By air
Vienna International (VIE), ~18 km
Europe · Austria
Vienna, Austria
Palaces, coffee houses and music
Getting there
Best time to visit
April to June and September to October; December for the markets
Don't miss
Schönbrunn Palace
St Stephen's Cathedral
The Belvedere
The Hofburg
Things to do
Schönbrunn Palace
A concert or the opera
The Belvedere's Klimts
Coffee-house culture
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 de
What to pack
Something smart for concerts
A quieter corner
The Prater's giant Ferris wheel at dusk
Questions travellers ask
What should I wear to a concert in Vienna?
Pack something smart for concerts or the opera.
Which months suit a trip to Vienna?
April to June and September to October, plus December for the markets.
What are Vienna's unmissable sights?
Schönbrunn Palace, St Stephen's Cathedral, the Belvedere and its Klimts, and the Hofburg. At dusk, ride the Prater's giant Ferris wheel.
What's on the menu in Vienna?
Sachertorte and Wiener schnitzel, plus a browse of the Naschmarkt. Leave time for coffee-house culture.
About Vienna
- Riverside
Where it is
Vienna is the capital of Austria and one of its nine federal states, on the Danube in the east of the country, where the last foothills of the Alps, the Vienna Woods, meet the Vienna Basin.
History
Vienna grew from a Celtic settlement and the Roman frontier fort of Vindobona on the Danube. It became the residence of the Babenberg dukes in the 12th century and later the Habsburg capital, withstanding Ottoman sieges in 1529 and 1683 as it grew into the heart of an empire spanning much of central Europe. Around 1900 it was a great centre of music, art and new ideas, and after the empire fell in 1918 it became the capital of the Republic of Austria.
People
The Viennese speak German, often with the city's own dialect, and the city is home to people from across central and eastern Europe and beyond. Coffee-house culture, the winter ball season and the Heurigen, taverns serving wine from Vienna's own vineyards, are part of everyday life.
Known for
- Schönbrunn Palace and the Hofburg
- St Stephen's Cathedral
- The State Opera and the Vienna Philharmonic
- Coffee houses, Sachertorte and Wiener Schnitzel
- Klimt's paintings at the Belvedere
Did you know?
The zoo in the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace, founded by the Habsburgs in the 18th century, is the oldest zoo in the world still in operation.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.