vienna
Travel guide – Vienna
Marble-topped cafés, palaces without the queue, and the tram that loops the centre for the price of one ticket.
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Vienna rewards going slowly. It is a city that pays you back for sitting down: in a café, on a bench in the Burggarten, on tram 1 as it circles the Ring.
When to go
April to June, and September to October. Summer is hot and everything has a queue; December fills up with Christmas markets and crowds, but the whole city smells of mulled wine and it is worth it.
Getting around
- Tram and metro: a 24 or 48 hour ticket pays for itself on day one.
- On foot: the historic centre takes twenty minutes to cross.
- From the airport: the S7 train is half the price of the express and only fifteen minutes slower.
What I would not miss
- A long coffee in an old-fashioned café, unhurried, with the newspaper.
- The Belvedere first thing, before the big group arrives.
- The Naschmarkt on a Saturday morning.
- A concert in a small church, far cheaper than the ones on the flyers.
Where to stay
The 7th district (Neubau) is the sweet spot: walking distance to the centre, full of places to eat, and quiet enough to sleep.
If you only have one day, stay inside the Ring and do not attempt three palaces. Vienna does not run out, and coming back is easy.