Location: Vienna
Top Things to do in Vienna
Countries
Things to do in Vienna, Vienna Region: The Best Historic Sites
In Vienna, the coffee house isn’t just a hangout: it’s an institution. Lingering over a newspaper with a pastry and a strong espresso drink is, according to UNESCO, officially a Viennese cultural pastime. Walk off your slice of Sachertorte with a self-guided tour of the city’s stunning traditional, Secessionist, and modern architecture, such as the Imperial Palace, the State Opera House, the Kirche am Steinhof, or the Kunsthistorisches Museum, an exercise in ornate geometry.
Restaurants in Vienna
1. Sigmund Freud Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 12 reviews
Newly renovated and enlarged, now open again since August 29: Sigmund Freud's former home and practice, now offering new permanent an temporary exhibitions and making accessible all rooms where the Freud family lived and worked for the first time. Learn all on Psychoanalysis, the Freud family's life and the world famous house Berggasse 19. New objects, artifacts and furniture on display!
2. Belvedere Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 17,493 reviews
The two Belvedere palaces were built in the early eighteenth century by the famous Baroque architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt to be used as the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736). One of Europe’s most stunning Baroque landmarks, this ensemble – comprising the Upper and Lower Belvedere and an extensive garden – is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today the Belvedere houses the greatest collection of Austrian art dating from the Middle Ages to the present day, complemented by the work of international artists such as Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Max Beckmann. Highlights from the holdings Vienna 1880–1914 are the world’s largest collection of Gustav Klimt’s paintings (including the famous golden Art Nouveau icons the Kiss (Lovers) and Judith) and works by Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka. Key works of French Impressionism and the greatest collection of Viennese Biedermeier art are further attractions on display at the Upper Belvedere.
Reviewed By Worldtravel1234567
Beautiful palace and excellent collection of Austrian painters including an extensive Klimt collection and the famous Kiss artwork. Do not miss!
3. Ringstrasse
4. Votivkirche
5. Spittelberg Quarter
6. Haydnhaus
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 71 reviews
Reviewed By 2006Oz
For any lovers of classical music, particularly the music of Joseph Haydn, this is a must visit. Haydn lost his job at Esterhazy when the orchestra there was disbanded. But he was then a free man & could retire with a pension in Vienna. He bought what was then a little cottage in the country outside Vienna in 1796 with the money that he'd earned during his very successful visit to England. He added an additional floor, where he lived with his wife (no children), & presumably his cook & secretary lived on the ground floor. He was there till he died in 1809. On visiting you get a real sense of his life at that time - his working routine, his musical sketches & finished scores, his friends, his wit, his generosity & his music. I found particularly touching his instructions for the final movement of his last string quartet - his writing, which had previously been so precise, had degenerated to a scrawl down the page. Also, the information that the aristocratic Esterhazys, for whom he had origially been little higher than a barber or wigmaker, had become so fond of him that they made the journey to Gumpendorf to visit the dear old man. You leave with a sense of wanting to have met Papa Haydn. This museum also has a back room dedicated to Johannes Brahms. It contains a portrait & some contemporary furniture not owned by Brahms, but not much else. Have a look but don't waste too much time there.
7. Church of the Teutonic Order
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 64 reviews
Reviewed By VoixDuChocolat - Walla Walla, United States
First, be advised that, at this writing, the Treasury is open only for two-hour time slots, one slot per day for five days a week (be sure you check the website for details). There are only a few rooms, but give yourself time here. You'll want to linger over the Papal bull, the elaborate tableware, the bejeweled weaponry, the wax imprints of nobles' seals, the coins, and more. A gorgeous collection and well worth your time.
8. Maria Am Gestade
9. Imperial Crypt
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,385 reviews
Reviewed By 793wendyd - Hockley, United Kingdom
My husband taught and studied the history of this period so it was a fascinating visit for him. For me, too, from an artistic and philosophical point of view. The crypt isn’t creepy or scary, though it’s calm and it made us feel reflective. The memorials, a ‘story’ of the Hapsburg family, starts with many small coffins, a sombre reminder of the high childhood mortality rate of previous generations. The crypt (also known as the Capuchin Crypt) is very well signed and arranged in roughly chronological order. The wonderfully extravagant tomb of Maria Theresa, mother of Emperor Josef and Queen Marie Antoinette of France is impressive. It contrasts with that of her son, a man of the enlightenment, aware of the people’s needs, a simple sarcophagus. Empress Sisi’s coffin is bedecked with flowers and notes and the tour finished recent coffins, with an empty plinth, ready for the next Hapsburg family member. A reminder that these lives are still going on, the family has lost its C18 power and position but is still a force in Austrian life. Such an interesting place to visit.
10. Historic Center of Vienna
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 19,008 reviews
The historic centre of Vienna is rich in beautiful architecture, including Baroque castles and gardens, as well as the late-19th-century Ringstrasse lined with grand buildings, monuments and parks.
Reviewed By X1157PNdeanw - Birmingham, United Kingdom
Everything you could want from a pre Christmas trip - beautiful architechture, fantasitc places to visit (we loved watching the morning workout at the Spanish Riding School); great christmas markets and a good selection of places to eat
