Last Updated on 26/04/2024 by kami
Vienna was the first city in Europe I fell in love with. I went there for a school trip back when I was 16 and even if we spent only one day in Vienna I knew I will be returning there.
And I did, there were always some good reasons to visit Vienna!
Over the years I went to the capital of Austria so many times I’ve lost the count. At some point I even knew the city so much better than Warsaw!
In many cases I’ve spent one day in Vienna only, taking a night train there and back, so by now I’ve mastered the skill how to have the most of the little time you might have there!
My recent trip was also rather short so again I’ve squeezed all the best things to see in Vienna in just one day. I know the city deserves so much more, there were trips when I’ve spent a week or so there (including Vienna in winter) and still haven’t seen everything.
But if you’re short on time and have only one day in Vienna this little guide might help you to plan your whereabouts!
Planning a trip to Vienna?
Here are the highly-rated hotels, tours, and services recommended for your trip:
Accomodation:
- Hotel Indigo Vienna – Naschmarkt (9.2/10)
- ARTIST Boutique Hotel (9.1/10)
- Jaz in the City Vienna (9.0/10)
Tours and activities:
- Vienna City Center Small-Group Walking Tour
- Vienna Classical Concert at St. Peter’s Church
- Hallstatt Small-Group Day Trip from Vienna
Internet: Stay connected with Airalo eSim card – click here to get yours!
Airport Transfer: Use Welcome Pickups for a smooth ride from the airport to your accommodation in Vienna Click here to book the airport transfer.
Insurance: Get insured for your trip to Austria with SafetyWing
Car rental: Compare prices and find the best deals on rental cars in Austria on Discover Cars.
Before you set off to explore Vienna in one day you need to decide how you want to get around the city.
You might use the public transport (8€ for 24 hours ticket) or you can use the convenient hop-on, hop-off bus that will take you directly to all the Vienna highlights, without the hassle of navigating through the metro, tram and bus network. Click here to read the details and book the ticket for the hop-on, hop-off bus!
Now, that you’re settled with the transportation let’s see how to use the best the one day in Vienna!
Start your one day in Vienna at traditional cafe
Vienna is famous for its traditional coffee houses that eventually spread all over former Habsburg Empire.
I can’t imagine a better place to quietly sip a strong coffee while reading the newspaper or to have a discussion about literature. It feels like the time has stopped there but no one really minds.
The most famous one is Cafe Havelka, hidden in Dorotheergasse, few steps away from St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
My favorite, however, is Cafe Pruckel, in front of the Stadtpark and next to Stubentor subway station. Even if you do the budget travel to Vienna you should stop in one of the cafes!
Explore the Inner City
The center of Vienna is closed within Ring Road – everything you find inside is the Inner City. After you’re done with your morning coffee that’s where you should head to.
The very center is Stephansplatz with magnificent St. Stephen’s Cathedral – it’s definitely worth stepping inside as the interior is as breathtaking as the building itself. Be sure to visit the tower and the catacombs too!
Now from Stephansplatz you have two main options: Kartnerstrasse – the main shopping street in this area or Graben – the street with stunning houses along the way. I always choose the second option and go to Hofburg that way.
But before heading that way you can also look for traces of art nouveau architecture in the Inner City!
My recent discoveries were Ankeruhr – an art nouveau clock that gives a show at noon (kind of like astronomical clocks in Prague or Olomouc) and the building of Austrian Postal Savings Bank designed by the most famous Viennese architect of that time Otto Wagner.
Since your time in Vienna is limited you might also want to join the highly rated walking tour with the professional guide to get to know the Inner City and to learn more about the capital of Austria. The tour lasts up to 2 hours and gives you a great overview of the place. Click here to read more about it and to reserve your spot!
Hofburg – the imperial residence
A majestic imperial palace that used to be home to the rulers of the country. Hofburg was rebuilt numerous time and now it’s a real mix of styles, with baroque and classicism being the dominant ones.
When you cross the inner yard pay attention to the renaissance Swiss Gate as it’s really beautiful!
If you’d like to see the incredible Imperial Treasury you’re in the right place as all those beauties are on display in Hofburg! You can book your ticket for a visit here (click!).
Ring Road – where to find the most important buildings in Vienna
The Inner Town is surrounded by Ring Road (with couple of different names, always with -ring at the end).
That’s where you will find the most important and most spectacular buildings in Vienna: the Opera House, the Parliament, the State Theater, the Town Hall or the University – just to name the few.
The most interesting part is between the Opera and Votivkirche. You can walk it (highly recommended as the sidewalk is broad and hidden in the shadow of trees) or if you feel lazy you might take the tram and look at all these beauties while moving around.
Karlsplatz and Naschmarkt – the art nouveau hub
Vienna is famous for its art nouveau and even if there aren’t as many amazing buildings as in Riga you can still find some real gems around.
The most amazing ones are located around Karlsplatz and Naschmarkt – the metro station, the Secession building with the Museum inside (not worth the money in my opinion) or three houses at Linke Wienzeile 38, 40, and 42.
While you’re at Karlsplatz make sure to visit beautiful Karlskirche – probably the most beautiful church in Vienna with two massive columns on both sides.
You should also walk through Naschmarkt – the most popular market in the city. While the first part is full of small restaurants serving food from all over the world, the further you go the more down to earth it gets and eventually it turns out into the flea market.
Schönbrunn Palace – where Empress Sissi used to live
This is one of the most important landmarks in Vienna and whole Austria. A beautiful baroque palace that used to be the summer residence of Habsburgs, including the famous Empress Sissi.
If you manage to get some extra time it’s worth to visit in inside – you will see only a small part of over 1.000 rooms but they are just stunning! But even if you’ll stay outside only you’re in for a treat!
The gardens surrounding the palace are equally beautiful and wandering around is a pure pleasure! Be sure to go up to the Gloriette too as the view from there is really good!
To use your time as best as possible I highly recommend booking the tour of the palace and the gardens with the skip-the-line ticket. The guide will show you all the best corners of the premises and tell you all about Schönbrunn Palace. Click here to read more details about the tour and to book it!
Hundertwasserhaus – the funky side of Vienna
The capital of Austria isn’t only about imperial, Habsburg remnants. In your one day in Vienna you can see also its funky side with its best example – Hundertwasserhaus.
This is probably the most famous work of the Austrian / New Zealand artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser and you will see how popular it is when you get there. There always seems to be tours visiting the place, opposite Hunderwasserthouse you will also find a big souvenirs shops.
But even with the hype, it is a really lovely place to visit as the house is just the cutest, with all these strong colors and unusual shapes!
Not too far from Hunderwasserthouse you will find KunstHausWien, designed by the same artist but with way less people around!
That’s where the Museum Hundertwasser is located – if you are intrigued by the funky artist and his work you can’t miss this place!
Prater – a fun ending of your one day in Vienna
Prater – a huge park that used to be Habsburg’s hunting area – is especially known for the amusement park with the big wheel built in 1897.
Your one day in Vienna wouldn’t be completed without riding the famous ferris wheel, with spectacular views of the city! Click here to book your ticket for the ride!
Besides the Ferris wheel, there are so many attractions to choose from and some of them are really terrifying (I’m speaking from my own experience).
The amusement park is open till midnight which makes a perfect and fun end of your one day in Vienna!
If you’re tired with Prater amusement park you might choose another activity to finish your day – a relaxing evening cruise through Danube Canal with the dinner included. Click here to read more details and book the cruise!
Further reading
I published many articles about Austria that you might find useful when planning your trip there. Here are some of them:
- 17 Amazing Things to Do in Innsbruck, Austria
- Your Guide to Visiting Sigmund Thun Gorge in Kaprun, Austria
- How to Visit Wachau Valley from Vienna, Austria
- Innsbruck Card Review – Is It Worth It?
- 17 Cool Things to Do in Linz, Austria
- 9 Wonderful Things to Do in Bad Gastein, Austria
- and more!
If you are looking for articles about a specific destination – check out the map with all the articles I’ve published (and their locations). You can also join my Facebook group about traveling in Central Europe and ask your questions there.
Travel Resources
Below you can find the brands I trust and use when planning trips:
- You can find the best accommodation options at Booking. They have many discounts and excellent customer service. Click here to look for the place to stay in Vienna
- I recommend joining organized tours to get to know the place better and to visit more places during your trip. You can find a great selection of tours at Viator or Get Your Guide.
- To always stay connected I use Airalo eSim cards – click here to get yours!
- For transportation and booking tickets online, I usually use 12Go or Omio
- Looking for the airport pickup? Check Welcome Pickups!
- Never travel without travel insurance, you never know what might happen and better safe than sorry. You can check the insurance policy for Austria here.
- If you plan to rent a car during your trip to Austria check Discover Cars to compare prices and find the best deals
- Make sure to have the offline map always installed on your phone, they can save you so many troubles. I always use the free app Maps.Me.
For the end I left a few announcements that might interest you:
- Sign up to my newsletter or follow me on Bloglovin to get updates about the new posts
- Join my Facebook group about Eastern Europe, the Balkans and former USSR and connect with fellow travellers and enthusiasts of these regions – just click here!
- I’ve included a few handy links of services and products I personally like and use so you can plan your own trip to Vienna too. They are often affiliate links. This means I will get a small commission if you book/purchase anything through my links, at no extra costs for you. Thank you!
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29 Comments
VictoriaK
17/08/2017 at 07:07“Best” is subjective, of course. However did you achieve this itinerary in one day? Did you tour either Hofburg, Schönbrunn, or Peterskirche, or just take photos of the exterior? (And just for reference, the flea market at Naschmarkt only occurs on Saturdays.)
kami
21/08/2017 at 19:38of course it is subjective but so are blogs (or most of the websites in the internet actually). I started my day fairly early so that could have been the key to success. Also it was mid July so the day was pretty long (although the weather wasn’t much on my side). I did went inside the Secession Museum and Schoenbrunn and I didn’t rushed from one place to another. Thank you for telling me about flea market, I was there on Saturday so I thought it’s a regular thing!
Stefania - The Italian Backpacker
17/08/2017 at 14:51I love those zucchini pictures, ahahahah! By the away, weird to think that Warsaw to Vienna by train is almost the same time as Venice to Vienna…
kami
21/08/2017 at 19:51It’s pretty close actually, just looks distant on the map as it’s a striaght line and you need to cross one more country on the way :)
Magdalena Broda
17/08/2017 at 18:10Vienna is a glorious city. I lived there for a couple of months. The day I moved there I was just walking around the Ring Road mindlessly and smiling at how beautiful everything was :D
Kami and the rest of the world
23/08/2017 at 13:16I can imagine! I would probably do the same thing :)
Joshua Cummings
17/08/2017 at 19:09My wife and I made a return trip to Vienna back in June. The highlight for us was booking tickets to swan lake at the Vienna state opera house. Love the metro system there! It was a pleasure to have day passes and just jump on and go where you want.
Kami and the rest of the world
23/08/2017 at 13:17the metro system in Vienna is great! I just adore art nouveau stations on U4 line!
Tati
17/08/2017 at 21:19Patrząc na zdjęcia, aż mi się zachciało wrócić do Wiednia. A ja z Wiedniem za bardzo romansu nie czuję. Był to weekend w bardzo ładnym mieście, ale bardzo sztywnym jak dla mnie. Może jednak powinnam odłożyć wspomnienia na półkę i zrobię drugie podejście.
kami
21/08/2017 at 19:53zdecydowanie! Czasami te kolejne podejścia dają zupełnie inny pogląd na miasto (ja tak z Ryga miałam, za czwartym razem naprawdę ją polubiłam). Nie jestes pierwszą osobą, która tak o Wiedniu mówi! Ja trochę lubię przez historię bo Habsburgowie, a trochę przez sentyment, bo to jedno z pierwszych dużych miast jakie zagranica odwiedziłam
Tamara Vrielink-Ferwerda
17/08/2017 at 22:43Thank you! I’m in Vienna at the moment. :-D
Kami and the rest of the world
23/08/2017 at 13:17I hope you had a great time!
Tamara Vrielink-Ferwerda
23/08/2017 at 14:03Yes, I had a beautifull end very hot time.
Pauline McCarthy
18/08/2017 at 00:52Yes! The city was so stately!! Loved all the architecture on the Ring Road!! My favorite place was Schonbrunn Palace!!
Kami and the rest of the world
23/08/2017 at 13:17I adore Schonbrunn too! :)
Jennifer Deborah Walker
18/08/2017 at 09:35Perfect timing, as I’m going for one day next Friday :P
Kami and the rest of the world
23/08/2017 at 13:17perfect! :D hope you will enjoy it!
Angie
18/08/2017 at 16:47One day will never be enough but I think you made the most out of it in this Vienna trip.. and that’s a skill. Thanks for sharing this.
kami
21/08/2017 at 19:54Thank you! I agree that one day is not enough, in many places, but sometimes we have a limited time and need to take out as much of it as possible!
Kata Niksic
18/08/2017 at 17:48Voted the most livable city in the world.
Kami and the rest of the world
23/08/2017 at 13:18I can understand why, it’s such a pleasant place!
Albena
27/09/2017 at 09:57Vienna is one of my favorite cities. There is so much elegance and aristocracy in it. I have already been to Vienna twice and will return indeed.
From my experience there I can recommend to visit the crypt of Stefansdom. It is very interesting.
kami
11/10/2017 at 11:49Thank you for the recommendation, I will make sure to make it there next time! And elegance is the perfect word to describe Vienna!
Epepa
20/10/2017 at 14:17Jeśli lubisz secesyjne budynki, polecam Ci następnym razem udać się również do mniej znanych miejsc w Wiedniu takich jak Willa Wagner I i II oraz Kirche am Steinhof. Rzadko docierają tam turyści, a architektura robi wrażenie.
kami
22/12/2017 at 21:46miałam oba na liście, ale czasu nie starczyło niestety. Ale skoro mówisz, że robią wrażenie to kolejnym razem obowiązkowo tam jadę! Dzięki!! :)
Sania
29/08/2021 at 16:52how I can get 24 hrs ticket. is there any public transport stop near airport?
kami
25/11/2021 at 17:25There are ticket machines where you can buy the ticket. The airport is served by the sbahn trains
kay
17/08/2022 at 20:56great post! we also have 1 full day in Viena this coming December. Do you recommend getting the 1 day train pass? or just Uber/taxi ? thanks!
kami
22/08/2022 at 08:29I think a pass for public transport will be better, you can easily get everywhere by metro or tram and they are often faster than taxis since they don’t get stuck in the traffic.