An empire, a coffee house, and the modern mind
An independent guide to Vienna — 27 landmarks, museums, parks, venues and neighborhoods, walked and written up first-hand.
The ones you came for
St Stephen's Cathedral
A tiled roof of a quarter of a million glazed tiles, a tower you climb by 343 steps, and catacombs full of Habsburg organs.
Schönbrunn Palace
Fourteen hundred rooms of Habsburg summer residence, a garden you can walk for free, and the oldest zoo in the world.
The Hofburg
The Habsburgs' winter residence for six centuries, now holding the Sisi Museum, the imperial silver and the crown jewels.
The Belvedere
Two Baroque palaces on a slope, with Klimt's Kiss in the upper one and the best view of Vienna's skyline from between them.
Vienna State Opera
Three hundred performances a year, standing tickets for the price of a coffee, and a building the Emperor's opinion nearly killed its architect over.
Kunsthistorisches Museum
The Habsburg collection: the largest group of Bruegels anywhere, a Vermeer, and a staircase Klimt painted before he broke with the establishment.
Vienna by category
Day-by-day itineraries
Neighborhoods
The essentials
How to get in from all three airports, how the subway and the ferries actually fit together, and the history that explains what you're standing in front of.
From the guide
Eating in Vienna
Schnitzel, Tafelspitz and a sausage stand at midnight, plus the Balkan and Turkish cooking that is now equally Viennese.
Getting Around Vienna
Five U-Bahn lines, trams on the Ring, and a ticket system that works on trust and then checks.
How Much Does Vienna Cost?
More expensive than Budapest or Prague, cheaper than Zurich or Paris, and unusually generous at the top end if you know where to stand.