by Hans Peter Schaefer / CC BY-SA 3.0

A. About Vienna

Nickname: The Imperial City

As a city of traditions with a famous musical legacy and a population of more than 1.8 million, Vienna has played a prominent role in world culture.

Reminders of the city's illustrious past are everywhere from the world heritage-listed Historic Centre, the Imperial Palace (Hofburg) itself to the palaces of Belvedere and Schönbrunn.

Vienna is known for its extremely high quality of life, topping several lists of the world's most livable cities.

 

The Good: 

Cosmopolitan Vienna is scoring rather high in almost all categories.

This extraordinary consistency leads to a remarkable high rank in our study.

The Not-So-Good: 

Vienna is rather expensive.

 

B. Best Things to Do in Vienna in 2024 (Detailed List with Photos and Information)

In total, we count an impressive total of 130 sights in Vienna. The following sights contribute to an excellent score of 7.55/10 in this most important category:

# SCHLOSS SCHĂ–NBRUNN 8 4.1 out of 5 stars

This overwhelmingly opulent former summer residence of the Habsburg family in Baroque style was constructed in 1696.

The beautiful vast gardens, as well as forty of the palace's 1441 rooms, are open to the public. Among the highlights of the interior are the private apartments of Franz-Joseph and Empress Elisabeth, the Blue Staircase, the Mirror Room, and the Hall of Ceremonies

Palace World Heritage Site: since 1996

by Simon Matzinger/ CC BY-SA 3.0

# HISTORIC CENTER 7 3.6 out of 5 stars

Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2001 Vienna's historic pedestrianized center (Innere Stadt), in its unity, is considered one of the most beautiful in Europe.

From its central point — the famous St. Stephen's Cathedral — Vienna's most famous streets expand in all directions, including Graben and Kärntner Strasse. The outlines are marked by the famous late-19th-century Ringstrasse lined with grand buildings (including the State Opera House, the City Hall, the Austrian Parliament, or the Hofburg Palace).

Historic Area World Heritage Site: since 2001

by Lumturi1989 / CC BY-SA 3.0

# HOFBURG (Imperial Palace) 7 3.6 out of 5 stars

Today the office of the President of Austria, the immense 13th-century Hofburg palace complex, which until 1918 was inhabited by the imperial Habsburg family, contains numerous sights.

The most interesting from a tourist perspective include the Imperial Apartments (Kaiserappartements) with nineteen authentic equipped rooms as well as the Sisi Museum, the Imperial Silver Collection, and the butterfly house. Furthermore, the baroque Austrian National Library (Nationalbibliothek) with its State Hall (Prunksaal) one of the most beautiful historic libraries in the world.

Palace World Heritage Site: since 2001

by Bwag / CC BY-SA 3.0

# STAATSOPER (State Opera House) 7 3.6 out of 5 stars

Built between 1861 and 1869, this splendid neo-Renaissance opera house is one of the most famous in the world.

Highlights of a 40-minute guided tour include the main staircase, the Schwind Foyer, and the magnificent auditorium. For many decades, the opera house has been the venue of the internationally highly renowned Vienna Opera Ball

Opera House World Heritage Site: since 2001

Things to do in Vienna | Best Cities | No. 12: Vienna | STAATSOPER (State Opera House)

# Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Art History) 7 3.6 out of 5 stars

Considered one of the great art museums of Europe, Vienna’s Museum of Art History houses the outstanding former private collection of the Imperial family in a splendid purpose-built building lavishly decorated with marble, stucco decorations, and gold leaf.

Show top 10 artworks (click here)

Art and Archaeological Museum Gallery Space: 14,000 m2 / 150,000 ft2 | Galleries: ca. 120 | Artworks on Display: ca. 4,800 | Established: 1871-1891 | Visitors [2015]: 1,400,000

# STEPHANSDOM (St. Stephen's Cathedral) 7 3.6 out of 5 stars

This majestic Gothic cathedral marks the very heart of Vienna's historic center.

Climb the 343 steps to the top of the South Tower (or use the elevator to reach the lookout terrace at the North Tower) for wonderful views over the whole city.

Cathedral World Heritage Site: since 2001

Things to do in Vienna | Best Cities | No. 12: Vienna | STEPHANSDOM (St. Stephen's Cathedral)

by Andrew Bossi / CC BY-SA 2.5

# BELVEDERE PALACE and Ă–sterreichische Galerie Belvedere 6 3.1 out of 5 stars

This splendid palace complex with beautiful interior décor houses an outstanding collection of 19th- and 20th-century Austrian paintings.

At the Upper Belvedere Palace marvel at the world's largest collection of Gustav Klimt's paintings including his famous masterpieces "The Kiss" and "Judith and the Head of Holofernes" but also famous works by Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka.

Palace and Museum World Heritage Site since 2001; Gallery Space: 6,360 m2 [68,458 ft2] | Galleries: ca. 60 | Artworks on Display: ca. 600 | Established: 1903 | Visitors [2017]: 1,427,225

Things to do in Vienna | Best Cities | No. 12: Vienna | Belvedere (museum, "The Kiss" by Klimt)

# Stephansplatz (St Stephen's Square) 5.5 2.7 out of 5 stars

This impressive Square in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral marks the center of Vienna's beautiful old town. 

Square

by Gugerell / Public domain

# City Hall and Tower 5.5 2.7 out of 5 stars

The stunning Vienna City Hall is the seat of the provincial and city government. Take an elevator to the top of the 98-meter-high observation tower to enjoy panoramic views over Vienna.

Historic Building and Tower

Things to do in Vienna | Best Cities | No. 12: Vienna | Rathaus (city hall)

by Steve Collis / CC BY-SA 2.0

# Spanische Hofreitschule (Spanish Riding School) 5.5 2.7 out of 5 stars

In this world-famous riding school, visitors can enjoy unique performances by the Lipizzaner horses

Historic Building

by Hiroki Ogawa / CC BY-SA 3.0

Scoring and Icons Legend (Click here for detailed information)

10 = top-10 sight in the world

9 = world-class  

8 = outstanding

7 = excellent 

6 = impressive

5 = interesting

4 = decent

3 = mediocre

2 = bad

1 = abysmal

= World Heritage Site

= Excursion


C. Other Notable Sights and Attractions in Vienna

    • Schönbrunn Zoo 5.5
    • Albertina (museum) 5.5
    • Karlskirche (church) 5.5
    • Natural History Museum (Naturhistorisches Museum) 5.5
    • KunstHausWien (Museum Hundertwasser) 5.5
    • Hundertwasserhaus 5.5
    • Donauturm (Donau Tower) (total 252 m, observation deck 169 m, 1964) 5.5
    • Steinhof Church 5.5
    • Naschmarkt (market) 5.5

D. Best Day Trips and Excursions from Vienna

Bratislava (city, 78 km from Vienna) 6

MELK ABBEY (city and abbey, World Heritage Site since 2000, 85 km from Vienna) 6


E. Top 10 List of the Best Things to Do in Vienna (including close-by excursions)

To sum things up, these are the ten best sights we recommend to you when visiting Vienna for at least three entire days:

SCHLOSS SCHĂ–NBRUNN (castle) 8

HISTORIC CENTRE 7

HOFBURG (Imperial Palace) 7

STAATSOPER (opera house) 7

 Kunsthistorisches Museum 7

STEPHANSDOM (cathedral) 7

BELVEDERE PALACE (palace and museum) 6

Stephansplatz (St Stephen's Square) 5.5

Rathaus (city hall) 5.5

 Spanische Hofreitschule (Spanish Riding School) 5.5