Top things to do in Vienna

1. Visiting the heart of the city

A walk through the center of the capital of Austria is one of the main activities to enjoy a Vienna. You can start your walk from St. Stephen's Cathedral, located in the heart of the city and its main religious symbol. Look up to see its colorful roof. Once there, take Kärntner Strasse, one of the most important streets in the city, to the Wiener Staatsoper. If you have not entertained yourself in the hustle and bustle of the stores on this street, you will have time to contemplate this place, the center of Viennese musical life and one of the poles of attraction of the musical world.

2. Vienna Opera House

Visiting the Vienna Opera House is something that you must do when visiting Vienna. If you want to enjoy a spectacle in this historic place, tickets are available on its official website.

3. Get to know the history of the Austrian capital

Before the show begins, you will still have time to visit the Palace of Hofburg, just 6 minutes away from Josefsplatz. It was the residence of the Habsburg family for more than six centuries and it is now a museum. 

Another thing to do in Vienna is visiting the monumental Ringstrasse Street, which in a small space. It is a circular avenue where many spectacular buildings are, such as the city hall, the Museum of Art History, the Museum of Natural History, the Austrian Parliament and the Burgtheater (Imperial Court Theater).

4. Contemporary architecture

If you start from the great Ringstrasse Avenue, the tramway will get you to a more contemporary place in the city in 10 minutes. At the Hetzgasse stop you may find apartment blocks called Hundertwasserhaus, with a unique architecture, full of color and fantasy and shapes that seem out of a fairy tale.

5. The Prater amusement park and its surroundings

Before leaving Vienna you must visit the Prater: an amusement park for many, and for others, the most emblematic green space in the city. Although the Vienna Prater's season runs from March to October, the world-famous giant Ferris wheel and other attractions are open all year round, making it an excellent choice if the weather is good and you have already toured the city's monumental route. 

The big Ferris wheel is, in fact, one of the most visited tourist attractions of the Danube metropolis. It was built between 1896 and 1897 by the English engineer Walter Basset, and it was unique in its time. 

And, after all this fun, at the same park you can enjoy a typical meal in the traditional guesthouse called Eisvogel, where there is no shortage of the classic Viennese Schnitzel, an XL cutlet with potatoes, nor of the typical desserts, such as Sacher cake and Apfelstrudel. 

And, after this culinary break, it is interesting to visit Madame Tussauds museum, also inside the Prater, where you can see wax sculptures of celebrities from around the world such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Empress Sissi, Gustav Klimt, Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman.

6. Natural Vienna

The city holds seven titles as the city with the highest quality of life (Mercer Study) and its commitment to the care of the parks is one of the keys to having achieved this rating. 

Do you like going running or walking or just going out for a stroll to enjoy nature? Well, while you’re out doing any of these activities, you’ll come across the 400 types of roses that bloom in springtime in the Volksgarten Park. Around the Prater you’ll also find the Wienerwald and the Lobau. 

While it’s known as a musical city, it’s also very sporty. If you happen to visit in April, you’ll be surprised to find that you can listen to classical music along the route of the popular Vienna City Marathon. You’ll love it!

7. Shopping in Vienna

The most popular and lively shopping areas in Vienna are Mariahilfer Strasse, a couple of its cross streets in districts VI and VII, and the area around the Naschmarkt. Here, an antique marketplace with 400 stalls is set up every Saturday from 6:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Along with high value pieces, you can also find many other interesting items if you feel like looking around. 

If you’re interested in items that are 100% Viennese, a perfect thing to do in Vienna is to go to the local studio where they craft fine lamps or silver dinnerware and flatware such as Lobmeyr, Woka Lamps Vienna or Wiener Silber Manufactur.

8. Concert cafés: beyond the great opera houses

Are you a music lover with a sweet tooth? Well, you're in luck, because Vienna's opera schedules are complemented by a wide range of cultural offerings in the cafés and concert halls, a unique activity that is a great choice for what to do in Vienna.

Although waltzes are king, you can also listen to jazz tunes or classical Viennese songs. On the Ringstrasse, for example, Café Schwarzenberg is one of the oldest cafés in Vienna. Opposite it, the Imperial is remembered for having clients such as Sigmund Freud and Anton Bruckner. In an elegant atmosphere, you can enjoy an imperial cake (a cake with almonds, marzipan and cocoa), buy a souvenir or enjoy music from a Bösendorfer grand piano. 

In the Café-Restaurant Residenz you can listen to music in the upper room or enjoy a homemade Apfelstrudel (apple pie) in the basement bakery.

The Schmid Hansl concert hall-café is the house of reference for Viennese song, because there you can also listen to jazz, operettas, folk and wind music, whether national or international, classical or modern.

9. Evening entertainment: Vienna's nightlife at its best

But Vienna also has plenty of music clubs. We recommend a visit to the Gürtel Avenue if nightlife is one of the things you want to do in Vienna: this area has become the center of the Viennese nightlife in recent years. Popular venues include Flex, Fluc, Rhiz, Grelle Forelle or Pratersauna.

10. The delicious gastronomy of Vienna

Viennese cuisine features many traditional meals that you should not miss. Exploring the gastronomy is one of the top activities. The first is Schnitzel. At Rote Bar, a perfect restaurant for a formal meal and a few steps from the Ringstrasse, you can taste one of the best in the city. Also sophisticated, but a bit more avant-garde, is Loca, next to Stadtpark.

If you are looking for a quick lunch, go to Buxbaum Restaurant or Vinothek W-Einkehr, a wine bar where you can taste cheese portions along with a good wine list. 

Get into the Café Sacher and try the famous cake by the same name. And if you want to return from Vienna with the most typical, take the famous Mozart chocolates or Mozartkugel. These chocolate and pistachio marzipan sweets were created by the confectioner Paul Fürst in 1890. Like everything else in the capital of the Danube, the gastronomy is steeped in history. 

Let yourself be carried away by the cultural, leisure and gastronomic curiosities that Europe's most musical city has to offer: there are so many things to do in Vienna and so little time to waste!