Things to Do in Vienna: Palaces, Museums, Coffee Houses, Opera
Things to do in Vienna with hours and prices from each operator's own page: Schönbrunn, the Hofburg, Albertina, Belvedere, Stephansdom and more.
The short answer. For a first visit, give a day to the old town (Stephansdom, the Hofburg, the Albertina), a day to the Ringstrasse museums and the Belvedere, and half a day to Schönbrunn. Add a coffee house every day, an evening of music, and a Heuriger if you’re there in the warm months. Don’t try to do it all.
This list is Roam Vienna’s own, picked from its place data and not counted from other guides. Hours and prices come from each place’s own page, read on 12 November 2026. Where a page doesn’t print a year, that’s said here. Everything is on the map, and the events page shows what’s on for your dates. If you’re visiting in Advent, read the Christmas market guide too.
The old town on foot
Stephansdom. It’s the Gothic cathedral with the tiled roof. Its own site prints visiting hours inside of 9 am to 11:30 am and 1 pm to 4:30 pm Monday to Saturday, and 1 pm to 4:30 pm on Sundays and public holidays. The building is open longer, from 6 am to 10 pm (7 am on Sundays). The south tower takes 343 steps, and the page prices an all-inclusive ticket at €29, valid for one year, which covers the south tower, the north tower and the Pummerin bell. The page prints no year.
Hofburg. The former imperial palace holds the Imperial Apartments and the Sisi Museum, which the Hofburg’s site lists as closed for a redesign until 19 November 2026. The Burggarten and the Volksgarten sit beside it and cost nothing to walk through.
Albertina. A museum in a Habsburg palace with a large graphic collection and changing exhibitions. It’s open daily from 10 am to 6 pm, and it doesn’t close until 9 pm on Wednesday and Friday, as its site prints. The page doesn’t print the ticket price, so you’ll need the ticket shop.
Wiener Staatsoper. The opera house on the Ringstrasse lists its performances on its own calendar. The opera’s own page promotes a backstage tour with the set store and rehearsal rooms, booked by time slot. See live music for the concerts at the Staatsoper, the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus.
The Ringstrasse museums and the Belvedere
Kunsthistorisches Museum. The Habsburg art collections, with Old Masters, Egyptian objects and the Kunstkammer. The museum’s page prints €22 online and €24 on site for adults and gives its hours as daily 10 am to 6 pm, until 9 pm on Thursdays. It says that from 8 September 2026 admission is by reserved time slot only, so book first, because you can’t just turn up. The page doesn’t print a year for the prices. The Naturhistorisches Museum faces it across the square.
Upper Belvedere. A Baroque palace with Klimt’s The Kiss and Viennese Modernism. The page prints €23 for an admission ticket (the current day price) and hours of 9 am to 6 pm daily. Tram D runs from the main station to the Belvedere, per vienna.info.
Leopold Museum. A large Egon Schiele collection and art from Vienna around 1900. The operator prints daily except Tuesday, 10 am to 6 pm. It sits in the MuseumsQuartier, next to the mumok.
Karlskirche. The Baroque church with the green dome and two columns, on Karlsplatz. The operator’s pages describe a terrace reached through the organ loft.
Schönbrunn
Schloss Schönbrunn. The Habsburg summer residence has state rooms, a large park and the Gloriette on the hill. The palace is open daily from 8:30 am to 5 pm and the gardens from 6:30 am to 5:30 pm. The palace ticket the page lists is €42 for adults and €30 for children from age 6, for a tour of about 75 minutes with an audio guide, sold online only. The page prints no year. The Tiergarten Schönbrunn is in the grounds, and the U4 stops at Schönbrunn.
Views and rides
Wiener Riesenrad. The Ferris wheel in the Prater has turned since 1897 and rises nearly 65 metres above the rooftops, per its own site. The page prints no hours or prices, so you’ll want its opening times and tickets pages before you go. The Wurstelprater funfair is around it.
Donauturm. A 252 m tower in the Donaupark with a viewing platform at 150 m, a restaurant and a café.
Kahlenberg and Cobenzl. Hills on the northern edge of the city. Cobenzl sits on the edge of the vineyards and has a restaurant and terrace.
Ringstrasse by tram. Trams 1 and 2 run round the Ring past the State Opera, the Hofburg, Parliament and City Hall. The tourist board’s tip is to sit by a window for a free mini city tour. It needs a ticket. Fares are in the travel tips.
Coffee, markets and wine
Coffee houses. Viennese coffee house culture is on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list, and the places to start are in the coffee house guide.
The Naschmarkt. A market along the Linke Wienzeile with produce stalls and restaurants, and a Saturday flea market (see the food guide for hours).
Heuriger. The wine taverns are mostly in the north, in Grinzing, Neustift and Stammersdorf, and the tourist board says they are most inviting in spring, summer and autumn.
When it rains, or when you want to sit down
Haus des Meeres. An aquarium and terrarium zoo in a former Second World War flak tower.
Therme Wien. A large thermal spa in Oberlaa, open from 9 am to 10 pm and not on 24 and 31 December, as the operator prints it.
Hundertwasserhaus. A municipal apartment building with a colourful, irregular facade. You can look at it from the street, and it’s free.
How to fit it together
Day one is the old town, the Innere Stadt, on foot. Day two is the Ringstrasse museums and a coffee house, then the Belvedere. Day three starts at Schönbrunn and ends in the evening with a concert or a Heuriger. For a base near all of this, see where to stay.
If you’re buying a lot of entries, the Vienna City Card bundles transport with discounts. Add up the tickets above for your days first.
Places in this guide
Photos show the actual places, licensed under Creative Commons and credited to their photographers.
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