48 Hours in Vienna

Last Updated:

6/5/2023

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Vienna beckons Billy Joel fans and European travelers alike. Pour moi, I have been planning my weekend in Vienna since I moved to Paris. The typical day trips from Paris include Amsterdam, Brussels, Marseille, etc. but save Vienna for a long weekend. Here is a 48-hour itinerary for the city that waits for you…

Accommodation

Top: The Hofburg by Pixabay / Inside Café Central by @seplb
Above: Hotel Marc Aurel

Look for a hotel in Innere Statd, it will be the most convenient and picturesque for seeing the sights and accessing public transportation (which is for the most part, free!). Hotel Marc Aurel was a fantastic accommodation right in the city center and within walking distance from all of my destinations. If you’re looking for something luxurious, try Imperial Residence, or the Arthotel ANA Amadeus.

Transport

Catch an early morning flight to Vienna and take the CAT train directly into the city to drop off your bags before you head to start your walking tour.

Day 1

The Hofburg Palace by Sandro Gonzalez / Herbarium Officinale by Lyla Bhalla-Ladd

Grab a quick coffee to start from one of Vienna’s many alternative cafes. Herbarium Officinale has the best vegan products, including a coffee bar with local matcha and chaga lattes.

Head off to The Ring, the main roads that surround the city, all lined with its most famous monuments and must-see attractions. Start with St Stephens Cathedral and be sure to walk inside to see the “Stairway to Heaven”. Then walk down Herengasse for the scenic route to the Vloksgarden and the Hofburg.

Café Central by @natalie_wien / Gustav Klimt’s “Life and Death” in the Leopold Museum by @artsgrelles

Grab Lunch at Café Central, Freud and Trotsky’s old meeting place. Be sure to order a local specialty, the Viennese style soup, and plenty of their famous pastries.

Wrap up that day with a museum tour of the Imperial Apartments and a traditional Austrian schnitzel for dinner.

The Imperial Apartments by Severin Wurnig / The Vienna State Opera by Anton Uniqueton

For nightlife, Innere Statd holds a range of bars and pubs from sophisticated 1930s-themed speakeasies to classic Austrian breweries. My favorites were Kleinod, Loos American Bar, and Josef Cocktailbar.

Day 2

The Leopold Museum by @vienna_story / The Freud Museum by @sigmundfreudmuseum

For day 2, take the 1 tram along the edge of the city in between museum visits for a scenic commute. The must-see museums of Vienna are the Freud Museum, the Leopold Museum, and the Jewish Museum. Try and fit two of the three in while you are there. The Jewish Museum especially has been recognized for its incredible curation of objects and stories that encompass the Jewish-Austrian enclave and its history.

Grab lunch at ULRICH (or its sister café, ERICH around the corner) next to the Sankt Ulrich Pestsäule but be sure to make a reservation to avoid the line. While you are in the area, go shopping in Neubau, and do not miss the Burggasse 24 Vintage Shop for some of the best consignment shopping in the city.

Vienna Gardens by @johannes268 / ULRICH by @in.wien.mit.wien

Grab a quick dinner at Mozart café so you can make it to the Opera on time! Tonight, get dolled up to take in Vienna’s State Opera House. Vienna is known for its orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna Mozart Orchestra. Book tickets well in advance to see these renowned performances- even in the higher seats.

Wrap up this fantastic weekend with some gelato in Hoher Market, and maybe grab a quick bite at the many bratwurst stands if you’re feeling peckish after the show.

With any extra time you have, visit the Belvedere Palace to see the beautiful baroque architecture Vienna is known for.

Addresses:

Hotel Marc Aurel: Marc-Aurel-Straße 8, 1010 Wien, Austria

Imperial Residence: Neuer Markt 8, 01. Innere Stadt, 1010 Vienna, Austria

Arthotel ANA Amadeus: Wildpretmarkt 5, 01. Innere Stadt, 1010 Vienna, Austria

Herbarium Officinale: Hoher Markt 5, Ecke Tuchlauben 1010 Wien

St. Stephen’s Cathedral: Stephansplatz 3, 1010 Wien, Austria

The Hofburg: 1010 Vienna, Austria

Café Central: Herrengasse 14, 1010 Wien, Austria

Imperial Apartments: Michaelerplatz, 1010 Wien, Austria

Kleinod: Top 48-50, Singerstraße 7, 1010 Wien, Austria

Loo’s American Bar: Kärntner Durchgang 10, 1010 Wien, Austria

Josef Cocktailbar: Sterngasse 1, 1010 Wien, Austria

Freud Museum: Berggasse 19, 1090 Wien, Austria

Leopold Museum: Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Wien, Austria

Jewish Museum: Dorotheergasse 11, 1010 Wien, Austria

ULRICH: Sankt-Ulrichs-Platz 1, 1070 Wien, Austria

ERICH: Neustiftgasse 27, 1070 Wien, Austria

Burggasse 24 Vintage Shop: Burggasse 24/8, 1070 Wien, Austria

Mozart Café: Albertinapl. 2, 1010 Wien, Austria

Vienna State Opera: Opernring 2, 1010 Wien, Austria

Top: Rooftop brunch at the Steigenberg Hotel / Vienna at night by @arno_2885

WRITTEN BY

Lyla Bhalla-Ladd

Originally from Washington, DC, Lyla is studying Journalism at the University of Southern California. She has just recently finished her year abroad in Paris where she spent her time running around the city tracking Paris Fashion Week runways and discovering up-and-coming ateliers. She loves Paris, and all things historical and classic. Now living in LA, she spends her free time scouting all that California has to offer in fashion and writing.