Attractions in Vienna

The Parliament

Built in neo-Greek style, the Parliament building is designed to remind politicians of democratic values. Opposite the main entrance there is a fountain with a statue of Athena, the goddess of wisdom. The Parliament was completely destroyed in World War II and restored in the middle of the last century. The building is currently under repair until 2020 and closed for visitors.

The Vienna City Hall and Square

The Vienna City Hall is a magnificent neo-Gothic building topped by more than a hundred-meter tall tower. It is one of the main symbols of the capital and the venue for over 800 concerts, festivals and balls a year. A large Christmas market takes place in the square in front of it. The tour of the city hall is held three times a week. Free audio guides in several European languages are available.

The Belvedere Palace

The Belvedere Palace is a baroque masterpiece, called by the locals "the Austrian Versailles". Here, in 1955, the Austrian Independence Treaty was signed. Today it houses the National gallery and its collection of Gustav Klimt’s paintings. The original decor of the castle has been preserved to this day.

The Schönbrunn Palace and Zoo

The Schönbrunn Palace is the former residence of the Habsburg dynasty and Austria's most visited attraction. After the monarchy had fallen in 1918, the park and the palace were opened to the public. The park territory includes several gardens, the Imperial Carriage Museum, a labyrinth, the palm house and a desert pavilion, as well as the oldest zoo in Europe.

The Hofburg Palace + Imperial Treasury

There are nineteen palaces on the territory of the winter imperial residence of Hofburg, built during different periods of the Habsburg rule. The pearl of the residence is the imperial treasury with the warders, crowns and mantles of the rulers of the Roman Empire and Austro-Hungary, as well as the holy artifacts of Christians. Hofburg is now the main residence of the President of Austria.

The Vienna State Opera

Inaugurated as the Vienna Court Opera under the rule of the Habsburgs, it is nowadays the State Opera offering more than 60 different operas and ballet performances during 300 days of the season. Such program is one-of-a-kind in the word. After the restoration was completed in 1955, the opera resumed the tradition of holding annual balls.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral

Austria's most significant Gothic structure, 107 meters high, this cathedral is also the final abode of emperors, princes, cardinals and archbishops. Visitors can see the exhibited relics, robes and liturgical books decorated with precious stones. The top of the tower offers excellent view of the roof, which is embellished with the coats of arms of Vienna and Austria, and the city around.

The Albertina Museum

Founded in the 18th century by Prince Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen, this museum owns one of the world's largest collections of graphic art and paintings by da Vinci, Michelangelo, Santi, Rembrandt, Durer, Schiele, Cezanne and many other prominent artists. There are always several exhibitions held at the museum. In 2003, a long reconstruction was completed, giving the gallery a modern look.

The Prater Amusement Park

The highlight of the Prater is the giant Ferris wheel, installed in 1897 and preserved to this day. Since then, the park has constantly been amazing visitors by adding extraordinary attractions and rides. Today, there are already over 250 of them. This is the favorite place for pastime both for thrillseekers and families with small children.

The Art History Museum

The museum houses collections of antique monuments, archaeological artifacts of ancient Egypt and the Near East, numismatic rarities, as well as a picture gallery of international significance with works by Western European artists of the 14th-18th centuries. The foundation of these collections was laid by the Austrian imperial house. The building is part of the architectural ensemble of Maria Theresia Square.

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum

Madame Tussauds™ has opened its branch in Vienna only in 2011. Among the presented sculptures are both historical figures and our famous contemporaries. Anyone can take a picture with Empress Sissy, Mozart, Angelina Jolie, and visit the workshop to learn the secrets of handling wax.

The Burgtheater

The Court Theater at Hofburg is the second oldest theater in Europe after the Comédie-Française and the largest one in Austria. After the World War II, it was fully rebuilt and resumed its work in 1955. The interior is decorated with works by Gustav Klimt, which miraculously survived during the bombing. The program is based on German and foreign drama.

The Votive Church

This neo-Gothic church was built by Emperor Franz Joseph as a thanksgiving for survival in an assassination attempt. Donations for the construction were collected from 300,000 citizens of the city, and the emperor himself laid the first stone. Inside there is a wooden carved altar of the 15th century, which the visitors can hear both at the daily service and during the monthly concert of classical music.

St. Charles Church

St. Charles Church was constructed in honor of the canonized Cardinal Borromeo, who cared for the dying during the Great Plague. Its distinguishing characteristic is the combination of elements of various eras and styles, such as ancient Greek, Roman, Baroque and Islamic. Inside the visitors can see an exhibition of religious attributes and belongings of the cardinal.

The Mozart’s House

This apartment building in the historical center of Vienna is one of many Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived in, but the only one that has survived to this day. Here he hosted social engagements and wrote The Marriage of Figaro. The renovators reproduced the atmosphere of the end of the 18th century, so that visitors can see the conditions in which the famous composer lived and worked.

Café Sacher

This is the only place in the world that has the right to make Sacher Cake according to the original recipe of its creator. The cafe is located at the hotel with the same name, founded by Eduard Sacher – the son of the inventive confectioner. Under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian monarchs, it was among the suppliers to imperial court. The building is situated right behind the Vienna State Opera.

The Museum District

The Museum District is a cultural complex separated from noisy streets. These premises have earlier served as court stables for the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. The museums from different areas of the city, such as the Museum of Modern Art (MUMOK), the Leopold Museum, and Kunsthalle moved here in 2001. The central courtyard is an outdoor recreation area.

The Vienna Wood

The oak-beech forest, also called the “green lungs of Vienna”, is a UNESCO-protected natural area, known since antiquity and inhabited since the 8th century. The woods used to be a hunting territory for the nobility, and later – a popular place for walks of Kafka, Freud and the whole city. Today people come here to relax in the bosom of nature, gather mushrooms and enjoy the view from the observation deck. The total area of the woods is 1250 km2.

The City Park and the Johann Strauss Monument

Decorated in the old English style, the city park is an oasis for relaxation in the heart of the city. Above the picturesque alleys and flower beds stands a gilded statue of the King of Waltz, Johann Strauss. It is noteworthy that in 1921 the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra gathered for opening of the monument to perform his waltz On the Beautiful Blue Danube.

The Butterfly House

The house of colorful tropical butterflies is located in the Palm Pavilion of Burggarten Park. It is inhabited by approximately 500 specimens, information on which is presented on the stands. As the butterflies require special environment that closely resembles their natural habitat, the temperature is kept at 27°C and the humidity 80%. The most outstanding specimen of the collection is a giant Atlas butterfly with a wingspan of up to 25 cm.

The Sigmund Freud Museum

The museum in the former apartment of the father of psychoanalysis provides an opportunity to take a close look at his cultural environment, manuscripts and films about the private life of the family. Sigmund Freud had been living in this apartment for over 40 years, until he had to flee from the Nazis to the United Kingdom, where he finished his works and days. From March 1, 2019 to May 2020, the museum is closed due to reparation, and exhibits are displayed in two nearby locations.

The Leopold Museum

The elegant white cube-shaped building is the most visited museum in the Museum District. Equipped with the latest technology, it keeps the works of modernists and expressionists, including the largest collection of Egon Schiele in the world. Its foundation was laid on a private collection of paintings owned by the Leopold family, which in the amount of five thousand pieces was bought by the government and declared the property of the Republic of Austria.

The Danube Tower

This TV tower-like spire is nothing else but the tallest building in the city! The best view of Vienna opens from the observation deck at an altitude of 155 meters, from the Panorama cafe or the Danube Waltz restaurant with a panoramic view; however, tables must to be booked in advance. The total height of the structure reaches 252 meters.

The Hundertwasser House

A house without a single straight line is the embodiment of the ideal architectural concept of Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who was convinced that it was hard for people to live in standard boxhouses. Bright colors and symbiosis with nature are also distinctive features of the famous artist and architect’s style. Beside the house is the Hundertwasser Village with a museum of his works and a souvenir shop.

The Sissi Museum

The exhibition focuses on the private life of the Empress, revealed through numerous clothes and other personal belongings, such as a coronation dress, sports equipment, a harp, a set of watercolor paints and much more. Some of the items brought from Bavaria date back to the early youth of the future empress, but visitors can also see her mourning clothes and even a death mask.

The Kahlenberg Hill

On the outskirts of Vienna's Döbling district there is the Kahlenberg hill, the observation platform of which overlooks the vineyards and the whole city underneath from a birds eye view. At its foot lay the Vienna Woods and shines the riverbed of the Danube. The height of the hill is less than half a kilometer, and a gentle slope allows climbing to the top on foot. For the best view, it is recommended to choose a clear sunny day.

The House of the Sea

The House of the Sea is an oceanarium, a terrarium and a zoo located in former flak towers. 10,000 animals live here in conditions close to natural. The history of the construction and use of towers during the war is displayed as well. The top floor offers panoramic views of Vienna.

The Schwarzenberg Square

The two main attractions of the square are a high-jet fountain dedicated to the nineteenth-century technological progress – the construction of the Vienna pipeline – and a monument to Soviet soldiers-liberators who participated in the offensive operation in 1945. In the center of the memorial there is a figure of a soldier, surrounded by a white colonnade. 17 thousand Soviet soldiers died in the battle for Vienna.

The University of Vienna

This is one of the oldest universities in Europe, founded in 1365, and the largest in the number of students among German-speaking countries. The Austrian School of Economics and the Vienna School of Art History were born within its walls, and nine of its graduates became Nobel laureates. The University of Vienna library has over 6,7 million items and, along with the Austrian National Library, is one of the largest in the country.

The Vienna University of Economics and Business

This University, founded in 1898, has for many years been among the top 50 educational institutions in the world. Statesmen, Nobel laureates and some of the wealthiest businessmen of the world received their knowledge here. Nowadays 23% of students are citizens of other countries.