Vienna old town walk: from Stephansplatz to the State Opera through the Innere Stadt, with what is open each day

One of 2 self-guided walks in Vienna. See every walk.

In this guide

💡 The Short Version: Start at Stephansplatz and finish at the State Opera: 2.8 km, about 35 minutes of walking and a day with the visits. Go Wednesday to Friday: the Imperial Treasury is shut on Tuesdays, and the Prunksaal is shut on Mondays from October to May (it opens on Mondays in December 2026). The Treasury sells timed tickets only (€16), and the Sisi Museum rooms are closed to 18 November, with only the Imperial Apartments open. The cathedral costs €8 and is open to sightseers at set times; the Burggarten shuts at 17:30 until the end of February. The squares and streets are free. Or book a tour: the Vienna city centre highlights walking tourad is from €24 for 2 hours.

The route

Map of the walk numbered stops in walking order

Open the whole route in Google Maps - all the stops in walking order, set to walking directions, which is the version to put on your phone.

The Innere Stadt is Vienna’s first district, the area inside the Ringstrasse. The route runs west from the cathedral along the Graben to Am Hof and the Kohlmarkt, through the Hofburg, and south by the Albertina and the Burggarten to the Opera. Prices are the adult rate in euros from each operator.

Walk it with a guide

A guide adds the stories, and none of these includes entry to the sights above unless it says so. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.

• Vienna: Guided Walking Tour of City Center Highlightsad: from €24, 4.7 stars from 5,693 reviews, 2 hours. It takes in where Mozart lived and St Stephen’s Cathedral.
• Vienna: Guided Walking Tour of City Highlights & Hidden Gemsad: from €23.76, 4.8 stars from 4,302 reviews, 2 hours. It passes the grand entrance of the Hofburg, the Spanish Riding School and the State Opera.
• Vienna: Skip-the-Line Sisi Museum, Hofburg and Gardens Tourad: from €48, 4.8 stars from 8,036 reviews, 2 to 2.5 hours. It includes the Sisi Museum, the Imperial Apartments, the courtyards and the gardens.
• Good Vienna Tours runs a free walk on tips, in English daily at 10:00 and 14:00 from Albertinaplatz. Vienna walking tours compares it with the paid and themed walks.

1. Stephansplatz and the cathedral

Visit €8 · towers €8 each · catacombs €8 · building open 6:00 to 22:00 · Stephansplatz 3

The building is open Monday to Saturday from 6:00 to 22:00 and on Sundays and holidays from 7:00, but sightseeing is at set times: Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 11:30 and 13:00 to 16:30, Sundays and holidays 13:00 to 16:30. The independent visit has a phone audio guide. Each tower is open daily 9:00 to 19:00: the South Tower is 343 steps, and the North Tower has a lift to the Pummerin bell. The catacombs are visited on a public tour only, and the English cathedral tour is at 10:30 from Monday to Friday. Nothing needs booking, and suitcases and trolley bags are not allowed in. The Giant’s Gate, the main portal on the Romanesque west front, dates from about 1230 to 1240. St Stephen’s Cathedral tickets has the €29 all-inclusive ticket and the order that works.

The Giant’s Gate, the Romanesque west portal of St Stephen’s Cathedral. Photo: Gryffindor, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5.

• The Cathedral Museum, at Stephansplatz 6, is open daily except Thursday 10:00 to 18:00, Thursday to 20:00, and shut on holidays.
• Christmas market: about 40 booths stand on the square from 6 November to 26 December 2026, daily 11:00 to 21:00, to 16:00 on 24 December and to 19:00 on 25 and 26 December. See Vienna Christmas markets.

2. The Graben and the Plague Column

Free · Peterskirche free, Monday to Friday 8:00 to 19:00, Saturday and Sunday 9:00 to 19:00 · Petersplatz 6

The Graben is 380 m west of the cathedral, a pedestrian street whose name means ditch: it follows the filled-in moat of the Roman camp of Vindobona. The Plague Column in the middle is the vow of Emperor Leopold I during the plague of 1679. The first column was wood, and the marble one was consecrated on 29 October 1693.

• The Peterskirche is 80 m north of the column, a Baroque church built from 1701 to 1733 to plans by Lukas von Hildebrandt. It is free to enter.

3. Am Hof

Square free · Christmas market 13 November to 23 December 2026 · Bognergasse 5 for Zum Schwarzen Kameel

The square is 370 m from the Plague Column. It has been a market place since about 1280, after the Habsburgs moved from the old Babenberg residence on this site to the Hofburg. The Marian column and the Jesuits’ old church, the Church am Hof, stand on it. The Christmas market has more than 70 exhibitors and is open Monday to Thursday 11:00 to 21:00, Friday to Sunday and holidays 10:00 to 21:00, with food to 22:00. The route returns along Bognergasse, past Zum Schwarzen Kameel.

The Church am Hof and the Marian column on Am Hof. Photo: Thomas Ledl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 AT.

• The Freyung market, the Old Viennese Christmas Market, is a few minutes away: see Vienna Christmas markets.

4. The Kohlmarkt and Demel

Street free · Demel daily 10:00 to 19:00, no reservations · Kohlmarkt 14

The Kohlmarkt runs straight to the Michaelertor of the Hofburg, and its shops are shut on Sundays. Demel is the court confectioner’s café, with its own Sachertorte and a case of cakes that includes the Dobos, Esterházy and Anna. A stand outside sells Kaiserschmarrn to take away, in the same hours. Demel takes no reservations, so on a busy afternoon the wait is at the door. See Viennese coffee houses for the others.

5. Michaelerplatz

Square free · Sisi Museum day ticket €15 to 18 November 2026 · Riding School visitor centre daily 9:00 to 16:00

The domed Michaelertor is the Hofburg’s main façade towards the city, and the entrances for the Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments and for the Spanish Riding School’s visitor centre are under the dome. The Burgtheater stood in the Hofburg wing on this square until 1888, when it moved to the Ring: see the Ringstrasse walk.

• Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments: the museum rooms are closed from 6 October to 18 November 2026, and the €15 day ticket covers the Imperial Apartments, open daily 10:00 to 16:30 with the last admission at 16:00, at a fixed admission time. The redesigned route, with 12 added rooms, opens on 19 November, and the prices change that day. Bags and suitcases are not allowed in, and there is no left luggage. The Sisi Museum and Hofburg has the tickets.
• The Looshaus, at Michaelerplatz 3, was built from 1909 to 1911 by Adolf Loos. Emperor Franz Joseph called its bare upper façade, with no frames round the windows, the house without eyebrows.
• Roman Vienna: excavations on the square in 1990 and 1991 found Roman houses of the 2nd to 5th centuries.

6. The Hofburg courtyards

Courtyards free · Imperial Treasury €16 online, €18 on site, shut Tuesdays · Hofburgkapelle Mass Sundays 9:15

Go through the Michaelertor into In der Burg, the courtyard enclosed by the Swiss Wing, the Leopoldine wing, the Amalienburg and the Chancellery wing, with the monument to Emperor Franz in the middle. The Swiss Gate leads on to the Schweizerhof, the oldest part of the Hofburg, built in the second quarter of the 13th century as a castle. It is 230 m from the Michaelerplatz.

The monument to Emperor Franz in the courtyard In der Burg, with the Amalienburg’s clock tower. Photo: Dguendel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

The Imperial Treasury is in the Schweizerhof. It is open daily except Tuesday from 9:00 to 17:30, admission is up to 30 minutes before closing, and since 1 April 2026 it sells timed tickets only: €16 online, €18 on site, under-19s free. It shows the Austrian Imperial Crown, the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire, the coronation robes and the treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The €32 “Treasures of the Habsburgs” ticket adds the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

• The Hofburgkapelle is also in the Schweizerhof. The Mass is on Sundays at 9:15, with free standing places from 8:30 and seats at €14 to €52, and the Vienna Boys’ Choir sings at some of them: see the Vienna Boys’ Choir.

7. Josefsplatz

Prunksaal €12 · Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 to 18:00, Thursday to 21:00 · closed Mondays October to May · Josefsplatz 1

The Josefsplatz is 150 m on from the Schweizerhof. It was named in 1786 after Joseph II, whose equestrian monument by Franz Anton Zauner was unveiled in 1807. The Prunksaal, the Austrian National Library’s State Hall, is almost 80 m long and 20 m high, with about 200,000 historic books. It is closed on Mondays from October to May, but opens on Mondays in December 2026, 9:00 to 18:00. On 18 November 2026 it opens at 12:00, on 19 November it closes at 14:00, and on 24 December it is open 9:00 to 15:00.

The Prunksaal of the Austrian National Library. Photo: Herbert Frank, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

• The Spanish Riding School has an entrance on the square. The Morning Exercise is on Tuesday to Friday at 10:00 from €17, and the English tour is €24 for about an hour, most days. Spanish Riding School tickets says which ticket gets which entrance.

8. The Albertina

€20.90 · daily 10:00 to 18:00, Wednesday and Friday to 21:00 · Albertinaplatz 1

Walk 280 m along Augustinerstraße. For about 100 years the building was the residence of Habsburg archdukes, and 20 of its Habsburg State Rooms are part of the visit. The ticket is €20.90, and under-19s are free. The Albertina has no closed day, and on 24 December it is open 10:00 to 14:00. Public guided tours are €6 on top of the entry, and a smartphone guide is €5. Vienna museums has the exhibitions and the Albertina Modern.

9. The Burggarten

Garden free · Butterfly House €10 · garden daily 7:00 to 17:30 from 1 November to 28 February

Enter from Hanuschgasse, beside the Albertina, and cross the garden to the Mozart monument by the Opernring: 520 m from the Albertina. The garden opens 6:00 to 22:00 from April to October and 7:00 to 19:00 in March. The Palmenhaus, an Art Nouveau glasshouse of 1902 to 1906 by Friedrich Ohmann, holds the Butterfly House in its north wing, with about 500 free-flying butterflies. It is open daily 10:00 to 15:45 from November to March. The Mozart monument by Viktor Tilgner was unveiled on Albertinaplatz on 21 April 1896 and has stood here since 1953, with a flower bed in front planted as a treble clef.

The Palmenhaus in the Burggarten. Photo: Aconcagua, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

10. The State Opera

Tour €18 · standing places €13, €15 or €18 on the day · Opernring 2

The Opera is 410 m east of the Mozart monument, along the Opernring. The tour takes about 40 minutes for up to 30 people, in English and five other languages, and the dates for a month appear around the middle of the month before. Book online, or on site from 30 minutes before. The 435 standing places are sold only on the day, online from 10:00 or at the standing-room desk from 80 minutes before the performance, each with a subtitle screen with English. There is no dress code. Vienna State Opera tickets has the seats and the rules.

• Next: the Ringstrasse walk starts here and follows the Ring past the Burggarten to the Votivkirche.

Where to eat

Zum Schwarzen Kameel

Bognergasse 5 · bar daily 8:00 to 24:00, kitchen to 22:30 · no reservation in the bar · closed 25 December and 1 January

A delicatessen and bar on the way back from Am Hof, with ham rolls, salads and sandwiches. The brasserie takes reservations. On 24 December it closes at 14:00.

Bitzinger Würstelstand

Albertinaplatz · a sausage stand

The Vienna Tourist Board names this stand on the square between the Albertina and the Opera. At a Würstelstand the question is süß oder scharf?, sweet or hot, and it asks about the mustard. Where to eat in Vienna explains the order.

Café Sacher

Philharmonikerstraße 4 · daily 7:00 to 23:00 · reserve online

130 m behind the Opera, at the end of the walk. The Original Sacher-Torte with whipped cream is €11.50. Viennese coffee houses compares it with Demel.

The best day to go

The timing that works, Wednesday to Friday: be at the cathedral for 9:00, at Demel when it opens at 10:00, at the Treasury for a late-morning slot, and at the Prunksaal by 12:30. Take the Albertina in the afternoon, reach the Burggarten before 17:30 from November to February, and finish at the Opera for the standing-room queue. For the Morning Exercise at 10:00, start at the Michaelerplatz and do the cathedral section last.

What closes:

• Tuesdays: the Imperial Treasury.
• Mondays from October to May: the Prunksaal, except in December 2026.
• To 18 November 2026: the Sisi Museum rooms. The Imperial Apartments stay open.
• Sundays: the shops, and cathedral sightseeing before 13:00.
• 24 December: the Albertina closes at 14:00 and the Prunksaal at 15:00. Zum Schwarzen Kameel closes at 14:00, and shuts on 25 December and 1 January.
• 17:30 from November to February: the Burggarten.

What does not close: the streets and squares, the Peterskirche, and the Albertina, which has no weekly closed day. A Tuesday still makes a good walk: only the Treasury is shut.

Getting there and back

• To the start: Stephansplatz is on the U1 and U3. Vienna public transport has the tickets.
• From the end: Karlsplatz station, on the U1, U2 and U4, is at the Opera, and trams 1, 2 and D stop on the Ring outside. The U1 goes back to Stephansplatz in one stop.
• In reverse: start at the Opera and walk to the cathedral. Leave the Burggarten for the first hour and the Albertina for the end, but the Treasury’s timed tickets and the Morning Exercise fit better the way round above.

What to do with the rest of the day

• The Ring: the Ringstrasse walk starts at the Opera, where this one ends.
• The Habsburgs: the Sisi Museum and Hofburg and Schönbrunn Palace have the tickets.
• The art: the Kunsthistorisches Museum takes timed slots, and Vienna museums covers the rest.
• Guided walks: Vienna walking tours compares the free, paid and themed walks of this district.
• The days: 3 days in Vienna puts the Hofburg and the cathedral on day one, and what to book before you go to Vienna has the closed days for every sight.
• Where to sleep: hotels near St Stephen’s Cathedral lists the hotels on the route, and where to stay in Vienna compares the areas.

Common questions

How long is the Vienna old town walk?

2.8 km from Stephansplatz to the State Opera, measured along the streets: about 35 minutes of walking. The visits fill the day: the Riding School tour and the Morning Exercise take about an hour each, the Opera tour about 40 minutes.

Which day is best for the old town walk?

Wednesday to Friday. The Imperial Treasury is open (it is shut on Tuesdays), the Prunksaal is open (shut Mondays from October to May, except in December 2026), the Morning Exercise runs from Tuesday to Friday, and the Albertina stays open to 21:00 on Wednesday and Friday.

Is the Vienna old town walk free?

The streets, the squares, the Peterskirche and the Burggarten are free. The cathedral visit, each tower and the catacombs are €8, the Imperial Treasury €16, the Prunksaal €12, the Albertina €20.90, the Butterfly House €10 and the State Opera tour €18.

What do I need to book for the walk?

The Imperial Treasury sells timed tickets only, and the Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments a fixed admission time. The Spanish Riding School's Morning Exercise and tour are booked at srs.at. The cathedral, the Prunksaal and the Albertina sell tickets on the day.

Where does the walk start and finish?

It starts at Stephansplatz, on the U1 and U3, and finishes at the State Opera, above Karlsplatz station on the U1, U2 and U4. The Ringstrasse walk starts at the Opera.

When does the Burggarten close?

At 17:30 from 1 November to the end of February, at 19:00 in March and at 22:00 from April to October. The Butterfly House closes at 15:45 from November to March.