How to Make the Most of One Day in Vienna
I absolutely love Vienna with all of its rich history, but how do you best spend your time if you only have one day to visit? It is definitely worthy of a longer stay, but while I was recently sailing on a river cruise, I only had one day to pack in as much of Vienna’s beauty as I could (during the height of tourist season). Below I’m listing how I traveled through the city and made the most of my day!
While Schönbrunn Palace is by far known as the #1 Instagrammable palace in Vienna, if you can’t make it there before the stampede of tour buses, you’ll be stuck with hundreds of your newest friends in every picture you try to take… so an excellent alternative is the Belvedere. Whether you visit the gardens, the amazing art gallery, or just the exteriors of the two baroque palaces, the Belvedere is a wonderful location to enjoy the rich history of Vienna Royals without fighting the massive tour crowds. The image below was captured on my iPhone with a remote clicker in my hand.
Passing through Schwarzenbergplatz you can find a large equestrian statue of Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwartzenberg, who fought in the Napoleonic wars. Additionally, Schwarzenbergplatz square is home to Heldendenkmal der Roten Armee (Heroes' Monument of the Red Army), a controversial memorial that has long been debated about in Vienna. Hochstrahlbrunnen Fountain is also located here. In this water masterpiece, 12 high fountains symbolize the months of the year, 24 smaller fountains represent the hours in a day, and in the outer ring there are 365 little fountains representing the days of the year. It’s an impressive spot to stop.
3. Karlskirche (St. Karl Borromäus)
While not quite as popular as St. Stephen’s, I love the exterior of Karlskirche, which is widely considered one of the most outstanding Baroque churches in Vienna. Built in 1737, the church hosts regular Vivaldi concerts and boasts a stunning organ loft. The outside columns with spiral narrative are strikingly similar to Trajan’s Column, which I recently saw in Italy during my trip to the Roman Forum (blog link here).
4. Wiener Staatsoper (The Vienna State Opera House)
The Vienna Opera House is located in Albertinaplatz Square, one of my favorite public squares in the city. Although the opera is closed during July and August, the 18-year-old opera student in me still had to visit! While I didn’t get to walk along the grand marble staircase into the auditorium with its glowing chandelier, even the front steps of the opera house sing with rich history. The Vienna State Opera opened its doors in 1869, and is one of the busiest opera houses in the world. From Maria Callas to Luciano Pavarotti, many of the world’s most renowned voices have filled this building with magical music. Though it was bombed and burned toward the end of World War II, the opera is resilient and 2019 marks its 150th anniversary.
5. Albertina
Boasting a grand state room collection as well as thousands of paintings and drawings, the Albertina houses one of the largest print rooms in the world. From Pablo Picasso to Claude Monet and Edger Degas, you’ll find masterpiece after masterpiece inside. The building was originally constructed in the 17th century and heavily damaged by bomb attacks in World War II. If you are any sort of art buff, the Albertina is not to be missed!
6. Mahnmal gegen Krieg und Faschismus (Monument Against War and Fascism)
Just a short walk from the opera house and Albertina, take a peek at the Monument Against War and Fascism, which is a somber reminder the years Austria came under Nazi rule from 1938 to 1945.
More than 65,000 of Vienna’s 200,000 Jews died in concentration camps. In this very spot, hundreds of people lost their lives as they were buried alive when a cellar they were sheltering in collapsed during a World War II bombing attack.
Everyone has to eat, so why not stop at Cafe Sacher?…not only for lunch, but also to taste the original Sacher-torte! Have you ever indulged in this iconic Viennese dessert? If you visit this quintessential Austrian Café, you’ll enjoy the delicious food, as well as a very Instagrammable atmosphere. It’s even dog friendly…we sat next to the cutest standard poodle! If you have the time and $$$, book a room at the adjacent Hotel Sacher, a five-star hotel featuring an art gallery from the 19th century (along with this Devine dessert).
As I made my way out of Albertinaplatz Square, I set off to visit St. Stephen’s, a most beautiful Romanesque Gothic cathedral. I’m glad I took the time to stop here, because it offers active guests the opportunity to scale over 343 stairs to the top of the south tower, the highest point of the Vienna skyline. Used as a command post during the siege of Vienna in 1529 and the battle of Vienna in 1683, the south tower offers stunning views of the city. However, it is a tight spiral staircase climb, which is not for those with a fear of heights or tight spaces. There are barred windows, so you must take turns looking out to see the the city views from a top the tower…but I’m happy I made the trek to see for myself. The north tower is only half as tall, but open and beautiful. If climbing the stairs isn’t your thing, the main entrance and outside walls are rich in history too and very insta-worthy! 😉
9. Prater
My dear friend Michelle and I ended our day tour of Vienna by enjoying a few rides at this local amusement park on our way back to the Danube and our ship the AmaMagna. The park, which originally opened to the public in 1766 as a hunting ground, has many fun rides and attractions, including carousels, roller coasters, and (my personal favorite) the Wiener Riesenrad. Constructed in 1897, this giant Viennese ferris wheel held the record of being the worlds tallest for over 65 years. The cabins are comfortable and the views are stunning. You can book luxury private cabins for a extra special touch.
Below is a sample image of my Vienna Photo Cheat Sheet. All photos highlighted in this blog are best visited in the order shown on this sheet. Click here to download a pdf, which also includes a step-by-step Google Maps link.
While I’ve shared some of my favorite locations in Vienna, it’s the Viennese people who truly make this city so special. Indeed my favorite part of traveling here is the time I get to spend with the incredibly welcoming local citizens. I cannot wait to return to this special place, and next time I am going to make a point of visiting Schönbrunn Palace first thing in the morning, followed by the Hofburg…and I wont miss an opportunity to see the Lipizzaner Stallions at Vienna’s Spanish Riding School!
How do you make the most of your time when you travel?
