the tour included warm drinks and delicious food.

Some of our favorite Christmas markets were:

• Weihnachtsmarkt am Hof, which was right outside the Park Hyatt Vienna, where we stayed.
• Rathausplatz Christmas Market (above left) was just beautiful and magical at night.
• Schönbrunn Palace Christmas Market – because it’s at the palace, which is already beautiful!

Christmas markets were the primary reason for this trip, and Vienna did not disappoint!

Spanish Riding School

On my first trip to Vienna, I was just walking down the street as a bunch of horses were led across the road. Turns out, it was the Lipizzaner horses heading to their arena. The Spanish Riding School was established in the 16th century, and the Winter Riding School is located in the Hofburg complex.

We attended a training performance with the horses. The training performance lasted an hour, and felt slow at times, but it was nevertheless interesting to see. Next time, I would try to book a more interactive experience, like a tour of the stables.

Vienna Prater

Vienna is home to Wiener Riesenrad, supposedly the oldest Ferris Wheel in the world. With caboose-like cars that are enclosed, this isn’t like any other Ferris Wheel I’ve ridden. You can even have dinner in the cars; we saw them setting up a fancy dinner table in the car before us.

Day Trips from Vienna

If you have extra time, there are some fantastic day trips from Vienna. Public transportation in Austria (and most of Europe) is amazing, so you can easily get around to other cities and towns without renting a car.

• Bratislava, Slovakia: I actually spent my first day in Vienna, in another country! I booked a Bratislava Day Trip from Vienna tour, which included transport to and from Bratislava, plus a guided tour of Bratislava’s Old Town. The price was reasonable, although you can DIY on Flix-Bus much cheaper. Our tour left time to explore and have lunch on our own. Check out my friend Heather’s guide on things to do in Bratislava! (approx. 1 hour each way)
• Budapest, Hungary: We spent three days in Budapest before taking the train to Vienna, but if you’re really short on time, it’s possible to take a day trip from Vienna to Budapest.
• Salzburg, Austria: I had a hard time deciding whether to visit Vienna or Salzburg. If you choose Vienna, you can visit Salzburg as a day trip, albeit a pretty long one. That’s What She Had can tell you how to spend one day in Salzburg! (approx. 3 hours each way)
• Hallstatt, Austria: There are many tours that go from Vienna to Hallstatt as a day trip. I actually cut a night out of my Munich itinerary so that I could divert to Hallstatt for one night. It’s a sleepy town, but staying the night was worth being able to wander the tiny village after the day-trip crowds went home. Getting from Vienna to Hallstatt involves three trains plus a ferry, but the OBB folks at Vienna’s Hauptbahnhof are amazing and patient when planning your itinerary. If you choose to stay overnight in Hallstatt, I highly recommend Heritage Hotel Hallstatt, the closest inn to the ferry dock, and a lovely place. Not cheap, though! At $185/night, it was my biggest hotel splurge of the trip.

Where to Stay in Vienna 

On both trips, I stayed in the First District, or the Innere Stadt. Of course, it’s touristy, but it’s also just so beautiful that I can’t imagine staying anywhere else. Inner Stadt is surrounded by the Ringstrasse, the ring road circling Vienna’s Old Town. It is super walkable, and there are numerous access points to the subway for traveling to other districts.

• For Marriott fans, Le Meridien Vienna is a great option. It’s practically across the street from the opera house, with easy access to some great street food and some of Vienna’s best attractions. My room (below) was super nice and a great place to relax between Vienna tours. (The Ritz Carlton is also nearby if you want an uber-luxurious Vienna hotel.)
• More recently, as a Hyatt employee, I scored three comp nights at the Park Hyatt Vienna. We didn’t spend much time at the hotel, but it was positively luxurious and the best possible location in Vienna.

If you want to stay outside of the tourist district, Hotel Motto is a cool spot in the 6th District, Marihilf. We stopped there on our Christmas Market tour and visited the beautiful rooftop bar and terrace.

Is Vienna Expensive?

Coming from Prague, yes, Vienna is expensive. Overall, though, there is value to be had, and you don’t have to break the bank to visit Vienna. I’m not a budget traveler, so I can’t advise on the cheapest hotels in Vienna, but I can tell you that I spent around $900 for four nights in Vienna.

• $45 train ticket from Prague to Vienna
• $590 for four nights at Le Meridien Vienna (advance purchase rate)
• $68 Bratislava Day Trip Tour
• $34 Big Bus Ticket
• $5 Opera Ticket
• $95 for food (average of $24/day)
• $63 train ticket from Vienna to Hallstatt

It’s rare for me to visit the same destination twice, but Vienna is absolutely an exception. There are still many Vienna attractions that I haven’t seen, and I would love to experience the parks and gardens in the spring or summer months. Maybe I’ll just move there someday!

Did I mention there are dogs everywhere in Vienna? We’re all obsessed with dogs, so this was definitely a highlight!