Emperor Franz II/I presides over the Hofburg’s inner courtyard—a sunny corner of a palace complex with some decidedly darker legends, including the elusive White Lady.
The first time I went to Vienna, I only had one day. (Gah, I know. Not enough!)
But I made excellent use of it by hitting the Belvedere, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the State Hall of the Austrian National Library, and St. Stephen’s, followed by a wander through the old town. By the end, I knew Vienna was one classy lady. I also knew I wanted more time with her.
So my son and I came back.
On this visit, we had more places we wanted to see. But with four days stretching ahead of us, we could pick one or two major sights per day and leave the rest of our time open. We could have a long lunch. Wander through a garden and take pictures. Hear about a flea market and work it into the afternoon because we had time.
That made a huge difference. I already knew I loved Vienna’s museums and palaces. This time, I confirmed how much I loved being in Vienna.
One or two major sights, then see what happens
We visited both the Albertina and Albertina Modern on this trip. I especially liked Albertina Modern—much less crowded than the main museum—and I’m glad we had time for it.
We also went to the Natural History Museum, where um…rocks feature heavily? (Very heavily.)
If pretty rocks and minerals are your thing, excellent. If they aren’t, you might find there’s not as much for you here as in other Natural History museums I’ve visited.
It was also very warm, even in late September, to the point that the stuffiness and lack of airflow made me want to leave earlier than I might have otherwise. (Because I do love me some fossils.)
Vienna’s Natural History Museum, with a suitably grand statue out front. Even before you get to the rocks, there’s plenty to admire.
Schönbrunn Palace was also jaw-droppingly stunning. I missed it on my first visit, and I’m so glad we made time for it this trip.
The tour we took was a fabulous mix of immersive, multimedia storytelling—where the palace took us on a first person tour of itself, accompanied by slices of palace life projected on the walls—and a more traditional audio tour in the latter half of the experience. Wandering the gardens afterwards was equally lovely, even in the rain.
There was plenty to fill our four days. There would have been plenty to fill another week, but I didn’t want every day to become a marathon of admission tickets.
The Great Gallery at Schönbrunn Palace: a grand hall with an even grander ceiling. Vienna does not believe in leaving a surface undecorated.
One or two major sights gave us something to build the day around without planning every hour of it.
We could linger longer in the spots we liked. We could stop to color on walls at one of the interactive art exhibits. And when we came out of a museum, we could enjoy the city instead of immediately charging into the next building.
Vienna rewards that time between attractions. You walk down a narrow street, turn a corner into a beer garden or café near a cathedral, find somewhere lovely to sit, and enjoy a chat in the sun with your travel companion. What a gift!
A slower schedule gave us time to join in
We had tickets to the Wiener Kaiser Wiesn, Vienna’s beer festival, later in our trip, so we spent one morning shopping for traditional clothing.
Getting dressed up and spending an evening at the festival was a complete blast. The food, beer, music, and Austrians behaving sassily gave us a completely different experience from our museum days. I know singing “Sweet Caroline” at the top of my lungs with my college-bound boy and hundreds of Austrians isn’t something I’ll soon forget.
Singing “Sweet Caroline” with my college-bound boy at Wiener Kaiser Wiesn. One of those Vienna memories I’ll be keeping for a very long time.
Later in our visit, we were lucky enough to work the Neubaugasse Flaniermarkt into our visit one afternoon. And we just missed Vienna Wine Hiking Day, which I’m sure would have been so much fun.
This is one of the reasons I’d give Vienna four or five days if you can.
That gives you time for the places you’ve booked, with room to go with the Vienna flow. There was seriously SO much going on in just the few days we were in the city. Including a dressage competition at Schönbrunn, plus booths being set up near the Hofburg for Tag des Sports—a sporty festival for sporty people.
Check the events calendar before you arrive. Then leave yourself enough space to actually go to something that sounds fun.
For an evening beyond the beer tents, you could book Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at Karlskirche. And on my next visit? I have my eye on a Vienna Woods tour with an underground lake and wine tasting. That sounds like my kind of afternoon.
Vienna feels grand, but you can settle into it
I’ve been trying to find the right comparison for Vienna.
Something about it makes me think of a shinier, fancier Boston—perhaps Boston in the Gilded Age, dressed up and freshly scrubbed. It’s an imperfect comparison, but Vienna has that same sense of vibrant, well-preserved history combined with a living, thriving city that’s still evolving
My boy walking toward the Votivkirche. Just another Vienna street making an ordinary stroll look extraordinary.
Vienna was clean, gorgeous, and efficiently organized. I found the people kind and warm, even if they weren’t always especially chatty. All in all, I really liked being there.
By the time we finished the flea market on our last day, I was imagining what it might be like to spend more time in this lovely lady of a city. Have a favorite brunch place. Catch a temporary exhibition by an artist I hadn’t discovered yet. Meet someone for a drink in the park.
The city began to feel familiar enough that I could picture a little life inside it. For me, that’s always a sign that a destination is worth a return visit—or two or three…
Some places were worth repeating. Elsewhere, we knew when to leave.
A sphinx keeping watch in the Belvedere gardens. Even Vienna’s mythical creatures have excellent taste in real estate.
We went back to the Belvedere Gardens. They were beautiful on the first visit, and I was happy to have another excuse to wander through them.
We also revisited St. Stephen’s Cathedral and parts of the old town during our outing to shop for traditional clothes. I’m glad we went, but the surrounding area was crowded enough that we didn’t want to linger. Having already seen those famous sights made it easier to move on. We could enjoy what we wanted to see and leave when we’d had enough.
There were other places I was glad we made time for. The Narrenturm, the former asylum that now houses a pathological-anatomical collection, was disturbing and fascinating. It was a reminder that being human has always been difficult, and that we need to treat everyone with kindness, especially people who are vulnerable or ill.
Nearby Votivkirche was beautiful, and our meal at Restaurant Roth was among the best we had in Vienna.
That outing gave us a very different day from the palaces and the busiest streets in the centre. On a longer visit, there’s room for both.
Where to stay for a longer Vienna visit
I’ve stayed near the Belvedere twice, and I loved having those gardens close by for a morning wander. If that sounds like your kind of Vienna, start with my guide to the area.
Or use the map below to compare places and prices for your dates. (Disclosure: I earn a small commission if you use this map at no extra cost to you.)
The evening I keep thinking about
One evening, my son and I had a beer overlooking the Mozart monument in Burggarten around magic hour.
We took portraits. We stayed awhile. He teased me for being old as hell and still having no idea how to pose for a picture.
Me, attempting a portrait pose in Vienna. My son had notes.
I could happily spend a whole day in Vienna doing some version of that: wandering through gardens, eating good food, having a beer, and people-watching.
We ate incredibly well across both visits, too. Food stands, supermarket finds, brunch places, fancy restaurants—all delivered. The only bad food I had was at the café inside the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Gorgeous room; disappointing meal. Otherwise, Vienna fed us well.
Those meals and quiet stops are a big part of why I’d go back.
Would I recommend a second trip to Vienna?
Yes. Especially if your first visit was short, or you spent most of it moving between the major sights.
There are more museums to see and places to explore. But a return visit is also a chance to give yourself more freedom. Pick one or two things for the day. Book a special evening show or concert. Leave an afternoon open for shopping, a festival, or whatever catches your interest.
Looking up inside Vienna’s Natural History Museum. The ceiling deserves a little sightseeing time of its own.
Four days gave us time to settle in and enjoy the mix of old and new. We spent time inside buildings devoted to Vienna’s past, then came outside into a city that was still busy making things, singing songs, holding festivals, and finding reasons to enjoy life together.
I loved seeing how those things lived alongside each other.
One day made me want to return to Vienna. Having time to enjoy it made me want to make it a regular stop on my journey through the world.
Planning your own Vienna escape? Start with my guides to the best time to visit Vienna, where to stay near the Belvedere, and Wiener Kaiser Wiesn, Vienna’s Oktoberfest—because the palaces shouldn’t get all the fun.
