Vienna in 3 Days

Vienna is a carefully measured city, and three days are enough if you order them the way the empire did: the inner city inside the Ring on day one, Schönbrunn and the Maria Theresa museums on day two, Belvedere and the Prater on day three. Every stop opens its full page with prices, times and directions. Two tips save you hours: book a timed Schönbrunn slot before you travel, and buy a 72-hour transport ticket on arrival — the U-Bahn reaches everything here.

1Day 1

1St. Stephen's CathedralStart at the exact centre: U1 or U3 to Stephansplatz. Go in early, before the groups.

2AnkeruhrSeven minutes on foot. Arrive at exactly noon and all twelve figures parade together — once a day only.

3Hofburg PalaceThe Habsburgs' winter seat for six centuries. One ticket covers the Imperial Apartments, the Sisi Museum and the silver collection.

4Sisi MuseumInside the Hofburg and covered by its ticket — Empress Elisabeth's story, away from the tourist myth.

5Imperial TreasuryAnother Hofburg wing, separate ticket: the crown of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg jewels.

6Austrian National LibraryThe Baroque State Hall, minutes away — one of the world's most beautiful library rooms, and rarely crowded.

7Vienna State Opera houseEnd the day here. For a performance, standing tickets go on sale about an hour before curtain for a token price — the cheapest opera experience in Europe.

2Day 2

1Schönbrunn PalaceU4 to Schönbrunn at opening. Entry is by timed slot — book before you travel; slots sell out in season.

2Imperial Carriage MuseumInside the Schönbrunn grounds: the gilded coronation coaches and Sisi's carriage — twenty minutes that complete the palace visit.

3Maria-Theresien-PlatzMetro back to the Ring. The square sits between two exactly identical museums — the clearest display of imperial symmetry in Vienna.

4Kunsthistorisches MuseumAustria's foremost art museum, holding the largest gathering of Bruegels anywhere. Allow at least two and a half hours.

5MuseumsQuartierCross the road: wide courtyards with the coloured benches Viennese people sit on — the best ticket-free break in the city.

6Leopold MuseumInside the MuseumsQuartier: the world's largest Egon Schiele collection, plus Klimt. Take it if you have energy for a second museum.

3Day 3

1BelvedereStart early: Klimt's The Kiss hangs in the Upper Belvedere, and everyone stops in front of it — be among the first through the door.

2KarlskircheTen minutes on foot. A lift inside takes you up to dome level to see the frescoes from a metre away — a rare thing anywhere.

3StadtparkA quiet park on the Ring, and a comfortable stop between the church and the Hundertwasser quarter.

4Monument to Johann Strauss IIInside the same park: the gilded statue of the waltz king — the most photographed monument in Vienna after Sisi.

5HundertwasserhausTram 1 east. A housing block with no straight lines and trees growing out of its windows — viewed from outside only.

6PraterU1 to Praterstern. The park is free to enter and you pay only for what you ride — ideal with children.

7Wiener RiesenradEnd the trip with a turn on the giant wheel at sunset — all of Vienna beneath you, from a wooden cabin of 1897.