Vienna is a great place to start in Europe. A haven for all kinds of art loves—music, architecture and fine art, Vienna is extremely steeped in culture and tradition. You’ll find all sorts of unique practices here, one of such being their coffee house culture. With so much to see and do, you may be a little lost, especially if it’s your first visit to this lively city. We’ve done the hard work for you; with this handy 3-day itinerary, we walk you step-by-step through Vienna and highlight the best things to do:
Day 1
Breakfast
We start our day with breakfast at Café Vollpension. This café functions as a social enterprise, employing those in need of some extra income. More than half of the staff are made up of grandmothers (as well as a few grandfathers!), providing an avenue for these grandmothers and grandfathers to socialise and interact with others. Aside from the feel-good-factor, the food here is lovely as well.
Head to the Wiener Staatsoper, also known as the Vienna State Opera, one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious repertory theaters, for a tour of its sprawling premises. Tickets can be purchased for €9,00, at the door before each tour. A number of tours are offered each day, but due to the nature of the performances, there is no fixed schedule to these tours, but you’ll be able to check their schedule online here, so plan in advance!
Karlskirche is a Baroque church located a stone’s throw away from the opera house, the last work of the prominent baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. The cupola is perhaps its crowning glory, with opulent frescoes adorning it. A panoramic elevator lifts visitors up to a height of 32.5 meters, allowing a closer inspection of these frescoes.
Lunch
After that, we make our way to the vibrant Naschmarkt, Vienna’s most popular market, and home to about 120 different stalls and restaurants serving up a range of different worldly cuisines and delicacies. You’ll want to stop by here for lunch. Try some gorgeous Israeli-Oriental food such as shakshuka (eggs with vegetables) at Neni, or go for some fresh seafood at Umar, which many consider to serve some of the best in Vienna. Many Viennese specialty products such as wine and cheese here are available here as well. If you’re there on a Saturday, look out for the Flohmarkt (flea market), where you’ll be able to find a range of unique items, as well as a range of vintage toys, records, clothes, and many more.
Save a little space for dessert! Located close by is Hotel Sacher, where you’ll be able to get the much beloved sacher torte (trademarked as The Original Sacher-Torte by Café Sacher), a stunning chocolate cake layered with tangy apricot jam. You simply can’t leave Vienna without trying this, and after trying it, you wouldn’t even want to!
With a full stomach, we move to our next destination, the magnificent Schloss Belvedere. It is only fitting that this beautiful baroque palace now houses the Belvedere Museum, home to one of Austria’s finest collections of art. The palace is huge and comprises three museums; the Upper Belvedere, the Lower Belvedere and Belvedere 21. The Upper Belvedere should definitely not be missed, and it is where Gustav Klimt’s iconic The Kiss resides. Be sure to take a strong along the palace gardens as well, which are lovely.
Dinner
We end our first day with dinner at Salm Bräu, a pub and restaurant selling beer brewed in-house, as well as a range of hearty Austrian dishes. Order a pint to go with their ribs, a tried-and-tested combination that really can’t go wrong. This place is popular with both locals and tourists, so go early if you can to avoid the queue!
Day 2
Breakfast
Definitely one of the hottest spots in Vienna for breakfast and brunch, ULRICH is a restaurant, café and bar all rolled into one. It’s extensive breakfast menu makes it a great choice for even the pickiest of eaters, with international favourites like avocado toast and pancakes available here as well.
MuseumsQuartier, home to a number of museums and cultural centres, all of which are interesting and well-curated. You’ll definitely not be able to finish everything in the span of one a morning, so you can pick one to visit depending on your interests. The Leopold Museum has a great collection of Austrian art, and the world’s largest collection of Egon Schiele paintings, while MUMOK is dedicated to modern and contemporary art. If art isn’t your thing, why not check out the Naturhistorisches Museum, a short distance away, that houses a vast specimen collection that includes even dinosaur skeletons.
Before heading off to lunch, take a walk around Maria-Theresien-Platz, a beautiful square with a monument of Maria Theresa in the very centre. During Christmas, you’ll be able to find a Christmas market here, serving delicious mugs of mulled wine and hot food. Make a quick stop at Rathaus, Vienna’s city hall. Done up in a marvellous Gothic-style architecture, look out for the building’s iconic Rathausmann, standing proud on the very top of the building. Like Maria-Theresien-Platz, the square in front of it also houses a Christmas market during the season, which is the largest and one of the very best in Vienna.
Lunch
For lunch, head to Café Central. This famous traditional café is almost always crowded, a testament to the quality it has upheld since 1860. It was frequented by even Sigmund Freud and Leon Trotsky in their time! The interior is stunning; with its high, vaulted ceilings and opulent chandeliers, its large windows letting just the right amount of light in. The gulasch is a popular option, and for dessert, be sure to try the apfelstrudel as well! Reservations can be made online via their website, and are highly recommended if you don’t want to wait.
Located right in the centre of Vienna, the Hofburg is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty rulers up till the 18th century, where today it serves as the official residence of the President of Austria. Get a close up view of how the royals used to live, and the admission ticket not only grants you access to the Imperial Apartments, the Silver Collection and the Sisi Museum, all of which are worth a look.
Catch the sunset from St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Located in the heart of the city, St. Stephen's Cathedral towers over Vienna at 134 metres, providing it to be a perfect vantage point to get lovely views of the city.
Dinner
For dinner, it’s time to finally have a taste of Austria’s national dish, the wiener schnitzel! Figlmüller's rendition of this deep-fried veal cutlet is an absolute delight, especially when paired with a wine from their list. If veal is not quite your thing, they also have a pork version, equally massive and also delicious, called the Figlmüller schnitzel (the law dictates that if it is not made out of veal, it cannot be called a wiener schnitzel!)
Day 3
Breakfast
We start our morning of the third day away from the city centre, at Schloss Schönbrunn. In the gardens lies the magnificent Café Gloriette. Come here for the Sisi buffet, a brunch buffet with a spread fit for a king. To sweeten the deal, the view here is fantastic. If you’re not feeling the buffet, they have other items available as well. Make a reservation in advance, this place gets really packed!
Where the Hofburg was the winter residence of the Habsburgs, Schloss Schönbrunn was where they resided in the summer. This 1,400 room Rococo palace was designed by the renowned architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, the same architect who had designed Karlskirche. Since 1996 it has been deemed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is an important cultural, architectural and historical icon in Austria. Be sure to tour the sprawling gardens!
Lunch
Grab a quick lunch at Leberkas Pepi. The main offering here is something that can be described as a meatloaf sandwich. The main ingredient is leberkäs, a type of meatloaf that is eaten mostly in Austria. It is hard to describe in itself, but it is by all means delicious, and with a pint of beer, makes a fulfilling and inexpensive lunch.
No trip would be complete without some shopping. Walk down Kärntner Strasse, where you’ll be able to find a variety of high street stores. Look out for the Swarovski flagship store, specialising in Tyrolean glass, which is also located along this street. Nearby, you’ll also be able to find some quirky souvenirs at the Vienna Store, which make perfect gifts to remember Vienna by.
Tea
For some kaffee und kuchen, or in this case, we’d really suggest going for the kaiserschmarrn, a fluffy, shredded pancake served alongside plum jam and apple sauce, head to the elegant Café Landtmann. Thanks to its location near Rathaus, it boasts a list of illustrious clientele, and was said to be Sigmund Freud’s café of choice. The interior is every bit as classy as you would expect, and you would want to spend just a little more time sitting back and enjoying yourself here.
Dinner
For a sampling of another favorite dish of Emperor Franz Joseph I, head to Plachutta, which specialises in tafelspitz, a dish of boiled meat and vegetables. While it does not sound the most appetizing, it is popular in all of Austria, even eaten in the neighbouring Bavaria. It is traditionally served in courses, first with the broth and then after, the vegetables and meat.
Finally, finish off your trip with a fantastic orchestra performance. No need to fret about booking tickets, you can easily book it through Native without the language barrier! In this country known for its music, it would be such a shame to leave without a first-hand experience of it. Be blown away by the precision and smoothness of the orchestra as you spend an evening soaking in the music.
