In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Day 1, the Hofburg and the old centre: the Spanish Riding School Morning Exercise (Tuesday to Friday at 10:00), the Sisi Museum (fixed time; the museum rooms are closed to 18 November), the Imperial Treasury (timed, closed Tuesdays), St Stephen’s North Tower and State Opera standing places in the evening. Day 2, Schönbrunn: the Palace Ticket at a fixed time, the park and the Gloriette, an Orangery concert. Day 3: the Kunsthistorisches Museum (timed slot), the Belvedere (timed slot) and the Riesenrad at dusk. Monday and Tuesday each close something. Or book a tour: the Schönbrunn Palace and gardens skip-the-line tourad is from €63, and the Sisi Museum, Hofburg and gardens tourad is from €52.16.
Before you go: what to book
| Booking | Book | Price | Hours and closing days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schönbrunn Palace | Online at imperialtickets.com, for a fixed admission time | Palace Ticket €42; Classic Pass €49 to 2 Nov 2026 | Daily; 8:30 to 17:30 to 2 Nov, 8:30 to 17:00 from 3 Nov |
| Sisi Museum | Online, fixed time | €15 | Museum rooms closed 6 Oct to 18 Nov 2026; new route from 19 Nov |
| Kunsthistorisches Museum | Timed slot at shop.khm.at | €22 online, €24 at the museum | Daily 10:00 to 18:00; Thursday to 21:00 |
| Imperial Treasury | Timed slot, same shop | €16 online, €18 on site | Closed Tuesdays |
| Belvedere | Slot for the Upper and Lower Belvedere at belvedere.at | Upper €23, Lower €20, both €32 | Upper daily 9:00 to 18:00; Belvedere 21 closed Mondays |
| Spanish Riding School | srs.at; a performance can sell out | Morning Exercise from €17; performance seats €50 to €188 | Morning Exercise Tuesday to Friday at 10:00; performances selected weekends at 11:00 |
| State Opera standing places | On the day only | €13, €15 or €18 | Online from 10:00, or at the desk from 80 minutes before |
| Hofburgkapelle Mass | Seats online; standing places free from 8:30 | €14 to €52 | Sundays at 9:15; the Girls Choir sings on some |
| Riesenrad | No reservation | €17 flexible; dated from €14.50 | Daily; hours vary by season |
The Vienna City Card does not pay back on this plan. It saves €1.50 each at the Sisi Museum and the Upper Belvedere and costs €1 more each at the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Imperial Treasury, and the 72-hour card is €11.80 above a 7 Days VIENNA ticket (€25.20) for the transport.
Fitting the plan to your dates
- Monday: Belvedere 21, the Secession and, from October to May, the Prunksaal are closed. The Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Treasury, the Albertina and the Leopold Museum are open. There is no Morning Exercise.
- Tuesday: the Leopold Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Imperial Treasury are closed. The Morning Exercise runs. Put the Treasury on another day.
- Wednesday: the Albertina is open to 21:00. The Secession is free on the first Wednesday of the month (4 November and 2 December 2026).
- Thursday: the Kunsthistorisches Museum is open to 21:00.
- Friday: the Albertina is open to 21:00.
- Saturday: performances at the Riding School on selected Saturdays at 11:00.
- Sunday: the Hofburgkapelle Mass is at 9:15. St Stephen’s sightseeing runs only from 13:00. There is no Morning Exercise, and the shops are shut. The Naschmarkt stalls are shut too.
- Public holidays: 26 October and 1 November 2026, and 8 December (shops 10:00 to 18:00).
- 2 November: the Classic Pass at Schönbrunn, the Maze and the Gloriette end for the season.
- 19 November: the Sisi Museum rooms reopen.
Day 1: the Hofburg and the old centre
The sights on this day are close together in the first district.
The Spanish Riding School Morning Exercise
From €17 · Tuesday to Friday at 10:00 · about 60 minutes · Michaelerplatz 1
The public part of the daily training of the Lipizzaner horses, with music. The school jumps are rarely shown. Cameras and recording equipment are forbidden. On a Saturday or Sunday, book a performance instead, or hear the Sunday Mass at 9:15. See Spanish Riding School tickets.
The Michaelertor of the Hofburg on Michaelerplatz. Photo: According2facts, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Sisi Museum and the Imperial Apartments
€15 · fixed admission time · 10:00 to 16:30 during the works
The day ticket covers the Imperial Apartments and the Sisi Museum. From 6 October to 18 November 2026 only the Imperial Apartments are open, and the new route opens on 19 November. Bags and suitcases are not allowed in and there is no left luggage. See the Sisi Museum and Hofburg.
The Imperial Treasury
€16 online · timed slot · closed Tuesdays
The crowns, coronation robes and the treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece, in the Hofburg’s Schweizerhof. The Kunsthistorisches Museum’s combined “Treasures of the Habsburgs” ticket is €32 for both: see Kunsthistorisches Museum tickets.
St Stephen’s Cathedral
€8 a tower · no booking · towers 9:00 to 19:00
Take the North Tower, which has a lift to the platform with the Pummerin bell, or climb the 343 steps of the South Tower. The self-guided visit is €8, the catacombs are by tour only, and the all-inclusive ticket is €29. See St Stephen’s Cathedral tickets.
State Opera standing places
€13, €15 or €18 · from 10:00 online or 80 minutes before
435 places are sold only on the day, each with a subtitle screen with English. There is no dress code. See Vienna State Opera tickets. If the Opera is dark, a coffee house is the evening: Viennese coffee houses.
Day 2: Schönbrunn
Take the U4 to Schönbrunn or Hietzing.
Schönbrunn Palace
Palace Ticket €42 · about 75 minutes · fixed admission time · open 8:30 to 17:00 from 3 November
The Palace Ticket includes an audio guide and the whole piano nobile. Book the earliest slot, because last admission is 45 minutes before closing. To 2 November, the Classic Pass at €49 adds the Privy Garden, the Orangery Garden, the Maze and the Gloriette for 3 to 4 hours. The park is free. See Schönbrunn Palace tickets.
Schönbrunn Palace and its gardens, seen from the Gloriette. Photo: Falk2, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The zoo or the carriage museum
Zoo €29 · Imperial Carriage Museum €12 online
Schönbrunn Zoo is open every day of the year, from 9:00. The Imperial Carriage Museum is open daily, 9:00 to 17:00 to 30 November and 10:00 to 16:00 from 1 December. From 6 November the Schönbrunn Christmas market is in front of the palace: see Vienna Christmas markets.
An evening concert or a Heuriger
Orangery concert €58 to €135 · 20:30
The Schönbrunn Palace Concerts in the Orangery play Mozart and Strauss daily at 20:30 (Cat C is €58). For wine instead, tram 38 runs from Schottentor to Grinzing: see Heurigen and wine taverns. The halls’ own programmes are in Vienna classical concerts.
Day 3: the museums and the Ring
The Kunsthistorisches Museum
€22 online · timed slot · 10:00 to 18:00, Thursday to 21:00
Book a slot; the stay is unlimited. The museum is open daily in October, November and December. Allow the morning, and add the Treasury on the combination ticket if you skipped it on day 1 and it is not a Tuesday.
The main staircase of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Photo: Dguendel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
The Albertina or the Leopold Museum
Albertina €20.90 · Leopold €19 (closed Tuesdays)
Both sell tickets on the day. The Albertina is open daily, to 21:00 on Wednesday and Friday. The Leopold Museum is in the MuseumsQuartier, whose courtyards are free and open round the clock. See Vienna’s museums.
The Belvedere
Upper Belvedere €23 · slot required · daily 9:00 to 18:00
Klimt’s The Kiss is in the Upper Belvedere. Book an afternoon slot; the stay is unlimited. Everyone under 19 enters free. See Belvedere tickets.
The Upper Belvedere, reflected in the pond. Photo: Martin Falbisoner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Riesenrad at dusk
€17 flexible · 12 to 15 minutes
The Giant Ferris Wheel in the Prater has turned since 1897. The park is free, and most rides run to 31 October. See the Prater and the Riesenrad. Dinner: where to eat in Vienna.
Where to sleep and when to go
Where to stay in Vienna compares the districts, and hotels near St Stephen’s lists the hotels within 850 m of the cathedral. The best time to visit Vienna gives the weather by month. In winter, the plan shifts to the Christmas markets, New Year’s Eve and the ball season. For the way in, Vienna airport to the city and Vienna public transport; the S-Bahn through the centre is closed to the end of October 2027. Day trips from Vienna covers the trips out, and what to book before you go to Vienna is the full list. The food tours and the Vienna Pass or City Card pages have the extras.
Common questions
Is three days enough for Vienna?
For the main sights, yes. The Hofburg and St Stephen's fit in one day, Schönbrunn in another, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Belvedere and the Riesenrad in a third. Book the Schönbrunn time, the Kunsthistorisches Museum slot, the Belvedere slot and the Imperial Treasury slot before you fly.
What should I book before going to Vienna?
A time for Schönbrunn Palace (€42, fixed admission time), a timed slot for the Kunsthistorisches Museum (€22 online) and the Imperial Treasury (€16), a slot for the Upper Belvedere (€23), and a Spanish Riding School performance if you want one, which can sell out on weekends. State Opera standing places and St Stephen's are bought on the day.
Which days should I avoid for which sights?
On Tuesdays the Leopold Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Imperial Treasury are closed. On Mondays Belvedere 21 and the Secession are closed, and the Prunksaal from October to May. The Morning Exercise at the Spanish Riding School runs Tuesday to Friday, and cathedral sightseeing on Sundays starts at 13:00.
Is the Sisi Museum open?
The Imperial Apartments are open, but the Sisi Museum rooms are closed from 6 October to 18 November 2026. The new route, with 12 added rooms, opens on 19 November.
How do I get to Schönbrunn?
By U4 to Schönbrunn or Hietzing, or by bus 10A. The organiser of the Christmas market puts each U4 station about 600 m from the palace courtyard.
Does the Vienna City Card pay back on this itinerary?
No. It saves €1.50 each at the Sisi Museum and the Upper Belvedere, costs €1 more each at the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Imperial Treasury, and the 72-hour card costs €11.80 more than a 7 Days VIENNA transport ticket.
