Vienna's rooftops seen from the south tower of St Stephen's Cathedral, with the coloured tile roof in the foreground
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Vienna in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 4.9 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

Two days give you what one cannot: time to sit in a café, step inside a museum and leave the first district. Day one is for the great classics and the mysteries; day two mixes history with a major museum and an imperial palace. The pace is comfortable and the plan covers a lot, for anyone who wants Vienna without sprinting.

Day 1Classics, a market and legendary lanes

Begin with the Vienna must-sees route, from the cathedral to the Karlskirche, then head for Figlmüller and a Wiener Schnitzel. The free afternoon stays close to Karlsplatz: a stroll through the Naschmarkt and a visit to the Secession. Towards sunset, go back to the centre for the mystery route, with the Stock im Eisen, the Blutgasse and the Basilisk House, all better in low light. Finish with a Tafelspitz at the Griechenbeisl, which is also the last stop.

  1. Morning

    Vienna's must-sees: from St Stephen's to the Karlskirche

    Mixed · 2 km · 1 h 50 min

    1. St Stephen's CathedralThe heart of Vienna: a Romanesque Giants' Door, a 136-metre Gothic spire and a coloured roof that rose from the ashes of 1945.
    2. The Graben and the Plague ColumnA Roman ditch turned into Vienna's most elegant promenade, with the monument an emperor raised in thanks for the end of the plague at its centre.
    3. Michaelerplatz and the HofburgThe grand gateway to the palace from which the Habsburgs ruled for more than six centuries, facing a façade that scandalised Vienna.
    4. AlbertinaA palace on a surviving stretch of the city wall, home to Dürer's hare and around a million drawings and prints.
    5. Vienna State OperaThe first great building on the Ringstrasse, so savaged by critics at its opening that neither of its architects lived to see it finished.
    6. KarlskircheAn emperor's vow during the plague became Vienna's most spectacular Baroque church, with two columns borrowed from ancient Rome.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Wiener Schnitzel at Figlmüller. Wollzeile 5, Viena

  3. Afternoon

    Naschmarkt

    Vienna's great market, with stalls of spices, olives, cheeses and food from all over the world. It is a few minutes' walk from Karlsplatz, so it fits neatly after the end of the route. Go before it gets crowded.

    Directions

    Secession

    The Art Nouveau building with the golden dome of laurel leaves, a short walk from the market. It houses Klimt's Beethoven Frieze. Even if you do not go in, it is worth seeing from outside as the face of Viennese Jugendstil.

    Directions

  4. Early evening

    Vienna of the basilisk: devils, plagues and an unsolved death

    Mysteries & legends · 1.3 km · 1 h 30 min

    1. The house where Mozart diedHere, in the small hours of 5 December 1791, Mozart died with a half-finished Requiem and a rumour that has never quite gone away.
    2. The Stock im EisenA medieval spruce trunk bristling with nails, kept behind glass on Vienna's busiest corner, with a padlock no one has ever been able to open.
    3. The unfinished tower of St Stephen'sA tower left halfway, a master builder who fell from the scaffolding and a Christ who, they say, had toothache.
    4. Blutgasse, the street of bloodA medieval lane with an unsettling name, a massacre of Templars that never happened and Vienna's most famous resident just round the corner.
    5. The Basilisk HouseAccording to legend, a monster whose breath could kill appeared in a baker's well. Its stone figure still keeps watch over the street.
    6. Griechenbeisl and dear AugustinVienna's oldest tavern keeps alive the memory of a piper who, legend says, slept off a drinking bout in a plague pit and climbed out singing.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Tafelspitz at Griechenbeisl. Fleischmarkt 11, Viena

Day 2Two millennia and a summer palace

Spend the morning on the history route, from Vindobona to the 1938 balcony: the Ruprechtskirche, the Anker Clock at Hoher Markt, Judenplatz and finally Heldenplatz. For lunch, something light with a slice of Sachertorte for dessert at Café Sacher or Demel, which are right next to each other. In the afternoon you have two options, combinable if you have the energy: the Kunsthistorisches Museum, directly opposite Heldenplatz, and Schönbrunn Palace, a short U-Bahn ride away.

  1. Morning

    From Vindobona to the 1938 balcony: two thousand years of Vienna

    History · 1.6 km · 1 h 40 min

    1. St Rupert's Church (Ruprechtskirche)The oldest church still standing in Vienna, perched on what was once the edge of the Roman camp.
    2. Hoher Markt and the Anker ClockUnder the square lie the houses of Roman officers; above it, an Art Nouveau clock parades the great figures of Viennese history.
    3. JudenplatzThe square of medieval Jewish Vienna, destroyed in 1421, now holds a concrete library whose books no one can open.
    4. Am HofThe largest square in the old town was the first court of the dukes of Austria and the scene of a lynching in the 1848 revolution.
    5. BallhausplatzA name that comes from a ball game and now means to Austrians what Downing Street means to the British.
    6. Heldenplatz and the Neue BurgA square born of a Napoleonic explosion, two heroes on horseback and the balcony from which Hitler announced the Anschluss.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Sachertorte at Café Sacher. Philharmoniker Straße 4, Viena

  3. Afternoon

    Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Art History)

    One of Europe's great museums: the Habsburg collection, with a memorable room of Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It faces Heldenplatz, just where the route ends. Book ahead and do not try to see everything.

    Directions

    Schönbrunn Palace

    The Habsburgs' summer residence, with its vast garden and the Gloriette on the hill. It is about 20 minutes by U-Bahn from the centre. Even if you skip the palace interior, the park is a lovely way to end the day.

    Directions

The map

Vienna in 2 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Vienna in 2 days

  • Buy a 24- or 48-hour transport ticket: it pays for itself with the U-Bahn out to Schönbrunn and the hops between routes, and Vienna's system is punctual and clean.
  • The Naschmarkt is usually closed on Sundays and many museums close one day a week: if your day 1 falls on a Sunday, swap the order of the days and check opening hours.
  • Day one is the hardest on the feet (nearly five km between routes and extras, on cobbles): wear comfortable shoes and leave Schönbrunn for day two.

Questions

Vienna in 2 days: your questions

Are two days enough for Vienna?

Yes, it is the most common and a sensible length. You will see the old town, a major museum, a palace and a market without rushing. If you love art, you will want more, but it makes a very good first trip.

How far do you walk in 2 days in Vienna?

The routes add up to 4.9 km: 3.3 km on day one (must-sees and mystery) and 1.6 km on day two (history). With the extras, transfers and visits, expect around 8 to 10 km a day.

Where should you stay for this itinerary?

In the first district or close to it (Landstraße, Neubau, Wieden): you can do almost everything on foot and reach Schönbrunn by U-Bahn. Near a U1, U3 or U4 station, everything is easier.

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