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 3 days

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

Three days is the ideal length for Vienna: you see the centre at an unhurried pace, step inside two or three must-sees and still have time for a long coffee. Each day is built around one of our routes, with extras in the afternoon. If you want a relaxed Vienna with its great palaces and museums, this is your plan.

Day 1The classics and the Art Nouveau corner

Start with the Vienna must-sees route, from the cathedral to the Karlskirche, then head back towards Wollzeile for the Wiener Schnitzel at Figlmüller. In the afternoon, take it easy at the Naschmarkt and the Secession, both beside Karlsplatz and near where the route ends. Finish with a long coffee near the market and rest up for day two. If you have time to spare, the walk back along the Ringstrasse, with its lit-up nineteenth-century buildings, is a fine way to finish.

  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: stalls of spices, cheeses, olives and food from around the world, with terraces to sit on. It sits right beside Karlsplatz. A perfect pause after the route.

    Directions

    Secession

    The building with the golden dome of laurel leaves, a symbol of Viennese Art Nouveau. Inside is Klimt's Beethoven Frieze. A quick visit, just a few steps from the market.

    Directions

Day 2Two thousand years and an imperial picture gallery

Today is the history route, from the Ruprechtskirche to Heldenplatz, via Hoher Markt, Judenplatz and Am Hof. For lunch, a Tafelspitz, said to have been Emperor Franz Joseph's favourite dish, at the Griechenbeisl, a few minutes from where the route starts. In the afternoon comes the Kunsthistorisches Museum, steps from Heldenplatz, and then the Burggarten to catch your breath. If the museum wears you out, one or two rooms and a coffee in the park are enough: the route alone already makes a full day.

  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 Tafelspitz at Griechenbeisl. Fleischmarkt 11, Viena

  3. Afternoon

    Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Art History)

    The Habsburg treasures under a spectacular dome, with a famous Bruegel room. It faces Heldenplatz. Book ahead and pick two or three rooms rather than trying to see everything.

    Directions

    Burggarten

    The Habsburgs' garden beside the Hofburg, with the Mozart monument and the Palmenhaus. A calm place to slow down after the museum, a few minutes' walk away.

    Directions

Day 3Palaces, Klimt and one last legend

Begin at the Belvedere, whose collections include Klimt's The Kiss, then take the U-Bahn on to Schönbrunn Palace and its park. Have something light for lunch, with a Sachertorte for dessert at Café Sacher or Demel, and before dusk return to the centre for the mystery route: the house where Mozart died, the Stock im Eisen, the unfinished tower of St Stephen's and the Blutgasse. Have an Apfelstrudel for dinner at Café Central or Landtmann and say goodbye to Vienna in old-fashioned style.

  1. Morning

    Schönbrunn Palace

    The Habsburgs' summer residence, with its Baroque garden and the Gloriette on top of the hill. About 20 minutes by U-Bahn. If you are short of time, a stroll through the park is enough.

    Directions

    Belvedere Palace

    Prince Eugene's Baroque palace, with sloping gardens and the largest collection of Klimt, including The Kiss. It is close to the Ring. Book your ticket and check the opening hours.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

    Try Sachertorte at Café Sacher. Philharmoniker Straße 4, Viena

  3. 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

  4. Dinner

    Try Apfelstrudel at Café Central. Herrengasse 14, Viena

The map

Vienna in 3 days, on the map

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

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Vienna in 3 days

  • Group the afternoons by area: Karlsplatz on day 1, Heldenplatz and the Ring on day 2, and the palaces on day 3. That keeps the U-Bahn and tram rides short.
  • In spring or early autumn the gardens of the Belvedere and Schönbrunn look their best. In deep winter, Viennese cafés are the best refuge between routes.
  • A multi-day transport pass pays off: you will use the U-Bahn to Schönbrunn and trams on the Ring. Museums often close one day a week, so check the hours before you plan the afternoon.

Questions

Vienna in 3 days: your questions

What should you see in Vienna in 3 days?

The three routes through the centre (must-sees, history and mystery), plus the Naschmarkt, the Secession, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Burggarten, Schönbrunn and the Belvedere. It is a selection that covers emperors, art and everyday life without rushing.

How far do you walk in 3 days in Vienna?

Our three routes add up to 4.9 km: 2 km on day one, 1.6 km on day two and 1.3 km on day three. Add museums, parks and transfers, and count on roughly 6 to 9 km a day.

Is a museum pass worth it?

It depends on how many museums you visit. With the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Belvedere and Schönbrunn in three days, check whether a combined pass beats buying single tickets; do the sums before you buy.

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