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Schönbrunn Palace and its gardens, Vienna

No. 31 Top 100 City Destinations 2025

Vienna

Austria

Imperial palaces, grand coffee houses, great music and world-class art.

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Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Vienna is No. 31 in Euromonitor International's Top 100 City Destinations Index 2025. The Austrian capital on the Danube was for centuries the seat of the Habsburgs, and their palaces and collections still shape the city. Its historic centre has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001.

Vienna is the city of Mozart, Beethoven and the Strauss family, with a packed calendar of opera and concerts, and its traditional coffee houses are an institution.

The patterned tiled roof of St Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna
The patterned tiled roof of St Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna. Photo: derivative from Jebulon, CC0, source

Best time to go

April to June and September to October are pleasant for walking. Summer brings open-air events and day trips to the Danube.

From mid-November, Christmas markets fill the squares, and the ball season peaks in January and February.

Top sights

  • 1

    Schönbrunn Palace

    The Habsburgs' summer palace has lavish state rooms and huge Baroque gardens, with the Gloriette on the hill above.

  • 2

    Hofburg

    The former imperial palace in the centre houses the Imperial Apartments, the Sisi Museum and the Silver Collection.

  • 3

    St Stephen's Cathedral

    The Gothic cathedral has a tall south tower and a roof of patterned glazed tiles.

  • 4

    Kunsthistorisches Museum In our Top 100 Museums

    One of the world's great art museums, with the largest collection of paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

  • 5

    Belvedere In our Top 100 Museums

    Baroque palaces with Austrian art, including Gustav Klimt's The Kiss.

  • 6

    Vienna State Opera

    One of the world's leading opera houses. Cheap standing-room tickets are sold for most performances.

  • 7

    Prater

    A large park with an amusement area and the Giant Ferris Wheel, built in 1897.

Getting there

Vienna International Airport (VIE) is about 18 km south-east of the centre. The City Airport Train (CAT) reaches Wien Mitte in 16 minutes, and the cheaper S7 S-Bahn takes a little longer.

Wien Hauptbahnhof is the main station for trains from across Austria and neighbouring countries.

Getting around

The U-Bahn, trams and buses run by Wiener Linien are frequent and easy to use; passes for 24, 48 or 72 hours are available.

Trams 1 and 2 run along parts of the Ringstrasse, the grand boulevard around the old town.

Practical tips

Currency
Euro (EUR). Cards, including contactless, are accepted almost everywhere.
Language
German. English is widely spoken.
Safety
Vienna is a very safe city. The emergency number is 112.
Visa & entry
Austria is in the Schengen Area. Many visitors, including citizens of the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) now records non-EU travellers' entries and exits at the border, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is due to follow. Check the official EU site travel-europe.europa.eu and your own government's travel advice before you go.
Power
230 V, 50 Hz; plug types C and F.

Official information: Vienna Tourist Board (official tourism website). Check opening hours, prices and entry rules there before you go.

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