Two Perfect Days in Vienna, Austria: My Solo Itinerary

I spent two days in Vienna recently and I still can’t believe how much sightseeing I managed to do in such short amount of time. Despite my Vienna itinerary suggesting a crazy dash across the city; from the top of a cathedral tower to wine taverns in the suburbs, I actually had a wonderfully laid-back weekend in Wien, as it’s known by locals.

So how did I see so much of Vienna in just two days, without spending a fortune?

The Vienna Pass gives you access to all of Vienna’s top tourist attractions and even transport options, allowing you to easily see the best of Vienna in two days. I bought one online the night before my weekend in Vienna and highly recommend getting one for your trip if you’re planning to do a lot of sightseeing.

I didn’t spend a single penny on any ‘tourist’ stuff during my entire weekend in Vienna aside from the cost of the card. Vienna has an overwhelming number of artsy attractions, so it’s good to go equipped with an idea of what you want to see!

Here’s my complete two day Vienna itinerary and some pictures from my solo jaunt, in case you want to copy – or you just love gorgeous architecture.

My itinerary for two days in Vienna: What to do and where to go

This Vienna itinerary covers all the best places to go and what to see in Vienna in two days. It follows my exact trip. So it’s tried and tested by me!

I’ve also included (at the end of this post) tips for where to stay in Vienna, the best Vienna tours and how to get around the city. I’d like to think I’ve created the ultimate guide to a perfect weekend break in Vienna so do let me know if you use this itinerary to plan your own trip!

Day 1 in Vienna: Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna Zoo and Graben

If you don’t invest in the Vienna Card, you can hop on a 16 minute train from the airport into the city. Buy your ticket online beforehand for less hassle at Arrivals.

After breakfast at one of Veinna’s many coffeehouses (the 1950s style Café Prückel is iconic), I caught the 58 tram right outside my hostel, Wombats and trundled along to Schönbrunn Palace.

I was glad I got there early because even at 9am, crowds were beginning to form in the vast courtyard. You could easily spend a whole day at Schönbrunn Palace but I had a city to see, so I went to start the tour of the buttermilk yellow building’s open rooms.

Take a Schönbrunn Palace Grand Tour

Tickets available here

Schönbrunn Palace would be perfect for a monster game of hide and seek with your whole class at school. This is Austria’s most visited attraction and has been kept in remarkably good nick.

The palace was the summer residence of the Habsburgs, the Austrian monarchs. It’s a Vienna must see.

The Grand Tour takes 40 minutes and you can see 40 of the exquisite palace’s 1,441 rooms. You get an audio book that feeds you little snippets of palace gossip as you wander from room to room.

As well as the apartments of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth (who had no time for her husband whatsoever, by the sound of it), you’ll also see the magnificent Hall of Ceremonies, the imposing Gobelin Salon with its exquisite Brussels tapestries as well as the room now known as the Millions Room on account of its precious panelling of rare rosewood.

Fun fact: Mozart gave his very first concert in the Mirror Room, at the tender age of six.

Wander around the palace grounds

I don’t know if it’s just because I had grown used to Dubai’s pollution, but the first thing I noticed about Vienna was how clean the air felt. I later learned that over 50% of the city is green, and Schönbrunn Palace’s grounds definitely contribute to that. The expansive grounds are actually free to enter, and plenty of locals were out for morning jogs when I visited.

I could get lost in those grounds for days.

The Rose Garden, overlooked by Sisi’s balcony, is a perfumed oasis in the pristine palace grounds. I had that old country song ‘I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden…’ in my head the whole time I was there.

Next to the east palace facade lies the tranquil Privy Garden and Orangerie.

The Vienna Pass gives you a free ride on the cute little train, if you don’t feel like walking. I took it up to the Gloriette, which was the final flick of the architect’s pen when he designed Schönbrunn Palace. It’s worth the ride for a wonderful vantage point of the gardens, and you can then walk down and explore.

Some teenage girls took this picture for me and I didn’t care one bit that they probably laughed at me later.

See pandas at Vienna Zoo

Tickets available here

The world’s oldest zoo just so happens to be the most beautiful, too. I thought so, anyway. Hidden away in the palace grounds, the zoo was built in 1752 and houses elephants, pandas, fabulous flamencos and plenty of other animals. I was kind of expecting a few parrots and a goat so this was a pleasant surprise.

I got to the penguin enclosure for feeding time.

The animal enclosures splay out from the pavilion, which was once a fancy breakfast room.

Catch an Apple Strudel Show

Tickets available here

Yes, you read that right. After my wander, I went to a surprisingly entertaining baking class in the imperial bakery at Café Resident, in the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace. The young baker showed us how to make the iconic Viennese dessert, stretching the pastry thinly using her elbows!

Visit the Imperial Carriage Museum

Tickets available here

Another surprise in the palace grounds was the carriage museum. Is anyone else obsessed with how the other half live?

The museum’s magnificent baroque carriages offer an insight into court life – coronations and weddings, long journeys and hunts, and even funeral processions. It documents the lives of rulers like Maria Theresa, Franz Joseph and the French Emperor Napoleon. The funeral carriage was definitely my favourite, but this elaborate design left me in awe.

Some of Sisi’s sickening “Viennese wasp waist” dresses are also displayed, which made me realise where people got the idea for those ridiculous ‘waist trainers’ the Kardashians flog.

All of the Vienna attractions detailed up to this point are located in the palace grounds, so you can visit them all on the same day.

Check out these tickets you can buy online in advance for Schönbrunn Palace tours and activities.

Top Vienna tip: One great thing about the Vienna Pass is you get unlimited rides on the city’s Hop On Hop Off bus for free. Vienna is kind of sprawling, so it’s worth buying the bus ticket if you don’t buy the Vienna Pass itself.

Tour the city

After a long morning learning about Vienna’s most frivolous family, I rode the yellow line past Belvedere Palace to the State Opera House.

I had missed the last walking tour of the day so I explored Kärntner Strasse alone then hopped on the red line at the same stop outside the State Opera and cruised some of the  Ringstrasse, sauntered along the Danube, where you can do a boat tour, then up crooked, sloping streets filled with locals sipping sundowners towards Graben.

I may have only had 48 hours in Vienna, but I was determined to enjoy a little bit of the local nightlife!

Shop and people watch on Graben

Graben is one of Vienna’s most famous city streets, packed with shoppers by day and partiers by night. It says a lot about a city when even the H&M is in a stunning building!

One thing I loved about wandering Vienna aimlessly was just following the crowd. I saw people filing in to grand buildings and tailed in after them to listen to classical music in awe-inspiring churches. Sometimes I’d lose my way but the chimes from St Stephen’s Cathedral soon situated me.

Vienna put on quite a sunset for my first night!

Eat local dishes

Want to know where to eat local food in Vienna? I ate dinner at a tiny Hungarian restaurant in a side street off Graben. It was called Braunerstrasse and they served me beef goulash with gnocchi and a jaunty little red wine. Then it was back to Wombats for a rest!

Day 2 in Vienna: The Museums Quarter, a Viennese Wine Village and St Stephen’s Cathedral

On my second morning in Vienna I stuck to the red line of the Hop On Hop Off bus, exploring the city’s plethora of cultural and historic buildings. I started in the Museums Quarter, which was once the imperial stables. 

There are around 70 attractions housed in the 18th and 19th century buildings today, making it one of the largest arts and culture complexes in the world, so I had to seriously prioritise!

Some things I wish I’d had time to see were the mumok, Leopold Museum and the Museum of Natural History.

Kunsthistorisches Museum

Tickets available here

The stunning Kunsthistorisches is the home of priceless art treasures from five millennia, such as the world’s largest collection of Bruegel paintings.  I rushed around it and saw Benvenuto Cellini’s Salt Cellar (Saliera), which is basically a naughty salt and pepper shaker.

The gardens are just as beautiful as the inside of these buildings, and it’s the perfect place to stop with a picnic.

The Albertina

Tickets available here

Back towards the State Opera, The Albertina is part of the largest Habsburg residential palace, Hofburg Palace, and it houses famous works by Monet, Picasso and Cezanne, among other great artists.

There are also endless selfie opportunities in the opulent chambers.

I’d definitely had my fill of culture by this point so I spent the afternoon reversing that with booze. I took the green line from City Hall to the quaint wine village of Grinzing, which is one of the best places to visit from Vienna. As we drove out of the city centre, we passed apartments where Einstein and Mozart once holed up and worked on their craft.

Did you know that Mozart lived in around 85 different apartments in Vienna? Well, would you want a piano-playing neighbour?

Grinzing wine village

Another fun fact: Vienna is the only capital city which produces wine! I felt like I had stepped back in time when I hopped off the bus at Grinzing, and spent the afternoon sampling the local grog in wine taverns called “Heuriger”.

I semi-enjoyed a local meal of smoked pork, grilled sausage, parsley potatoes and sauerkraut with a tankard of house wine, which was just €1.50.

See the opera or a concert

I had read that you buy cheap standing tickets for the opera if you go to the door labelled Operngasse, however I was wearing denim Levi cutoffs and, predictably, they didn’t let me in. Probably should’ve realised I was a little underdressed.

If you do want to experience the opera or a concert during your weekend in Vienna, take your pick from the options below.

St Stephen’s Cathedral

Tickets include a tour of the catacombs and are available here

Luckily, St Stephen’s Cathedral’s tower was still open at 7pm, so I was able to get a birds eye view of the city I had explored so thoroughly by night at the top of the 14th century Romanesque and Gothic cathedral. In my opinion, this is the best view in Vienna and going to the top is one of the best things to do there.

I spent my final evening drinking Hugos on Graben and feeling pleased with myself for having pulled off such a successful solo weekend in Vienna.

I left Vienna feeling super confident about solo travel, and I hope this post helps anyone planning two days in Vienna with lots of inspiration for what to see!

If you’re traveling around Austria, check out my guide to the stunning Vorarlberg region too.

More things to do in Vienna

These are activities I didn’t have time for during my two days in Vienna, but they’re all on my list for next time!

Best day trips from Vienna

If you’re in Vienna for a longer stretch and want to get out of the city and explore Austria, you can do a Sound of Music tour to Salzburg or book a trip through the Alps to Hallstatt.

Getting to Vienna

You can find cheap flights to Vienna from destinations around the world on Skyscanner.

If you’re taking the train from elsewhere in Europe as part of a longer backpacking trip, an Interrail pass might be the most cost effective solution.

Check out my 10 day Europe backpacking itinerary for more inspiration!

Getting around Vienna

The deciding factor for me when mulling over purchasing the Vienna Pass was that it can be used on the Hop On Hop Off buses. There are 6 routes with over 50 stops, meaning you can create your own itinerary based on your interests. There’s also a free walking tour, but I kept missing it! Worst tourist ever.

I used the red line to see the inner city’s cultural attractions, the yellow line to see Schönbrunn Palace and the green line to venture out of the city to the wine region. Yes, Vienna has ALL OF THE WINE and it’s served in the cutest pubs ever.

Where to stay in Vienna

Budget Vienna accommodation

I’d asked fellow travel bloggers for advice about where to stay in Vienna as a solo traveller and the verdict was unanimous: Wombats Hostel.

An 8 Euro shuttle bus from the airport stops outside Westbahnof and you walk through the station until you find the Mariahilfer Straße exit. Wombats is right there!

Vienna Hostel Ruthensteiner and ABAI Hostel also come highly recommended.

Mid-range options for Vienna

For a mid-range budget, check out Boutiquehotel Stadthalle, 25hours Hotel beim MuseumsQuartier and Hotel Daniel Vienna, all of which have solid reviews.

Luxury hotels in Vienna

If you’re looking for a more luxurious place to stay in Vienna, the Palais Hansen Kempinski, Grand Hotel Wien and Hotel Bristol all look super fancy.

Browse all Vienna accommodation options on booking.com.

Booking.com

More Vienna travel tips

Use my Travel Resources page to book your weekend in Vienna

Trying to decide how long to spend in Vienna? I did my best with the short time I had, but the city’s wealth of cultural and historic attractions means you could easily spend four or five days there without running out of things to do in Vienna.

If you’re into collecting guidebooks for the places you visit, the Lonely Planet Guide to Austria, or the Vienna guide, are great purchases.

It’s wise to get travel insurance for a trip to Vienna. Travellers all over the world use World Nomads.

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Is Vienna on your travel bucket list, or have you already visited? I’d love to hear about things I might have missed during my short trip! Of course, this itinerary is for a solo trip to Vienna but you could easily use it for a trip with friends or family.

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All photographs were taken on my Olympus Pen E-PL7.

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