Guide to 3 Days in Vienna

Vienna is simply a marvelous city. To me it was exactly what I pictured when I thought of a classic European city; the grandiose palaces and historic architecture with it’s classical music concerts and sausage stands.

Vienna is the quintessential European city, not overwhelming but with just enough going on to keep you busy and excited for your time there.

We spent  a few days there and covered a lot of different sites and parts of the city. There is so much to do in Vienna that we barely even grazed the surface but with a few days you can get a brief introduction into what the city has to offer. If you’ll be spending 3 days in Vienna make sure to visit the attractions listed below.

 

• Nasch Market – This market is the oldest and most famous market in Vienna. You’ll simply be amazed by the variety of items on sale here and the international flare. The market is open everyday except Sunday and makes for a perfect lunch stop to start off a Vienna tour.

 

 

• Belvedere – The Belvedere is a Baroque palace complex consisting of the upper and lower belvedere, the orangery, palace stables and gardens, and was the home of Price Eugene of Savoy. The Upper Belevedere houses an art museum which is what we visited before strolling through the beautiful gardens.

 

• Hofburg Palace – The Hofburg Palace served as the home at the Habsburg dynasty – the rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and is currently the official residence of the President of Austria. This was the Habsburg family’s winter home.

 

• Freud Residence – Museum covered the life of Sigmund Freud. He lived in this house from 1891 until 1938, when he was forced to leave due to his Jewish roots, and fled to London.

 

• Jewish Monument – This is the memorial to the 65,000 Austrian Jews who died in the Holocaust. In the nearby Misrachi house there is a museum with a permanent exhibition and information area with names and dates of the murdered Jews and the circumstances that led to their persecution.

 

• Soviet Victory Monument – A monument built by the Red Army to commemorate 17,000 Soviet soldiers who died in the battle for Vienna in World War II. This is a controversial memorial which the Viennese attempted to blow up several times, always stopped by the police.

 

• Karlskirche – This is a Baroque church dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo, one of the great reformers of the 16th century. Admission includes panoramic elevator ride up to the dome where you can admire the artwork.

 

 

• Schonbrunn Palace – As the Hofburg Palace was the winter home to the Habsburgs the Schonbrunn was their summer home. This 1,441 room Rococo residence is massive with the palace and the gardens equally impressive.

 

 

• Stephansdom – Romanesque gothic cathedral in the old town of Vienna. After exploring the cathedral and catacombs go up to the top of the tower to get a great view of the whole city of Vienna.

 

• Classical Music Concert – Vienna is a great place to spend an evening at a Mozart classical music concert. There are several venues to choose from including the State Opera, Musikverein Golden Hall, Hofburg (Imperial Palace) and the Vienna Konzerthaus. We saw a concert at the Konzerthaus and were able to purchase discounted student tickets.

 

• The Sausage Stand – We frequently ate at this sausage stand located right in the center of the city, at  Albertinaplatz. Delicious sausage with rye bread and beer. A must visit. We saw all sorts of characters buying from here – even the local policemen.

 

• Wandering around central Vienna – One of the best ways to get a feel for a city is just to get lost in it. Put away the map and just explore the various streets and alleyways that make up central Vienna. Stop for a coffee, try a local dessert, and just take in everything that Vienna has to offer.