Vienna was the second stop on our 2017 trip after Prague, and it was impressively awesome. Our rental unit and its location weren’t ideal, but the city itself was incredible. For me, Vienna was the highlight of our trip and a city that absolutely deserves a place on your bucket list if you haven’t visited yet.

This place can appeal to a wide variety of travelers with very different interests: city exploration, music, art, imperial history, religion, and architecture. Legendary figures have lived in Vienna—Mozart, Schubert, Strauss, Beethoven, Freud. With its museums, palaces, and historic houses, you will definitely need more than a single day to experience it properly.

Vienna is Austria’s capital. It has the smallest land area of all Austrian states, yet the largest population. It is also just a short distance from several major European centers and shares borders with countries such as Germany, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, to name only a few.

There are a hundred reasons why you should visit Vienna. We used the Vienna Pass which was very practical in optimizing our visits.

Some things to see includes: Wiener Staatsoper (Opera), Osterreichisches (Parliament), Rathaus (City Hall), Volksgarten, Stadtpark, Mozart house/museum, Museum Quartier, Albertina, Karlskirche, Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum), Vienna Naschmarkt (Market), Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art Museum), Applied Art Museum, Schonbrunn Palace and more.

 

Historic City Center of Vienna

A city to visit at least once in your lifetime

I was amazed by this city. There is so much to see. The architecture is stunning. It’s clean, easy to navigate, and well served by public transportation. I simply loved it.

RINGSTRASSE

The Ringstrasse, as its name suggests, is a circular boulevard lined with many of Vienna’s most important historical buildings. Public transportation is extremely easy to use here, and several tram and bus lines run directly along the boulevard.

I’m not entirely sure what came first—the street or the architectural ensemble—but the combination is magnificent. There is something remarkable to see at almost every corner.

Simply walking along this boulevard allows you to discover grand buildings, elegant gardens, and some of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
– Stadpark (Park)
– Museum of Applied Art
– Straatsoper (Opera)
– Maria-Theresa-Platz
– Kunsthistorishes Museum (Art history museum)
– Naturhistorishes Museum (Natural history museum)
– Rathaus (City hall)
– Parliament
– Volksgarten (park)
– Burgtheater
– Neue Burg

Vienna U-Bahn

Perfect way to visit Vienna! No car needed.

This was the only mode of transportation we used in Vienna—simple, convenient, frequent, clean, and always on time.

I wouldn’t recommend exploring Vienna any other way. The tram and metro system is extremely well organized and makes getting around the city effortless.

Vienna Pass

Excellent, if you want to visit many places!

We visited a lot, and even in four days we couldn’t see everything.

I find that having a city pass always encourages us to visit more. The Vienna City Pass gives access to most of the major museums and palaces, which makes it very convenient.

However, I wouldn’t rely on it for transportation. The hop‑on hop‑off buses are nice once for the commentary, but after you’ve done a full loop, you probably won’t use them much. We ended up doing one complete tour and two short rides. You also need to pay attention to their operating hours.

If you need to get somewhere specific, use public transport instead. We missed the boat ride twice—don’t make the same mistake.

We purchased the pass online, but be prepared for long lines when picking it up downtown.

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