Posted September 2022. Updated August 2025
Vienna: The Ultimate 3-Day Itinerary – Find out how to spend 3 wonderful days in the city of music and take notes of all the tips about each place!
At the end of April, I spent 3 days in Vienna (followed by another 3 days in Budapest) and the city immediately won my heart. You can feel the history and culture of Vienna por onde quer que se passe, é como viajar um pouco atrás no tempo.
In this article, you will find all the information you need to prepare your trip to Vienna and my complete 3-day itinerary.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links from booking platforms. By booking through my link you are supporting my work, thank you so much!
Índice
Plan Your Trip to Vienna
Best Time to Visit Vienna
Vienna is a year-round destination. Spring (April – June) and fall (September – October) are the most pleasant, with mild weather and fewer crowds. December is magical if you want to experience the Christmas markets, while July and August can be hot and busier. I visited in April and the city was blooming, so beautiful.
How Many Days in Vienna?
Three days is a great introduction to the city, allowing time for palaces, historic landmarks, and Vienna’s café culture. If you’re especially into art and museums, add an extra day.
Where to Stay in Vienna
For first-time visitors, staying in Innere Stadt (1st District) keeps you within walking distance of most highlights. Neubau (7th District) is a good alternative if you prefer trendy cafés and boutiques, while Landstraße (3rd District) puts you close to Belvedere Palace. Make sure to stay close enough to a metro station for easy navigation.
Como ir do aeroporto ao centro da cidade
A forma mais acessível e rápida de chegar ao centro da cidade é através de comboio. Para poderes facilmente comparar comboios e preços, aconselho que instales a app OBB. To the central station of Vienna the regional train S7 takes about 25 minutes and costs 4.60€ (however I was accompanied and bought a ticket through the app to which I added a second passenger, and it was less than that for a ticket for two people! But I don’t know it this is still valid, I was there in 2022)
When leaving the airport towards the train station you will also see a lot of information for CAT – City Airport Train: run away! Each ticket costs 12.45€ and the trip is only 5 minutes faster than on the regional trains.
How to get Around in Vienna
Para me deslocar na cidade usei o metro várias vezes, já que alguns pontos de interesse são mais afastados do centro, tal como o airbnb onde fiquei alojada. Cada bilhete de metro individual custa 2,40€. O bilhete de 24h custa 8€, o de 48€ custa 14,10€ e o de 72h custa 17,10€.
Itinerário
Dia 1
Palácio Schönbrunn
Como só cheguei a Viena no final da manhã, decidi aproveitar a tarde para visitar o Palácio Schonbrunn, por ser um local que já sabia que iria levar algum tempo a visitar e por ser também das zonas mais afastadas do centro da cidade (mas relativamente próximo do meu alojamento).
I booked the Grand Tour, a guided tour inside the palace that lasts about 50-60 minutes with audio guide through 40 rooms of the palace, which no longer exists, at least with the same name. Currently, the most common visits are through the Palace Ticket, with audio guide too. The ticket costs 28€ for students <25 years old and 34€ for adults. There are also other types of tickets for other areas of the site, which you can find here: aqui.
Nota: não é permitido fotografar no interior do palácio
When I was planning my trip I remember debating going on this tour due to the huge number of museums that exist in Vienna related to imperial history. I ended up really enjoying it, but I don’t know how different the experience is now, it is certainly pricier.
In the end I went to visit the gardens, which are HUGE! Some of the most interesting and well-known points are the Palm House, a greenhouse with a beautiful interior botanical garden (I didn’t visit it because by that time it had already closed and the entrance was paid separately, I had to make choices ahah); the Gloriette, uma estrutura do lado oposto ao palácio que permite ter uma vista incrível sobre a cidade (subir ao topo também é pago, mas não acho que valha a pena); a fonte de Neptuno, o Zoo mais antigo do mundo (pago, of course), um labirinto (pago à parte também…) e muito mais..
Sim, é verdade, paga-se para ver tudo e mais alguma coisa e eu escolhi não o fazer por já ter feito a visita com áudio-guia, mas acreditem que a zona livre dos jardins é lindíssima também, e tão grande que fiquei mesmo até à hora dos portões fecharem.
(Pay attention to this, I left 1 minute BEFORE closing time, and even then I had a lady yelling at me…) I will leave here the horários, que mudam ao longo do ano.
Dia 2
Terraço do Museu Albertina
Este é um dos locais mais fotografados em Viena, uma varanda com vista sobre a Ópera! Não é preciso entrar no museu para aceder a este terraço, existem escadas rolantes diretamente da rua até lá. Eu fui de manhã e foi tranquilo, mas quando estava a ir embora já estava uma quantidade significante de pessoas à espera para fotografar no melhor spot.
If you do want to visit Albertina Museum, here is the important information:
- Opening Hours: Daily from 10AM to 6PM
- Tickets: 19.90€ for adults, 15.90€ for <26 yearls old, free for <19 years old.
Burgarten
Later I stopped by Burgarten, the ideal garden to rest for a while. This is where you will find the Mozart monument and the Butterfly House botanical garden where you can see lots of butterflies up close (entrance to the Butterfly House costs 10€).
- Garden Opening Hours:
- April – October: 6AM – 10PM
- November – March: 7AM – 5:30PM
Palácio Hofburg
The Hofburg Palace square is also a very popular place in the city and the busiest place I’ve been. Besides the huge amount of tourists passing by, there were still some cars and, unfortunately, a lot of horse-drawn tourist carriages. This palace was the imperial residence for several years and it is here that the Sisi museum dedicated to Empress Elisabeth is located, where you can visit several rooms, the silver and porcelain collection and many costumes of the time. I skipped the museum this time, but it is still one of the most visited in the city. You can see all the information about the aqui..
Praça Maria-Theresian
In this square there are a lot of museums, but not only. The square was full of gentlemen dressed like the old Vienna musicians, naturally selling tickets for the opera. It didn’t bother me much at first, but then I was being approached by all of them at the same time, without them accepting my first no. They kept going and going and I ended up just leaving the place because it was so uncomfortable… It was not the best experience.
Ópera de Viena
Embora não tenha entrado no edifício e a melhor vista seja mesmo do topo do museu Albertina, voltei a dar uma volta em torno da Ópera para a apreciar mais de perto. Para além disso, a melhor zona para provar as famosas salsichas/cachorros de Viena, os Kasekrainer, é aqui!
Museu Sigmund Freud
This museum is located in the building where Freud lived and had his practice. Even for someone like me who knew very little about the “Father of Psychoanalysis”, I found the museum super interesting. Besides several personal objects, curiosities, and stories about Freud, it is also possible to listen to his interpretation of some dreams. The ticket can be bought online or on-site and is valid for the whole day. You can check all the aqui..
Igreja Votiva
Este é o segundo edifício mais alto da cidade, uma igreja lindíssima de estilo neogótico que vale a pena visitar. É rodeada por um parque muito agradável.
- Opening Hours:
- Church: Tuesday – Friday 10AM – 3PM; Saturday 11AM – 7PM; Sunday 9AM – 1PM
- Museum: Tuesday – Friday 1PM – 3PM; Saturday 2PM – 5PM
- Tickets:
- Church: Free
- Museum: Adults 8€, free for <14 years old
Rathaus / Câmara Municipal
I had seen stunning pictures of Vienna while I was planning this trip, including the majestic City Hall, and I was so excited to see it in person. But of course, as I am a very lucky person, I arrived just after they had set up a huge stage in front of the building. But anyway, please enjoy its beauty for me! Right in front of it is the Burgtheater, or Austrian National Theater.
Ferstel Passage
A not-so-well-known but definitely “Instagram-worthy” place! It’s a small passageway with a few stores and cafés and a super cozy atmosphere. This was the last place I visited on the second day and I enjoyed the late afternoon on a terrace bar just outside this gallery.
Dia 3
Karlskirche
The Church of St. Charles, or Karlskirche, is in my opinion one of the most beautiful monuments in the city and is called the Taj Mahal of Vienna (you can understand, right?). I had breakfast here and took the opportunity to photograph a little. Unfortunately, I couldn’t photograph the reflection of the water because it was super dirty, I hope you, who are reading this article, have better luck on your visit. Also, unlike the pictures I saw of the place, the lake is surrounded by huge pots with palm trees, which in my opinion only spoiled the view… Please let me know if they have already removed them!
- Opening Hours:
- Monday – Saturday: 9AM – 6PM
- Sunday: 11AM – 7PM
- Tickets: 9.5€ for adults, 6€ students, 5€ youth
Catedral de Santo Estevão
The tallest building in Vienna and one of the great symbols of the city could not be missing from my itinerary. The outside was completely full of people, so if you want to photograph it without anyone you really have to go early in the morning. When you enter the cathedral you have a small hall that you can visit for free. However, for everything else you have to pay: north tower, south tower, catacombs, treasure, etc… You can buy an all-inclusive ticket or just the individual ticket for something you really want to visit.
I did the catacombs tour because it was something I had never done before. The schedules are available on the website and it is not possible to make a reservation. Inside the cathedral go to the ticket office on the left side and tell them you want to take the catacomb tour, they will show you where to wait and the guide will show up at the appointed time. The tour is in English and German and photography is not allowed. A fee of 7€ is paid in cash to the guide at the end of the tour. You can check all the tour options aqui.
Igreja de São Pedro
Provavelmente vais cruzar-te com esta igreja se estiveres a passear na zona da catedral de Santo Estevão. É também nesta zona que se encontra a “Coluna da Peste”.
- Opening Hours:
- Monday – Friday 8AM – 7PM
- Weekends and holidays: 9AM – PM
- Tickets: Free entry
Bairro Hundertwasser
Estas famosas casas coloridas foram projetadas pelo artista austríaco Friedensreich Hundertwasser. As suas obras caracterizam-se pelas linhas curvas, formas irregulares e cores fortes. Neste bairro podes encontrar um pequeno centro comercial do mesmo estilo com imensas lojas de recordações. Este local é um pouco mais afastado do centro, o ideal é ir de metro.
Palácio Belvedere
Este palácio também entrou facilmente na lista dos meus locais preferidos. É composto por dois edifícios principais: o Upper Belvedere e o Lower Belvedere. Este edifícios foram a residência imperial de verão antigamente, e agora funcionam como galerias de arte que podem ser visitadas mediante o pagamento de bilhete (são bilhetes distintos, que podes encontrar aqui). The gardens can be visited for free and they are beautiful!
The Upper Belvedere garden is well known for having a huge pond, which is very popular for taking pictures. However, as soon as someone decided to rest on the grass or walk on it to take a photo, a security guard from the palace would immediately appear and warn that it was forbidden to be there, even though there were no signs about it. Unfortunately for that guard, as soon as he managed to scare someone away, someone else was already on the other side of the lake, not knowing anything, sitting and taking pictures, so the security guard was literally running around the garden non-stop… So, if you see someone running towards you… you know why. I wonder if there are any signs about it now.
Parque Prater
De seguida visitei o parque de diversões mais antigo do mundo! É aqui que se encontra a roda gigante mais antiga do mundo que ainda está em funcionamento e é já um dos símbolos da cidade. A entrada no parque é gratuita, apenas se paga para andar em cada uma das atrações se o quiseres fazer. O parque é realmente enorme, com uma quantidade de atrações que nunca tinha visto.
Foi assim que terminou a minha viagem por Viena, que foi curta mas bastante intensa. Adorei o ambiente da cidade e espero voltar um dia, talvez em dezembro para poder ver os mercados de Natal!
I hope this article “Vienna: The Ultimate 3-Day Itinerary” helped you to plan your trip to Vienna! Leave your opinion in the comments and follow me on social networks so you don’t miss my next trips. Usa #travelplannerholic para partilhares as tuas fotos comigo.
Um beijinho,
Catarina Vieira
Gostavas de guardar este artigo? Passa por cima da imagem para o juntares ao teu Pinterest!
