My dad and I traveled to Vienna in early November 2024. Although we were a bit jetlagged, we tried to see and do as much as we could during our 48ish hours there. Read ahead to see what we got up to and what I would recommend if you are planning a visit!
Day 1: Cathedrals & Comfort Food
I know you’re not supposed to do this, but…after arriving in Vienna from the US, we totally took a nap. I booked our stay at the Andaz Vienna for free with credit card points – I transferred 18,000 Chase points to Hyatt to book two nights at 9,000 Hyatt points each. The hotel was lovely and was close to the train station, so we had no problem getting around.
The one thing I don’t love about traveling in winter is how much earlier the sun sets. After our nap we had just enough time to visit the grounds of Belvedere Palace, which was in walking distance of the hotel. The palace is still stunning in early November, but I imagine the gardens are unbelievable during the spring and summer! Dinner was also in walking distance – we ate at Klein Steiermark, a traditional Austrian/German restaurant that we’d highly recommend.
After dinner we took public transit to St. Stephen’s Cathedral to check out the small Christmas market they had set up. We went inside the church, walked around the vendor stalls, and of course had some mulled wine! It seems that all of the Christmas markets in Vienna serve your drink in a mug specific to that market – if you want, you can keep the mug as a souvenir, or you can return it and get a few euros back in exchange. The red boot was too cute to pass up, so of course I kept mine! We also visited St. Peter’s Church, just a few blocks away from the Cathedral.
Day 2: Library, Palace, and Opera, oh my!
The next morning we slept in a bit before heading to breakfast/lunch at Der Mann, which was in walking distance of our hotel. After lunch we took the tram up to the Vienna State Opera House. We weren’t able to go inside as there was a performance happening, but we ended up chatting with a ticket salesman outside. You can of course buy tickets to the traditional operas, but they are performed in German and are several hours long. Instead, we purchased tickets for a show at a different theater that featured live music, opera, and dancing, highlighting Austria’s most well-known pieces (more on this later). We also stopped by the Hofburg, a Hapsburg-era palace that you can tour – we opted not to go inside in the interest of time.
We also paid a visit to the Austrian National Library, which I do believe is a must-see if you are in Vienna. It costs about $13 (10 euros) to enter but it is so worth the money. My dad had no idea what to expect, but afterwards said this was his favorite thing we saw in Vienna!
Next we took the tram to Schonbrunn Palace, which is *quite* expensive at $45 (38 euros) per person. Tickets do include a handheld audio guide and are done by timed entry – it is recommended to book your ticket well in advance, particularly if you are traveling during a busy tourist season. Ultimately, I did think a visit to this palace is worth the steep price tag. The audio guide is very informative, and you can pick and choose which rooms you want to use the guide, so it’s very customizable.
There was another Christmas market set up on the palace grounds, so we walked around most of the vendor stalls and, of course, had another hot beverage. This ended up being our dinner, so we ordered crepes and washed them down with – sue me! – another mulled wine.
We still had a bit of time before our Viennese opera show, so we visited Brasserie Palmenhaus Wien for a cocktail. This is a gorgeous bar/restaurant set in an old tropical greenhouse and is right next to the Hofburg palace, so it’s a great spot to grab a drink or a meal.
Finally, we attended the opera and musical performance we had booked tickets for earlier. The performers in this show were all extremely talented, and the switches between opera, dance, and music kept us very entertained. While this is definitely more touristy than the traditional opera, I liked the fact that we recognized most of the songs and felt more involved in the performance.
One of the highlights of staying at the Andaz was its rooftop bar and restaurant. The bar has both an indoor and outdoor seating area and has a really nice vibe. We cheers-ed to a fantastic day and the (almost) end of our time in Vienna.
Day 3: Goodbye Vienna, hello Bratislava!
The next morning, we took our time getting ready and packing up before having lunch at Cyclist, a cute little cafe on the Andaz property. We shared a delicious burger and fries before heading right next door to the train station. Our trip continued in Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia, which is only about 45 minutes by train from Vienna. I’ll have a separate blog post all about my time in Bratislava, but I would highly recommend visiting as a day trip at minimum!
I thought Vienna was a gorgeous city! It’s the perfect place to start exploring Austria before visiting places like Hallstatt, Innsbruck, or Salzburg. Vienna is also very well-connected via train, so you can get to places like Bratislava, Prague, and Budapest within a few hours. If you have any questions or want help planning your own trip to Vienna, please let me know!