I love traveling and Vienna has been on my list for a long time. Finally, I got the chance to visit. Despite having only 3 days in Vienna, I am confident I saw all of the highlights. Here is my list of the best things to do in Vienna, Austria.

Walking Tour

Whenever I’m in a new city, I almost always choose to do a walking tour or a food tour (or both!). Sign up for a walking tour through Prime Tours – they have a bunch of tours to choose from. The historical city center is probably the best as an intro tour to Vienna.

You’ll spend at least 3 hours walking around the city and learning bits and pieces of Vienna’s local and global history. The tour provides a good lay of the land before leaving you to choose what else you may want to explore further.

Enjoy a Wurst

As a Wisconsin girl, I grew up on brats. I was so excited when I saw bratwurst stalls scattered on nearly ever corner of Vienna! You can choose brats of various spice levels, brats filled with cheese, brats topped with sauerkraut, and so on. A brat lovers dream.

Meander the Markets

One of the best things to do in Vienna is wandering through the markets. I personally enjoy the Naschmarkt. This is a great spot if you are craving any Asian or Middle Eastern dishes.

Mozart Concert

What do you get when you mix a historical theater + professional orchestra + a couple dozen Mozart-esque wigs? You get the Wiener Mozart Concert, of course! While some may think it is cheesy, I loved it. I’m a sucker for anything in the theater or involving music.

And yes, the music is lovely, but the best part of the concert is the venue. The show takes place at the Musikverein, which you may recognize as the venue for the annual New Year’s Eve concert broadcasted around the globe. How cool to be sitting in here firsthand!

The venue is smaller than you may expect, making for a really enjoyable and intimate evening. You can purchase your tickets here.

The dress code is supposed to be elegant (we’re in Vienna, famous for their bougie balls). Imagine my shock seeing about a quarter of the audience dressed in sweats or athleisure wear. Slightly bizarre for a fancy concert, but whateva! Thankfully, I was so enamored by the concert I quickly forgot.

Embrace Cafe Culture

Vienna is full of cute cafes, pastry shops, and hotels with spacious areas to sip a coffee and mingle.

And listen up, dessert lovers. You can’t leave Vienna without having one slice of Sacher cake. It’s a chocolate cake with an apricot jam. The original is from the Hotel Sacher, but every local seems to have their own favorite spot. In Vienna, you probably can’t go wrong ordering one anywhere!

My other favorite dessert here was the poppyseed cake! I really can’t resist sweets, so Vienna is a bit risky to visit for this reason.

Wade in the Danube

The Danube River is the second-longest river in Europe that flows right through Austria! While visiting a river is likely not the #1 most important thing to do on your trip, if you have extra time and want to get a bit out of the city and into nature, you may enjoy this side trip.

Kunsthistorisches Museum

During your 3 days in Vienna, make sure to visit at least one of the museums. There’s an endless list: Museum of Natural History, the Freud Museum, Furniture Museum, the Sisi Museum, etc etc etc. May I humbly suggest the Kunsthistorisches Museum? That is certainly a mouthful….

Tickets are €21 and well-worth it considering on could easily spend half a day inside.

The floors and rooms cover a variety of themes such as artifacts from Ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece.

Then, you can find rooms and rooms and rooms filled with jewelry, coins, paintings, and more. Art lovers will be thrilled to see the results of Pieter Brueger, Diego Velázquez, and even Caravaggio.

Schönbrunn Palace

Sooo no big deal, but Vienna has an enormous palace in the middle of the city: the Schönbrunn Palace. You can purchase tickets to go inside, but it’s free to enter the grounds and simply meander the gardens.

Plus, there is more to see than just the palace. The grounds are huge. You can also find a zoo, a botanical garden, and the stunning Gloriette.

Walking up to the Gloriette you gain some altitude and are rewarded with an amazing vantage point of Vienna.

Eat and Drink at a Heuriger

Before leaving your 3 days in Vienna is over, you need to go to one of the best heurigers in the city, Wolff Heuriger.

If you’re like me then you’re probably wondering what a heuriger even is. A heuriger is essentially the wine version of a beer hall. Most of them are situated a little outside of the city center but 100% worth it. Not only are the vibes fantastic but the food is top notch.

Ok, I know I just said they are famous for wine, but I couldn’t resist ordering an Austrian beer! In terms of food, you can’t go wrong since it is all traditional, local plates. But…order the schnitzel. Just do it.

Italy and Austria are often competing on schnitzel vs cotoletta. Shh. Don’t tell anyone, the schnitzel here won my vote.

Spanish Riding School

If the season permits, I also recommend a visit to the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see this during my trip – but not by choice! I’d read so much about it and couldn’t wait to go. It turns out that apparently horses are also owed a summer break, so they were on holiday for a few weeks, which happened to be during my Vienna trip. Well, something to do next time!

So, do you think Vienna is ready for you? You’re all set to have an incredible Vienna itinerary – enjoy Austria!

Seeking more European adventures? Check out some of my other posts below:

• How to Spend One Day in Lugano, Switzerland
• My 10+ Best Things to Do in Milan, Italy
• How to Spend 4 Days in Lisbon, Portugal

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