Weekend in Vienna: Our Itinerary for 3 Days in Vienna

Prepare Well for Your Vienna Weekend

Before we kick off our itinerary for 3 days in Vienna, here are some general tips to help you get ready for your trip.

#1 Our Hotel Tips for 3 Days in Vienna

If you’re only spending a weekend in Vienna, we recommend staying at a hotel in the 1st district, right in the historic old town.

You can walk to many of Vienna’s top attractions and you’re well connected by public transit.

That said, if your hotel isn’t in the 1st district, it’s really not a big deal.

Vienna is not particularly large, and from the surrounding neighborhoods you’re well connected by subway and tram to all the main sights.

These hotels in Vienna’s 1st district are ones we can recommend:
Motel One Wien-Staatsoper: Our personal pick for first-time visitors! Central location, cool design, and surrounded by many of Vienna’s best attractions.

Pension Lerner: A cozy guesthouse in the old quarter, a ten-minute walk from St. Stephen’s Cathedral, with excellent value for money. Breakfast included!

Boutique Hotel Das Tigra: A stylish boutique hotel in the heart of the historic center with a superb breakfast.

Our absolute best-value pick is the Bassena Wien Donaustadt — a design hotel in the 22nd district. You won’t be in the old town, but you’re just 15 minutes by subway to the center at Stephansplatz.

Not finding the right hotel? Read our detailed hotel recommendations for Vienna:

#2 Getting Around Vienna by Public Transit

Public transit tickets

Since you can explore Vienna’s old town well on foot, if you’re only spending a weekend in Vienna you won’t necessarily need a transit pass for all three days.

For individual trips, your best bet is a single-ride ticket for €2.40 (as of 2024), which lets you travel in one direction for as long as you like.

From three rides a day onward, a day pass for €5.80 is worth it.

If you don’t want to think too hard about it, a 24-, 48-, or 72-hour ticket is also an option for your 3 days in Vienna. These tickets only make sense, though, if you’re taking multiple trips by public transit each day.

On the Wiener Linien website and in the app you can buy your transit ticket online, or at the ticket machines at the stops.

Arriving by train

If you’re arriving in Vienna by train, you’ll come in at either the Hauptbahnhof or Westbahnhof and take the subway, streetcar, or bus to your hotel.

From Vienna Airport into the city

Vienna Airport isn’t far from the city center and is well connected by public transit. You have several options for the transfer into the center.

We recommend the ÖBB Railjet, which runs from the airport directly to the Hauptbahnhof in 15 minutes.

The Railjet runs every 30 minutes daily and the ticket costs €4.40 (as of 2024), which is also valid for the inner-city area. So you won’t need an additional ticket to get to your hotel.

#3 Buy Attraction Tickets Online in Advance

On weekends, during school holidays, and on public holidays, Vienna gets busy.

To make sure you can see as much as possible during your 3 days in Vienna, we recommend buying your tickets for some Vienna attractions online in advance.

That way you won’t waste time standing in line, and you’ll save a little money too — some tickets are cheaper online than at the door.

For these highlights on our 3-day Vienna itinerary, you should sort out your tickets in advance:

• Schönbrunn Palace
• Giant Ferris Wheel
• Vienna Hofburg
• Hop-on/Hop-off Bus

#4 Is a Vienna City Pass Worth It?

With a city pass you get discounts on attractions, or admission is even included — and sometimes a public transit ticket is thrown in too.

If you want to keep things simple, we can recommend the Vienna Flexi Pass with 3 attractions for your Vienna weekend.

The pass includes admission to three attractions of your choice — for example the Giant Ferris Wheel, Tiergarten Schönbrunn, or the Hop-on/Hop-off Bus.

The Flexi Pass does not include a public transit ticket. No worries — with our itinerary you don’t necessarily need a transit pass for the entire trip.

If you want to learn more about Vienna city passes, check out our detailed Vienna pass comparison:

3 Days in Vienna: Itinerary Overview

For a quick overview, you’ll find all the stops on our Vienna weekend itinerary marked on a map, organized by day.

Day 1 in Vienna: Arrival and a Stroll Through the Old Town

Your 3-day Vienna itinerary kicks off with your arrival and a relaxed stroll through the old town, taking in many of the city’s top sights along the way.

Day 1 highlights at a glance

• St. Stephen’s Cathedral
• Albertina
• Vienna State Opera
• Karlskirche
• Hofburg
• Volksgarten

Checking in and exploring the old town for the first time

After checking in to your accommodation, you’ll spend the first day exploring Vienna’s historic old quarter on foot.

Start your sightseeing at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, right in the heart of the old town. From Stephansplatz, stroll along the Kärntner Straße pedestrian zone — a lively shopping street lined with well-known brand stores.

Our tip: The Kaufhaus Steffl department store has a restaurant with a small rooftop terrace and a view of St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

Kärntner Straße leads all the way to the Vienna State Opera and ends at Karlsplatz. Your next stop is the Albertina art museum, and along the way you’ll pass the famous Café Sacher.

At Karlsplatz, it’s worth taking a break on one of the benches with a view of the Karlskirche. You can also visit the Karlskirche from the inside — the highlight is the Karlskirche panorama terrace with views over Vienna (tickets only available on-site: €9.50).

From Karlsplatz, continue on foot along the Vienna Ringstraße to the Hofburg.

From the Hofburg, we recommend a detour to the MuseumsQuartier. One of the coolest museums in Vienna is the mumok – Museum of Modern Art. Seriously worth a visit!

Even if you’re not in the mood for a museum, it’s still worth wandering around the MuseumsQuartier for a bit.

From the MuseumsQuartier it’s just another 500 meters to the Volksgarten, where our first sightseeing day in Vienna wraps up.

Our restaurant tips for Day 1 in Vienna:

For dinner, a classic Wiener Schnitzel at Restaurant Figlmüller in the old town is a must.

Figlmüller is famous for its schnitzel. There are two locations close to each other — it doesn’t matter which one you choose. You absolutely need to reserve a table online at both.

If you can’t get a table at Figlmüller, here are two restaurant alternatives we can recommend:

• Restaurant Pürstner: A rustic restaurant in the old town with generous portions, great service, and a delicious Wiener Schnitzel.
• Schöne Perle: Traditional Viennese cuisine at fair prices in the 2nd district, just outside the old town.

Day 2 in Vienna: Schönbrunn Palace and the Prater

On the second day of your Vienna weekend, you’ll head out to Schönbrunn Palace, then swing by the Prater in the afternoon, and finish the evening at the Donaukanal.

Day 2 highlights at a glance

• Schönbrunn Palace
• Prater + Giant Ferris Wheel
• Donaukanal

The morning: Schönbrunn Palace

Start your day as early as possible, because today one of Vienna’s most famous must-sees is on the agenda: Schönbrunn Palace!

Since you’ll be sharing the palace with plenty of other tourists, the earlier you get there the better. Schönbrunn Palace opens its doors at 8:30 AM. You don’t need to be there quite that early, though — some attractions in the palace park don’t open until 9:30 AM (e.g. the Maze, the Orangery). Arriving around 10 AM is perfectly fine.

You could easily spend an entire day at Schönbrunn Palace. Since you only have 3 days in Vienna and time is limited, you can also focus just on the Schönbrunn Palace gardens. The gardens are free to visit.

Take a stroll through the vast park and soak in your first impression of the impressive palace. For the best panorama, walk up to the Gloriette and take a break at the charming little Café Gloriette with its sweeping view over Vienna.

If you want to visit the interior of Schönbrunn Palace, grab your ticket online beforehand: Ticket for Schönbrunn Palace.

How do you get to Schönbrunn Palace?

By public transit, you can travel from the Karlsplatz and Schwedenplatz stations in 20–30 minutes by subway (U4 line) directly to the palace.

Alternative: Hop-on/Hop-off Bus to Schönbrunn Palace

Another great option is the Hop-on/Hop-off Bus in Vienna. It lets you perfectly combine the ride to the palace with sightseeing along the way.

We recommend the Hop-on/Hop-off Bus from Vienna Sightseeing Tours. The yellow line from Vienna Sightseeing, for example, runs from Karlsplatz in the old town to Schönbrunn Palace. On the way back into the city you’ll also pass Belvedere Palace.

In the afternoon you can continue to our next stop, the Prater, on a Hop-on/Hop-off Bus on the blue line from Vienna Sightseeing.

Our tip: Price-wise, it’s a great deal to use a Hop-on/Hop-off city tour in Vienna as one of the attractions in the Vienna Flexi Pass.

The afternoon: Prater

From Schönbrunn Palace, make your way by subway or Hop-on/Hop-off Bus to our next destination: the Giant Ferris Wheel in the Prater.

Admission to the Prater is free — you can buy tickets for the individual rides and attractions on-site.

In the Prater, start with a ride on the legendary Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel. To skip the lines, buy your Giant Ferris Wheel ticket online in advance.

After the ferris wheel, continue through the Prater amusement park, which is actually called the Wurstelprater.

If you still have time, we recommend a stroll through the expansive Prater park — a little oasis right in the middle of the city and perfect for a family vacation in Vienna.

You can also explore the Prater on a ride with the Liliput Railway. The miniature train runs a 20-minute loop through the Prater in open carriages. A round trip costs €6 and tickets are available at the stops on-site.

Our restaurant tip in the Prater: the organic restaurant Luftburg – Kolarik im Prater.

If you want more tips for the Prater in Vienna, check this out:

The evening: Donaukanal

If you still have energy in the evening, take a stroll along the Donaukanal at sunset. This is where you get to experience Vienna’s cool and laid-back side.

Start at Schwedenplatz and walk to Franzensbrücke, then come back on the other side of the Donaukanal.

In nice weather, we recommend the Strandbar Herrmann, with its sandy beach, drinks, and music.

When it’s cooler, you can also head to the Das LOFT rooftop bar in the SO/ Vienna luxury hotel. Great cocktails and seriously some of the best views over Vienna.

Our tip: If your feet are giving up, you can also explore the Donaukanal on a Danube boat tour.

Day 3 in Vienna: Naschmarkt and Alternative Vienna

On the last day of your Vienna 3-day itinerary, the agenda includes the Naschmarkt and exploring a special neighborhood: Vienna’s 7th district.

Day 3 highlights at a glance

• Naschmarkt
• Trendy 7th district

The finale: Naschmarkt and Vienna’s 7th district

After checking out, either leave your luggage at the hotel or in a locker at the Hauptbahnhof (24 hours costs €2–5) and make your way to the Naschmarkt in the 6th district.

At the Naschmarkt you’ll find market stalls with fruits and vegetables, as well as trendy spots like NENI. Just go with the flow and meander leisurely through the market.

From the Naschmarkt, head on to the Haus des Meeres. If you have time, a visit to the marine aquarium is totally worth it. From the 360° Ocean Sky rooftop restaurant on top of the aquarium building, you have a fantastic panoramic view over Vienna.

It’s just a few minutes’ walk from there to Vienna’s 7th district, the hip and alternative neighborhood. The 7th district in Vienna is actually called Neubau — a funny name for a rather alternative neighborhood.

Mariahilfer Straße is a shopping paradise for major fashion brands. Things get noticeably more alternative along Neubaugasse, where you’ll find smaller shops, indie fashion labels, and charming cafés.

An under-the-radar pick in the 7th district is the small Spittelberg neighborhood behind the MuseumsQuartier. Wandering through its narrow alleyways, we feel a little like we’re in Montmartre in Paris.

Our restaurant tip in the 7th district: Amerlingbeisl, with a lovely courtyard in the Spittelberg neighborhood.

Frequently Asked Questions About a Short Trip to Vienna