One of Europe’s most important capitals, Vienna is known for its focus on high culture. The historic center is dense, but it’s also lovely and filled with amazing architecture including some famous palaces.
If you’ve dreamed of attending operas, classical concerts, and waltz events, Vienna should be at or near the top of your list. The schedule is lighter during summer, but even then there are concerts and whatnot going on every day and night.
Vienna is also known as a food city, especially for those who like heavier German-style fare such as Wiener schnitzel and rich deserts.
| Population | 1,600,000 |
| Area | 2,300,000 |
| Timezone | UTC+1 |
| Currency | Euro |
| Airports | Vienna International Airport (VIE) |
Most of the most famous attractions in the city are cheaper than they are in, say, Paris or Rome, but those who want to hit all the main highlights will still find it fairly expensive. Fortunately the public transportation is efficient and reasonably priced, and there are plenty of interesting things to see and do that don’t cost anything. If you want to see all of the city’s top sights in 2 or 3 days, see our Vienna Pass review as it might be your best bet.
| Rating | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
 | 26.60 - 55.32 |
| 34.04 - 61.70 |
| 42.55 - 69.15 |
| 72.34 - 162.77 |
| 229.79 - 313.83 |
Pension Liechtenstein Doubles from €70/night | |
Our pick: The best cheap and central 3-star hotel in Vienna |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Hostel Bed | 13.03 - 29.79 |
Wombats City Hostel – at The Naschmarkt Beds from €18/night | |
Our pick: The best cheap and central hostel in Vienna |
For food and drink this is a typically expensive European capital, with sit-down meals costing quite a bit, and cheaper offerings often being hard to find. The exception is the sausage stands and noodle stands, which are all over town, where a filling meal can be fast and fairly cheap.
| Budget breakfast | Many hotels will include breakfast. If not, sandwiches and sausages are good budget options. | $4.79 - $8.51 |
| Budget lunch | There's a wide variety of casual and fast-food places to choose from, usually serving local specialties. | $6.38 - $10.64 |
| Budget dinner | Dining at proper restaurants in Vienna is rarely cheap, but portions are usually large and filling, at least. | $10.64 - $19.15 |
| Beer (.5l glass) | Very good local lager is served most places. | $3.72 - $6.38 |
| Table wine (bottle) | Decent quality table wine can be affordable in many restaurants, and even cheaper in markets. | $5.32 - $10.64 |
| Bratwurst | There are little sausage kiosks all over town, with relatively cheap beer as well. | $3.72 - $5.32 |
The free (tips-based) walking tours of Vienna are a great way to get oriented and see most of the famous buildings within the Ring Road in just a few hours.
The tram that simply goes around the Ring Road is a great DIY tour, although you’ll have to get a printed or audio guide to know all of the best highlights.
The hop-on, hop-off bus tours are also recommended. One route even includes Prater Park and its famous Ferris wheel and it’s included in the same price.
| Month | High F | Low F | PRECIP (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37 | 28 | 1.5 |
| February | 41 | 30 | 1.6 |
| March | 51 | 36 | 1.8 |
| April | 59 | 42 | 2.0 |
| May | 69 | 51 | 2.4 |
| June | 74 | 56 | 2.8 |
| July | 78 | 60 | 2.7 |
| August | 78 | 60 | 2.3 |
| September | 69 | 53 | 2.1 |
| October | 58 | 45 | 1.6 |
| November | 46 | 36 | 2.0 |
| December | 39 | 31 | 1.7 |
Vienna has a pleasant climate through most of the year, and summer is definitely the busiest season. Days are warm and humid, but rarely so hot that it becomes problematic. Spring and fall are usually quite mild, with low rainfall in general. Winters can get cold, but accumulations of snow are rare so as long as you are dressed properly you should be fine.
| 21 Mar | 5:56am | 6:08pm |
| 21 Jun | 4:54am | 8:59pm |
| 21 Sep | 6:39am | 6:55pm |
| 21 Dec | 7:42am | 4:03pm |
Hotels in Vienna are rather expensive at the mid and upper ranges of things, but some bargains do exist in the lower reaches. You’re likely to be staying outside of the main ring road area, so you’ll sacrifice some time going back and forth, though it does keep your budget more intact. Vienna hostels can be good bargains, however, as can private rooms at those hostels.
Hotels in Vienna stay fairly crowded all year long, except for mid January through March, when some pretty good deals are available. Generally the high season for Vienna hotels lasts from April through October, but also includes all major holiday periods. Hostels typically don’t vary their rates much at all through the year.
| Rating | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| 26.60 - 55.32 |
| 34.04 - 61.70 |
| 42.55 - 69.15 |
| 72.34 - 162.77 |
| 229.79 - 313.83 |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Hostel Bed | 13.03 - 29.79 |
Vienna has a large and busy airport, which is only 18 km outside the city center.
Perhaps even more popular are train arrivals since Vienna is within fairly easy reach of Salzburg, Prague, Munich, and Budapest, which are all great destinations as well.
Vienna’s historic center is flat and compact so it’s easily walkable for most visitors.
The city has a tram system that goes around the Ring Road (which surrounds the historic center) and goes out in all directions from there.
Vienna also has a modern metro system, although it’s more useful for commuters than tourists since it mainly just connects the suburbs to the city center.
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Taxi from airport to city center | 26.60 - 31.91 |
| Commuter train from airport to city center | 4.47 |
| Express train from airport to city center | 11.70 |
| 3km taxi ride in Vienna | 8.51 - 12.77 |
| Public transport ride in Vienna | 2.55 |
| All-day public transport card | 8.51 |