3 days in Vienna: a day-by-day sightseeing plan

Vienna is a city of imperial palaces, great art collections and music, and most of it sits on or inside the Ringstrasse, so you can walk much of this plan. Day one starts at Schönbrunn on the edge of the city and comes back to the Old Masters and St. Stephen's Cathedral, day two runs from the Belvedere east to the Prater and the Danube, and day three stays in the Hofburg quarter around the Opera.

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Day 1

Schönbrunn, the Old Masters, Karlsplatz and St. Stephen's Cathedral

5 stops

09:00
Schönbrunn Palace
About 2 h 45 min
The Habsburgs' summer palace gets the longest slot of the day, and it needs it: a tour of the state rooms takes a good part of the morning, and the formal gardens climb to the Gloriette, which looks back over the palace toward the city. Timed tickets for the palace rooms are worth booking ahead in the busy months.
Taxi, 10 min
11:55
Kunsthistorisches Museum
About 1 h 40 min
Austria's largest art museum sits on the Ring under its octagonal dome, and the grand staircase and domed hall are part of the visit. With the time you have, head upstairs to the picture gallery and its room of Bruegel paintings, then to the Kunstkammer of Habsburg treasures.
Walk, 16 min
13:55
Karlskirche
About 35 min
The Baroque church on Karlsplatz is dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo, with a green copper dome between two carved columns modelled on Trajan's Column in Rome. Inside, look up at the frescoes in the dome, then cross the square to the Musikverein.
Walk, 5 min
14:35
Musikverein
About 1 h
This is the home of the Vienna Philharmonic, and its Golden Hall hosts the New Year's Concert. The inside is open mainly on guided tours or with a concert ticket, so check what is on; otherwise it is a short look at Theophil Hansen's facade before you walk into the old town.
Walk, 14 min
15:50
St. Stephen's Cathedral
About 50 min
End the day at the Gothic cathedral in the heart of the old town, with its patterned tiled roof and tall south tower. You can climb the south tower on foot or take the lift up the north tower for the view, then wander the lanes around Stephansplatz.

Day 2

The Belvedere, the Arsenal, Hundertwasser and the Prater

5 stops

09:00
Belvedere
About 2 h 40 min
Prince Eugene of Savoy's summer residence is two Baroque palaces facing each other across a terraced garden. The Upper Belvedere holds the Austrian art collection with Klimt's The Kiss, so start there and walk down through the garden to the Lower Belvedere.
Walk, 19 min
12:00
Heeresgeschichtliches Museum
About 1 h 35 min
The Museum of Military History is in the Arsenal, a walk south of the Belvedere, and its hall of fame with painted ceilings is worth seeing even if armour is not your thing. The piece most people come for is the car in which Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot in Sarajevo in 1914.
Taxi, 6 min
13:45
Hundertwasserhaus
About 45 min
This block of council flats by the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser has uneven floors, bright colours and trees growing out of the balconies. People live here, so you see it from the street; it does not need the whole slot, and the Hundertwasser Village shops opposite fill the rest.
Walk, 16 min
14:50
Prater
About 1 h 5 min
The Prater is a large green park in Leopoldstadt, and its western corner is the Wurstelprater amusement park with the Giant Ferris Wheel, turning since 1897. A ride in one of its wooden cabins gives a slow view over the city before you head on toward the Danube.
Taxi, 4 min
16:00
Donauinsel
About 1 h
The Danube Island is a long, narrow flood-control island where the Viennese cycle, swim and sit by the water in summer. Treat it as an optional end to the day: in warm weather it is a pleasant walk, in the cold months you can skip it and stay in the Prater.

Day 3

The Hofburg, the Albertina, the State Opera and City Hall

5 stops

09:00
Hofburg Palace
About 1 h 40 min
The imperial winter palace spreads over several courtyards in the centre of town. In the time the plan gives you, choose between the Imperial Apartments with the Sisi Museum and the Silver Collection, or the Treasury with the imperial crown; the Spanish Riding School is in the same complex.
Walk, 5 min
10:45
Imperial Crypt
About 20 min
Beneath the Capuchin Church on Neuer Markt, the Habsburgs were buried for centuries, and the crypt holds their metal sarcophagi, from plain coffins to the elaborate double tomb of Maria Theresa and her husband. It is a quick, quiet visit that fits the short slot.
Walk, 2 min
11:10
Albertina
About 1 h 40 min
A short walk across the Hofburg, the Albertina combines Habsburg state rooms with one of the world's great collections of drawings and prints, shown in changing exhibitions, and a permanent collection of modern art from Monet to Picasso. Step out onto its terrace for a view of the Opera.
Walk, 3 min
12:55
Vienna State Opera house
About 1 h
The first great building on the Ring, the State Opera shows its grand staircase, foyers and auditorium on guided tours. Tours depend on the rehearsal schedule, so check before you go, and look at the programme if you want to come back for a performance.
Walk, 21 min
14:20
Vienna City Hall
About 45 min
The Gothic Revival City Hall faces the Burgtheater across the Rathausplatz, where markets and events are often held in front of it. It is a short look from the square and its park, and from here the Ringstrasse leads back past the Parliament toward the Hofburg.

Good to know

Days one and three are mostly on foot; for Schönbrunn and the Arsenal, the U-Bahn and trams are as quick as the taxi in the plan.
Book timed tickets ahead for the Schönbrunn state rooms in spring and summer, when the morning tours fill up.
Several museums close one day a week, so check before you fix which day you do what.
Late spring and early autumn are the easiest seasons; in winter, swap the Danube Island for a coffee house.
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3 days in Vienna: a day-by-day sightseeing plan

Schönbrunn Palace

Kunsthistorisches Museum

Karlskirche

Musikverein

St. Stephen's Cathedral

Belvedere

Heeresgeschichtliches Museum

Hundertwasserhaus

Prater

Donauinsel

Hofburg Palace

Imperial Crypt

Albertina

Vienna State Opera house

Vienna City Hall

Good to know

Make this plan yours