3-day City Break in Vienna, the imperial city in central Europe
Is Vienna one of the most beautiful capitals in Europe? We say yes, and if you haven't had the opportunity to visit it yet, I advise you to put Vienna on your list of future trips and I guarantee that you will be impressed by the beauty, elegance and grandeur of this city. The capital of music and waltz, Vienna perfectly combines the grand atmosphere of a great imperial capital with the well-being of a modern, clean city, with a high quality of life and a very well-developed infrastructure.
I invite you to discover in this article the most important information about Vienna: how to get here, how to get around the city and which are the tourist attractions in the Austrian capital that you can visit in a short city-break of 2-3 days.
Content
About Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of Austria, with a population of approximately 2 million inhabitants. Straddling the Danube, Vienna is located in the east of the country, close to the borders with the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
Vienna was one of the most important cultural and political centers of the world, being the imperial capital and residence of the Habsburg family. In addition, Vienna is recognized for its contributions in the field of culture, especially in that of music. It is called the capital of music and waltz, being the home of some of the greatest composers of classical music: Mozart, Beethoven or Johann Strauss.
The official language spoken in Austria is German, and the single currency is the euro, Austria being a member of the European Union.
How to get to Vienna
Viena poate fi vizitata destul de usor cu masina din Romania, in special daca porniti din vestul tarii. Din Timisoara sau Oradea sunt aproximativ 500 de kilometri pana in Viena, parcursi in circa 5 ore, in principal pe autostrada.
Veti fi nevoiti, totusi, sa platiti taxe de drum, atat in Ungaria, cat si in Austria:
- Ungaria – vinieta de 10 zile costa 82 RON, iar aceasta poate fi achizitionata direct din aplicatia TPARK
- Austria – Vinieta poate fi cumparata online de here, iar aceasta costa 9.90 euro / 10 zile
Daca vreti sa alegeti varianta mai comoda, cu avionul, din Romania aveti la dispozitie mai multe zboruri directe:
- Bucuresti: Ryan Air, Austrian Airlines
- Cluj-Napoca: Wizz Air
- Iasi: Austrian Airlines
- Sibiu: Austrian Airlines
Vienna airport is located approximately 20 kilometers from the city center, a distance covered quickly by means of public transport, such as train or bus.
From my point of view, the most accessible and fastest way of transport is with the S7 express train, it leaves every half hour, and stops at different stations in the city, connected in turn with other metro lines. A ticket costs 4.40 euros: 2.4 euros is the ticket inside the urban area of Vienna + 2 euros for the additional distance to the airport. The ticket for children between 6 and 14 years old is 2.2 euros, and children under 6 years old can travel for free.
If you already have a Vienna City Card or a day ticket on Vienna's transport lines, you only have to pay the 2 euro supplement.
How to get around in Vienna
The infrastructure in Vienna is very well developed, especially when it comes to the public transport system: subways, urban trains, trams, buses - all fast, clean and well managed, without delays and with very good connections. You have no reason to choose your personal car to move around Vienna at the expense of public transport.
A simple ticket, valid on any transport line, costs 2.4 euros. But, if you haven't already purchased a City Pass with transportation included, I recommend you to buy a day ticket, with which you can travel on any line in Vienna:
- 24 hours: 8 euros
- 48 hours: 14.10 euros
- 72 hours: 17.10 euros
- 1 week: 17.10 euros
Note: for the airport you need to pay a supplement of 2 euros / trip. Moreover, these day tickets are valid only in Vienna, for the towns on the outskirts you need other type of tickets.
You can buy tickets from the vending machines in the stations or directly from the application WienMobil.
Tip: In Vienna, the so-called Park+Rideparking lots are very common. There are parking lots located on the outskirts of the city, near the metro stations where the urban area of Vienna begins. You can leave your car here for a long time, and then use the metro to move around the city. Here, parking prices start from 4 euros/day, while in the center parking prices are quite high (from 2 euros/hour). Moreover, these Park&Rides are specially built to encourage people to leave their cars outside the city.
Viena – city pass-uri
In Vienna, you have several types of city passes available, which can be a bit dilemmatic when choosing one of them: Vienna City Card, Vienna Pass, Vienna Flexi Pass or Easy City Pass? Some have transport included (Vienna City Card, Easy City Pass), some have entrances included to various tourist attractions (ex: Vienna Pass) and are more expensive, others only offer discounts, but are cheaper. It depends on each of you which option to opt for and which would suit you better, depending on what you want to do or visit in the city.
- Public transport included
- Discounts on tourist attractions
- Prices:
- 24 hours: 17 euros
- 48 hours: 25 euros
- 72 hours: 29 euros
- No transport
- Free entrances to over 70 tourist attractions + Skip the line
- Hop-on hop-off Bus included
- Prices:
- 1 Day Vienna Pass: 87 euro
- 2 Day Vienna Pass: 123 euro
- 3 Day Vienna Pass: 153 euro
- 6 Day Vienna Pass: 189 euro
- No transport
- Access to 2, 3, 4 or 5 tourist attractions + Skip the line, valid for 60 days
- Prices:
- Flexi Pass – 2 tourist attractions: 47 euros
- Flexi Pass – 3 tourist attractions: 63 euros
- Flexi Pass – 4 tourist attractions: 75 euros
- Flexi Pass – 5 tourist attractions: 89 euros
- Public transport included
- Discounts on tourist attractions
- Prices:
- 24 hours: 15.9 euros
- 48 hours: 21.9 euros
- 72 hours: 26.9 euro
- 1 week: 30.9 euros
What to do for 3 days in Vienna?
Whether you already have a plan with what you want to visit in Vienna, or maybe you are still looking for information about this city, I hope that our itinerary from the capital of Austria inspires you. I will detail what we visited during the three days spent here, and at the end I will also mention other tourist attractions, which we missed this time, due to the short time.
Day 1
The first day was the day we arrived in Vienna. We stayed at this hotel on the outskirts of Vienna, where, for 115 euros/night, we had breakfast included and free parking at the hotel: Hotel an der Wien.
We spent the afternoon walking through the historic center of the city, admiring the elegant streets of old Vienna, with its majestic buildings and elegant horse-drawn carriages.
Stephansplatz
Stephansplatz, or Stephen Square, is the heart of Vienna, the most famous and important square in Vienna. The name comes from St. Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom) which is located in the middle of this square.
It is the liveliest square in Vienna, full of tourists, shops, cafes and restaurants and is the starting point for any visitor in the austriac capital. It is easy to get here, being very accessible by metro from any point of the city.
Stephansdom
Stephansdom, or St. Stephen's Cathedral, is one of the symbols of Vienna, the main religious building of the city. The construction of the church began in the 12th century in the Romanesque style, being dedicated to Saint Stefan. The church was later rebuilt and expanded, today having a Gothic architectural style.
The cathedral can be visited for free inside. There is also the possibility to climb the southern and northern towers of the church, and a ticket costs 25 euros: Vienna: St. Stephen’s Cathedral & Dom Museum Wien Tickets.
Hotel Sacher
If you come to Austria, you must try Sacher Torte! It is one of the most famous Austrian desserts, a chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam.
Sachertorte was "invented" in Vienna, in 1832, by Franz Sacher, for the prince of Austria at that time. It is said that the cake prepared with the original recipe can be found today at Hotel Sacher, in the center of Vienna. It is a very sought-after place by tourists to taste the original Sacher Torte, moreover, in front of the hotel you will always find a long queue of people waiting to serve the famous Austrian cake.
Day 2
Free Walking Tour
It is already a tradition, in any city with a rich historical past we choose to join such a guided tour. Information received from local guides regarding the history or culture of a city or country is precious to us. This time, the guide gave us details about Vienna's past, about the imperial family that ruled this country and about Austria's contribution to music and led us to the main points of interest in the center of Vienna, which I will write about next.
The center of Vienna
Ringstrasse
Ringis the name given to the boulevard that surrounds the entire historic center of Vienna. The Ringstrasse is a street surrounded by tall trees, with a length of approximately 6 km, along which you will meet numerous monumental buildings built in the 19th century.
I recommend you to take a walk on this street, at least between the Karlskirche and the town hall. I assure you that you will be pleasantly impressed by the architecture, elegance and beauty of this part of Vienna.
The ring can also be traveled with trams 1 and 2. For the price of a simple ticket, or included directly in the transport pass, you have a trip with a tram that can be considered touristic. There is, of course, also an official tourist tram Vienna Ring Tram, with audio guide included, but the price is higher, 10 euros / ticket. That's why we recommend local trams.
Rathaus – City Hall
Located on the Ring, the Vienna City Hall building is emblematic in this city. Built in the neo-Gothic style in the 19th century, the town hall is the tallest building in the city center, with its 98-meter tower.
Parliament House
Another symbolic building, also located on the Ringstrasse, is the Parliament House. Imposing and grandiose, the Parliament building combines a series of ancient Greek elements designed to highlight the beauty and importance of this place, such as the columns or the statue of Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
The Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera or Wien Staatsoper, is one of the most important opera houses in the world. The building currently hosts numerous large-scale ballet and opera performances.
If you like music, don't miss such a show in Vienna. You can find information here, where you can also buy tickets online. The price of a ticket can start from a few tens of euros.
MuseumsQuartier, Museum of Art History, Albertina
Also near the Ring you will find some of the most important museums in Vienna.
The Museum of Art History, Albertina or the museums inside the Museums Quarter, such as the Leopold Museum, can be attractive for any history and culture enthusiast.
Hofburg Imperial Palace
The Hofburg Palace is one of the most important and grandiose buildings in Vienna. Built in the 13th century, the Hofburg is the former imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty. It was also the winter residence of the imperial family, Schonbrunn Palace being the summer residence.
Today the palace is one of the attraction points in the capital of Austria: it houses various interesting museums, the National Library and the office of the country's president.
Sisi Museum
If you want to learn more about the famous empress Sisi and the imperial family of Austria, then I recommend you not to miss the Sisi Museum, with a visit to the imperial apartments at the Hofburg. An entrance ticket to the Sisi Museum and the Imperial Apartments costs 17.5 euros / adults and 11 euros / children over 6 years old.
Spanish Riding School
The Spanish Riding School is an institution dedicated to the preservation of classical horse training. It has become a tourist attraction, visitors can participate in horse training, in a classical music show. A ticket costs 25 euros, and you also have access to the Imperial Treasure museum in Vienna.
Schmetterlinghaus (Butterfly Museum)
A lovely museum in the courtyard of the Hofburg Palace is the Butterfly Museum, a place where you can find an impressive collection of butterflies, in a rather exotic setting. We also visited the Schmetterlinghaus, although personally the price of 9 euros seemed a bit high for the size of this museum.
Ankeruhr
An interesting place discovered thanks to the guided tour was the AnkerUhr clock in the historic center, an ingenious mechanical clock, built in 1914.
Every day, at 12 o'clock, a number of 12 figurines, one for each hour, slowly rotate around the clock on a musical background. The figurines represent outstanding personalities from the history of Vienna, such as the first Habsburg ruler or Emperor Maximilian I.
During the rest of the day, at the fixed time, only the figure that corresponds to that hour rotates around the clock.
Mariahilferstrasse
After exploring the center, we walked a little along the main shopping street in Vienna. Mariahilferstrasse is the place to go if you want a shopping session. Here you will find a street full of well-known shops, and the prices are suitable for any pocket.
Hundertwasserhaus
Hundertwasserhaus, or the Hundertwasser house, is a block of flats in Vienna that fascinates and captivates the attention of passers-by with its atypical and very colorful exterior. It is a tourist attraction of Vienna, many tourists choose to visit this building due to its cheerful and special appearance.
Prater amusement park
We spent the evening in Vienna's amusement park, Prater. The park is very nice, with a lot of attractions suitable for all ages: roller coasters, carousels or all kinds of rides, which make this amusement park a place where you could spend many hours.
Entrance to the park is free, and a ticket to any activity here costs a few euros.
The most famous attraction in the park is the Riesenrad, a 64-meter high wheel, built in 1897. The wheel is a symbol of Vienna and a must-see tourist attraction. A ride with the ferris wheel costs 13.5 euros/adult and 6.5 euros/child.
Day 3
Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace, or Schloss Schonbrunn, is the former imperial summer residence of the Habsburgs. It is one of the most important monuments in Vienna and in Austria, being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The palace conquers with its majesty and grandeur, with the gorgeous gardens in the palace courtyard, with the elegance and refinement that this place conveys to you.
Here you can visit the interior and courtyard of the palace, the Zoo, the Gloriette, the Palm Garden, the Orangery or the labyrinth.
There are several types of tickets to Schonbrunn, to visit the interior of the palace or other points of interest within the premises.
The good news is that the palace gardens can be visited for free!
| Ticket | What you visit | Adults | Children (6-18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRAND TOUR | Schönbrunn Palace – all rooms | 29 | 21 |
| CLASSIC PASS PLUS | Grand Tour - Schönbrunn Palace, Gloriette, Orangerie, Labyrinth | 34 (Viena City Card: 32) | 27 |
| CLASSIC PASS PLUS | Grand Tour - Schönbrunn Palace, Zoo, Gloriette, Palm House, Orangerie, Labyrinth | 69 (Viena City Card: 59) | 49 |
| ORANGERY GARDEN | Orangerie | 5 (Viena City Card: 4) | 5 |
| GLORIETTE | Gloriette | 5 (Viena City Card: 4) | 5 |
| MAZE | Labyrinth | 5 (Viena City Card: 4) | 5 |
I recommend that you buy your ticket online in advance to visit the Schonbrunn Palace!
Schonbrunn Palace Gardens
The courtyard of Schonbrunn Palace, with its gardens, fountains and statues, is wonderful! It is a real pleasure to walk through this green oasis in the middle of Vienna, it is very nicely decorated and arranged with great taste and attention to details. Even if you don't want or haven't found tickets to visit the insides of the palace, the gardens can always be visited for free. It is an unmissable place in Vienna!
Schonbrunn Zoo
Founded in the 18th century, Schonbrunn Zoo is the oldest zoo in the world still functional. With a lot of wild animals, from penguins to lions, from elephants and giraffes to orangutans and pandas or polar bears, this zoo delights its visitors with a space dedicated to animals as imperial as the location that hosts it.
The Zoo can be visited without having to pay a ticket for the palace or the rest of the attractions in the Schonbrunn courtyard. The price for a ticket is 26 euros / adult, respectively 15 euros / child.
Palm House
Another place we visited here was the Palm House. A ticket costs 8 euros, and you have the opportunity to admire different exotic trees grown in the greenhouse in the palace courtyard. Just like at the butterfly museum, the price seemed a bit high for what and how much we visited. But both locations are popular in social media, being considered very instagrammable places.
Belvedere Palace
After the Schonbrunn Palace, another grandiose palace in Vienna is the Belvedere Palace, built in the 18th century. The domain has two buildings, Upper Belvedere and Lower Belvedere, joined by a gorgeous garden.
The garden, just like at Schonbrunn, can be visited for free, and for the palaces you need entrance tickets:
- Upper Belvedere: 16.7 euro/adult
- Lower Belvedere: 14.6 euro/adult
Donauinsel
We spent the evening in a place that we liked very much, namely Donauinsel. Donauinsel is a small island on the Danube river, near which there is a beautifully landscaped waterfront, with many open-air restaurants. The atmosphere here is very pleasant: on one hand, you have all the nature at your disposal, it is an area on the banks of the Danube surrounded by extensive parks, on the other hand, the promenade gives you the feeling of an energetic and fun place.
Donauturm
Near the Danube is the Donauturm, or Danube Tower, the highest tower in Vienna and Austria, with a height of 252 meters. The tower can be visited, and from the top you can admire the enchanting view of Vienna. I can say that the image of Vienna at sunset was the highlight of our trip!
The entrance ticket costs 18 euros/adult, 10.8 euros/child.
Other activities in Vienna
Above I wrote about the attractions that we managed to visit during the 3 days spent in Vienna, but the capital of Austria offers many more attractions that deserve the attention of tourists. If you have more time, you can put one of the activities below on the list: visiting an interesting museum, attending a classical music concert, a day trip to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, or perhaps to Pandorf, for shopping.
Discover the city of music
Go to a classical music concert
Vienna is considered one of the capitals of music, and if you are a lover of classical music, then here is the perfect place for yout to attend a concert, opera or ball!
You can find information about the performances at the Vienna State Opera here, where you can also buy tickets online. The price of a ticket can start from a few tens of euros. Or, if you want to attend a ball, you should know that the tickets start from a few hundred euros.
You can attend a Mozart concert in the Golden Hall at the Musikverein, and you can find tickets here: Vienna: Mozart Concert at the Golden Hall. The price of a concert ticket is 59 euros/adult, 29.5 euros/child.
Other places where visitors have the opportunity to attend a classical music concert are: Schonbrunn Orangery, Mozarthaus, Karslkirsche, Palais Auersperg or Kursalon.
Mozarthaus
The Mozarthaus is the only apartment of Mozart in Vienna that has been preserved and turned into a museum. Visitors can discover the place where Mozart composed some of his most famous works. An entrance ticket costs 10 euros / adult, 4.5 euros / child.
Haus der Musik
Haus der Musik is also recommended for music lovers. It is an interactive museum where visitors can play and have fun through music. An entrance ticket costs 16 euros/adult, 10 euros/youth, 6 euros/child.
Visit the museums in Vienna
If you have time, and if you are passionate about history and art, then consider visiting at least one of Vienna's many interesting museums:
- Kunsthistorisches Museum (The Museum of Art History)
- Albertina
- Leopold Museum
- Museum of Natural History
- Museum of Modern Art (MUMOK)
- Sigmund Freud Museum
- Museum of Technology
Take a day trip to Bratislava
If you stay several days in Vienna, a good idea would be to set aside a day for a trip to the capital of Slovakia. Bratislava is not a large city, but it is charming, and a few hours will be enough for you to discover the entire center of the capital.
From Vienna to Bratislava it takes only one hour on the highway, the distance being 80 kilometers. Don't forget the vignette for Slovakia, which you can buy here: https://eznamka.sk/en (12 euros for 10 days).
If you don't have a car, you have a direct train that covers the distance between the two capitals in one hour.
Where to stay in Vienna
Vienna is not exactly a cheap destination in terms of accommodation. You can choose hotels in the center of Vienna, with prices starting from 120 euros.
If you want to save on accommodation, then I recommend looking for places on the outskirts of the city, and from there you can take the metro. The prices are better, and the time for reaching the center is short.
Or you can look for accommodation in one of the villages near Vienna. They are very well connected to the city by express trains (S-Bahn) that run frequently and reach the center quickly.
If you arrive in Vienna by car, my advice is to look for accommodation with parking included. Parking is expensive in the city, so you have to pay attention to this aspect as well - where will you leave your car during your holiday?
We also went to Vienna by car, and that's why we looked for a hotel that would give us parking throughout our stay. We chose this hotel: Hotel an der Wien, for which we paid 115 euros/night in August, with breakfast and parking included. It is located on the outskirts of the city, directly next to the first metro station of the U6 line. We liked it here, it was perfect for us, as long as we didn't have any stress with the car during our entire vacation.
Where to eat in Vienna
Viennese schnitzel, apple strudel, sausage or goulash are all Austrian specialties. If you want to eat typical Austrian food, I recommend not to miss one of the specific restaurants that serve traditional food. One such place where we ate and we liked it was Brawerei Salm Brau.
In addition to these well-known dishes, Austrians also serves some delicious desserts, such as Sachertorte, the famous Austrian chocolate cake, or Kaiserschmarrn, a kind of dessert made from pieces of pancakes and fruit jams.
Food prices are not among the lowest, a main course at a restaurant costs, on average, 20 euros.
Where to go shopping in Vienna
If you want a shopping session, you should know that Mariahilferstrasse is the main shopping street in Vienna. You can find many shops here, and the prices are for all budgets. You will find the luxury shops in the historical center of the city, near the Stephansdom cathedral.
Besides these, you can choose to go to a shopping center on the outskirts of the city, such as Shopping City Sud or Shopping Center Nord.
Only 40 minutes by car from Vienna is Pandorf, an outlet shopping center located on the border with Hungary. Here you can find both luxury stores and more accessible stores, and the prices can be better than what you would find in any other shopping center. Some stores you can find at Pandorf are Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Nike, Hugo Boss, Michael Kors, etc.
How much did the trip to Vienna cost us?
- Car transport
- Hungary vignette 82 RON
- Austria vignette 10 euros
- Benzina Cluj-Napoca – Austria 520 RON (1300 km parcursi x consum 5l/100km x 8 RON/l)
- => 652 RON/masina (326 RON/persoana)
- Accommodation 3 nights at Hotel an der Wien: 350 euros (175 euros / person), with breakfast and parking included
- Transport in the city: ticket for 3 days 17.10 euros/person
- Entries:
- Schonbrun Zoo: 26 euros / person
- Palm House Schonbrunn: 8 euros / person
- Butterfly Museum: 9 euros / person
- Donauturm: 18 euros / person
- Walking Tour: 10 euros / person
The 3-day city break in Vienna, without meals or other purchases, cost us approximately 310 euros / person.
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