The green-and-gold tiled roof of St Stephen’s Cathedral and the rooftops of the Innere Stadt, seen from the south tower The green-and-gold tiled roof of St Stephen’s Cathedral and the rooftops of the Innere Stadt, seen from the south tower The Upper Belvedere lit at blue hour and reflected in its pool Schönbrunn Palace and its parterre seen from the Gloriette hill, with Vienna and the Kahlenberg beyond The Karlskirche at dusk, its dome and twin columns reflected in the pool on Karlsplatz

The city guide to Vienna, Austria

Best of Vienna

The State Opera and the Musikverein, Klimt at the Belvedere, Tafelspitz and Sachertorte, wine from the city’s own vineyards and Railjets to Budapest every hour: Vienna, checked place by place.

Launch edition · Autumn 2026

The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-FerratSister guideULTIMATE PropertyPrime neighbourhoods, agents, new developments and how buying worksA cruise ship in the Bay of Kotor, MontenegroSister guideULTIMATE CruisesLines, ships and itineraries, from river to expeditionThe Matterhorn in winter above ZermattSister guideULTIMATE Ski ResortsSeason dates, hotels, après and ski schools, resort by resort

Your trusted, one‑stop guide to Vienna

Vienna runs from the lanes of the Innere Stadt around St Stephen’s, along the Ringstrasse with its opera house, museums and theatres, to the summer palace of Schönbrunn, the Prater and the vineyards of the Kahlenberg. Here are the grand hotels and the 2026 MICHELIN stars, the coffee houses and the Heurigen, the concert halls and the museums, the railway hub at the heart of Europe, and day trips to the Wachau, Bratislava, the Semmering and Baden. We’ve checked every listing against the venue’s own website or an official source, and we leave out anything we can’t confirm.

Vienna by rail: the back story

New: by rail

Vienna by rail

Wien Hauptbahnhof·In depth

Railjets to Budapest every hour, Nightjet sleepers to Rome, Zurich and Hamburg, and the new line south from Budapest to Belgrade: Vienna is the hub of Europe’s railways.

Plan your journey

Arts + Culture

The State Opera, the Musikverein, Klimt at the Belvedere and the Viennale.

The gilded Great Hall of the Musikverein, with its organ, caryatids and chandeliersArts + CultureArts & Culture in ViennaOpera, concerts, museums and film

Vienna by rail

The hub of Europe’s railways: Budapest every hour, sleepers across the continent, and the new line south to Belgrade.

An ÖBB Railjet below snow-capped peaks in eastern SwitzerlandBy railVienna by railRailjets, Nightjets and the line to BelgradeBratislava Castle above the Danube, with a river cruise ship moored belowULTIMATE BelgradeThe Belgrade–Budapest trainThe new line south, on our Belgrade guideA train crossing the two-tier Kalte Rinne viaduct on the Semmering Railway in autumnULTIMATE Ski ResortsBy rail to the AlpsSt Anton, Kitzbühel and Lech by train

Vienna by neighbourhood

From the Innere Stadt to the Heurigen: each area has its own guide.

The patterned tile roof and the south tower of St Stephen’s CathedralNeighbourhood guideInnere StadtSt Stephen’s and the old townThe marble grand staircase of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, with Canova’s Theseus groupNeighbourhood guideRingstrasse & MuseumsQuartierMuseums, theatres and SpittelbergFruit and vegetable stalls with chalk price boards at the NaschmarktNeighbourhood guideWieden & the NaschmarktThe market, the Secession and KarlsplatzThe Upper Belvedere lit at blue hour and reflected in its poolNeighbourhood guideLandstrasse & the BelvedereKlimt and SteirereckThe red cabins of the Giant Ferris Wheel in the Prater against a summer skyNeighbourhood guideLeopoldstadt & the PraterThe Riesenrad and the AugartenThe Gloriette, the colonnaded pavilion on the hill above Schönbrunn’s gardens, under a blue skyNeighbourhood guideSchönbrunn & HietzingThe summer palaceVineyards above Grinzing, with the Danube and the towers of Donau City beyondNeighbourhood guideDöbling & the HeurigenVineyards and wine taverns

Plan your trip

The practical things to know before you go.

The neo-Gothic City Hall (Rathaus) and its clock tower, seen straight on across the squareBefore you goVienna essentialsEntry, money, etiquette and getting aroundAn ÖBB Railjet below snow-capped peaks in eastern SwitzerlandGetting aroundGetting aroundThe airport, trains and the U-BahnThe green-and-gold tiled roof of St Stephen’s Cathedral and the rooftops of the Innere Stadt, seen from the south towerItineraryThree days in ViennaThe classic first visitThe gilded Great Hall of the Musikverein, with its organ, caryatids and chandeliersLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addresses

Beyond Vienna

The Wachau, Bratislava, the Semmering and Baden, all within reach for the day.

Melk Abbey’s twin towers and dome glowing in evening light on its rock above the DanubeBeyond ViennaThe WachauAbbeys, castles and vineyardsBratislava Castle above the Danube, with a river cruise ship moored belowBeyond ViennaBratislavaSlovakia’s capital on the DanubeA train crossing the two-tier Kalte Rinne viaduct on the Semmering Railway in autumnBeyond ViennaThe Semmering RailwayA UNESCO mountain railwayThe gilded Johann Strauss monument in the Stadtpark, framed by its marble arch and flowerbedsBeyond ViennaBaden bei WienA Great Spa Town of Europe

In depth: Vienna’s back stories

Ultravox’s “Vienna”, imperial Vienna, the coffee house, the city of music, the grand hotels, eating, rail and where to buy.

The neo-Gothic Rathaus, whose square holds Vienna’s best-known Christmas marketChristmas & New YearChristmas in ViennaThe markets and the Rathausplatz rink, 2026 datesThe domed Karl Borromäus church at the heart of the Zentralfriedhof, under a summer skyThe back story: musicUltravox’s “Vienna”The song, the video and the placesThe Michaelertrakt of the Hofburg, its green dome above the MichaelerplatzThe back storyImperial ViennaThe Hofburg, Schönbrunn and the RingThe vaulted, pillared room of Café Central, with its chandeliers and marble tablesThe back storyThe coffee houseHow to order, where to goThe tiers of boxes and galleries in the auditorium of the Vienna State OperaThe back storyThe city of musicOpera, concerts, Klimt and SchieleThe front of Hotel Sacher on Philharmonikerstrasse, with its red awnings and flagsThe back storyThe grand hotelsFrom the Sacher to the RingA Wiener Schnitzel with a slice of lemon and sautéed potatoesThe back storyEating in ViennaThe 2026 MICHELIN year and TafelspitzThe neo-Gothic City Hall (Rathaus) and its clock tower, seen straight on across the squareThe back storyBuying in ViennaNeighbourhoods and rulesThe red cabins of the Giant Ferris Wheel in the Prater against a summer skyFun factsVienna fun factsThings you might not know

Along the Danube and into the Alps with the ULTIMATE guides

Downriver by rail to Budapest and Belgrade, and west to the mountains.

Bratislava Castle above the Danube, with a river cruise ship moored belowULTIMATE BudapestBudapestRailjets every hour from the HauptbahnhofThe DC Tower and Donau City across the New Danube, under a clear skyULTIMATE BelgradeBelgradeSouth by rail through Budapest and Novi SadA train crossing the two-tier Kalte Rinne viaduct on the Semmering Railway in autumnULTIMATE Ski ResortsSki resortsThe Austrian Alps by train

ULTIMATE City Guides: Europe & beyond

Planning a longer journey? Each city in the network has its own independent guide, written with the same care and checked place by place. Here are the guides that are live, with more on the way.

The Alhambra in Granada in the evening lightSpainULTIMATE AndalusiaSeville, Granada and the Alhambra, Córdoba, Málaga, Cádiz and Jerez, Ronda and the white villages, Doñana and Cabo de Gata.Visit the guide The floodlit Acropolis and Parthenon at dusk, seen from Philopappos HillGreeceULTIMATE AthensThe Acropolis and the Plaka, rooftop bars facing the Parthenon, the Athens Riviera and the Greek islands: our original guide, and our deepest.Visit the guide The road winding out to the lighthouse on Cap de Formentor, Mallorca, above the open seaSpainULTIMATE Balearic IslandsMallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera side by side, and how to hop between them by ferry.Visit the guide The Sagrada Família lit up at nightSpainULTIMATE BarcelonaGaudí and the Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter, four Three-Star MICHELIN kitchens, the beaches and day trips to Montserrat and Girona.Visit the guide Belgrade's old town and the spire of the Cathedral Church of St Michael above the Sava at sunsetSerbiaULTIMATE BelgradeWhere the Sava meets the Danube: a buzzing capital of art, classical music and famous nightlife, with a new waterfront and the mountains of Zlatibor and Kopaonik.Visit the guide The Romanian Athenaeum in its gardenRomaniaULTIMATE BucharestBelle Époque palaces, concerts at the Athenaeum, a buzzing food and coffee scene, and the castles and mountains of the Carpathians.Visit the guide The Hungarian Parliament lit up at night on the DanubeHungaryULTIMATE BudapestThermal baths, grand coffee houses, ruin bars and MICHELIN-starred dining on both banks of the Danube, with day trips to the Danube Bend and Lake Balaton.Visit the guide A cruise ship in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegroships & regions)ULTIMATE Cruises (linesThe world’s cruise lines for every budget, from family resort ships to yachts, expedition ships and river boats, with the cruising regions port by port.Visit the guide Aerial view of the white sand spit of Ses Illetes and Llevant, the salt pans and, across the strait, Ibiza and Es VedràSpainULTIMATE FormenteraThe white sands of Ses Illetes, the lighthouses of La Mola and Barbaria, the craft markets and an island made for bikes.Visit the guide The Baie des Anges, NiceFranceULTIMATE French RivieraNice, Cannes, Antibes, Cap Ferrat, Èze, Menton, Saint-Tropez and Cassis: palace hotels, three-star tables, beach clubs, the Festival de Cannes and the painters’ coast.Visit the guide Blue domes of Oia above the Santorini calderaGreeceULTIMATE Greek IslandsIsland hopping made easy: Mykonos, Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Milos and the Cyclades, plus Crete, Rhodes and Corfu, with ferries, beaches, hotels and tavernas.Visit the guide Helsinki Cathedral above the South HarbourFinlandULTIMATE HelsinkiSuomenlinna and the South Harbour, saunas by the sea, Aalto and the Design District, two-starred Palace and day trips to Porvoo and Tallinn.Visit the guide The walls of Dalt Vila and the cathedral above the harbour of Ibiza Town, in late sunSpainULTIMATE IbizaDalt Vila’s UNESCO walls, Es Vedrà, three MICHELIN-starred kitchens, the beach clubs and the quiet north, 30 minutes from Formentera.Visit the guide Hagia Sophia and its minarets in golden evening lightTurkeyULTIMATE IstanbulTwo continents, one city: Hagia Sophia and the bazaars, Bosphorus ferries, meyhanes and rooftop bars, Sinan’s hammams and the car-free Princes’ Islands.Visit the guide Congress Square, Ljubljana, with the castle on its hill behindSloveniaULTIMATE LjubljanaSlovenia’s green, car-free capital of river cafés and Plečnik’s bridges, an hour from Lake Bled, the Julian Alps, the caves and the Adriatic.Visit the guide The Palace of Westminster and the Elizabeth Tower lit at dusk across the ThamesUnited KingdomULTIMATE LondonRoyal palaces and the Thames, great museums, West End theatre, grand hotels, and the restaurants and bars of Soho, Mayfair and the City.Visit the guide The Metrópolis building at the start of the Gran VíaSpainULTIMATE MadridThe Prado and El Retiro, the Royal Palace, DiverXO’s three stars and cocido since 1870, with day trips to Toledo and Segovia.Visit the guide La Seu, Palma’s Gothic cathedral, and the Almudaina above the old sea wall, seen from the Parc de la MarSpainULTIMATE MallorcaPalma’s cathedral and palace hotels, the UNESCO Tramuntana, Deià and Sóller, nine MICHELIN-starred kitchens, and Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera.Visit the guide Yachts in Puerto BanúsSpainULTIMATE MarbellaWhitewashed lanes and orange trees in the Old Town, the yachts of Puerto Banús, beach clubs on the Golden Mile and day trips to Ronda and Gibraltar.Visit the guide Turquoise water below the pine-topped cliffs at Cala Macarella, MenorcaSpainULTIMATE MenorcaA UNESCO Biosphere Reserve: the coves of Macarella and Turqueta, World Heritage Talayotic sites, Ciutadella and Maó’s great harbour.Visit the guide Monaco from above, Port Hercule and Monte-Carlo below the mountainsOur sister guideULTIMATE MonacoThe Casino and Monte-Carlo’s palace hotels, the Prince’s Palace on the Rock, superyachts in Port Hercule, Larvotto’s beach clubs and the Grand Prix streets.Visit the guide The Millennium Bridge over the MoračaMontenegroULTIMATE PodgoricaMontenegro’s relaxed capital of rivers and café terraces, and the gateway to the Bay of Kotor, Lake Skadar, Cetinje and the mountains.Visit the guide The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-FerratOur sister guideULTIMATE Property (prime markets worldwide)Prime neighbourhoods, estate agents, new developments and how buying works, market by market across the ULTIMATE network.Visit the guide The Church of St John at Kaneo above Lake Ohrid, North MacedoniaOur sister guideULTIMATE Regions (editor’s letters & regional guides)Editor’s letters and the food, markets, nature and seasons each region shares, starting with the Balkans.Visit the guide The Sebilj fountain and the square of BaščaršijaBosnia & HerzegovinaULTIMATE SarajevoWhere East meets West at a line in the pavement: an Ottoman bazaar, Habsburg boulevards, Bosnian coffee and the 1984 Olympic mountains, with Mostar two hours away.Visit the guide The Matterhorn in winter above ZermattOur sister guideULTIMATE Ski Resorts (Europe & North America)Ski resorts in Europe and North America, country by country, for every budget: season dates, hotels, mountain restaurants, après, ski schools and getting there.Visit the guide The Warrior on a Horse fountain in Macedonia Square, Skopje, lit at nightNorth MacedoniaULTIMATE SkopjeA 15th-century stone bridge between a 21st-century square and an Ottoman bazaar, Kenzo Tange’s concrete city, Matka Canyon, and Lake Ohrid three hours away.Visit the guide The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia, under a pink evening skyBulgariaULTIMATE SofiaRoman streets beneath the city, golden domes, warm mineral springs and a mountain at the end of the main boulevard.Visit the guide The restored Pyramid of Tirana under a blue skyAlbaniaULTIMATE TiranaAn Ottoman mosque painted with waterfalls, museums in bunkers, Blloku’s cafés and the Dajti cable car, with Berat, Gjirokastër, the Alps and the Riviera within reach.Visit the guide Rolling green hills and a farmhouse near Pienza in the Val d’OrciaItalyULTIMATE TuscanyFlorence, Chianti, Siena, the Val d’Orcia, Pisa and Lucca, Versilia, Bolgheri, the Maremma, Arezzo and Elba.Visit the guide Calatrava’s Hemisfèric lit at twilight, reflected in its poolSpainULTIMATE ValenciaCalatrava’s City of Arts and Sciences, the Gothic Lonja, paella by the sea, Las Fallas and the nine-kilometre Turia Garden.Visit the guide St Mark's Church and its tiled roof on St Mark's Square, Zagreb's Upper TownCroatiaULTIMATE ZagrebCroatia’s elegant capital of cafés, museums and markets, and the gateway to Plitvice Lakes, Istria, Dubrovnik and the islands of the Adriatic.Visit the guide Bixby Creek Bridge on the Big Sur coastUSAULTIMATE CaliforniaSan Francisco, Napa and Sonoma, Big Sur and the Pacific Coast Highway, San Diego, Palm Springs, Lake Tahoe and the national parks.Visit the guide A schooner silhouetted against the sunset off Key WestUSAULTIMATE FloridaOrlando and the theme parks, Palm Beach, Tampa Bay, Sarasota, St. Augustine and Scenic Highway 30A.Visit the guide The Las Vegas Strip at duskNevadaULTIMATE Las VegasThe Strip and its shows, MICHELIN dining, Sphere and Fremont Street’s neon, with Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon beyond.Visit the guide Downtown Los Angeles at sunset beneath the snow-capped San Gabriel MountainsCaliforniaULTIMATE Los AngelesHollywood and the Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills’ grand hotels, the Sunset Strip, the Getty and the beaches from Santa Monica to Malibu.Visit the guide Art Deco hotels on Ocean Drive, Miami BeachFloridaULTIMATE MiamiSouth Beach and the Art Deco district, Wynwood’s murals, the Design District, Little Havana’s cafecito and the beaches of Key Biscayne.Visit the guide Sunset at the Naples PierFloridaULTIMATE NaplesWhite-sand beaches and sunsets on the Gulf of Mexico, Fifth Avenue’s terraces, grand beach resorts and golf, with the Everglades and Marco Island close by.Visit the guide The New York City skyline from Top of the RockNew YorkULTIMATE New YorkManhattan’s grand hotels and MICHELIN dining, Broadway and the Met, Fifth Avenue shopping, Central Park and the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to DUMBO.Visit the guide The Golden Gate Bridge seen from Battery SpencerCaliforniaULTIMATE San FranciscoCable cars over Nob Hill, North Beach cafés, the murals of the Mission, three-star tables and the Golden Gate Bridge.Visit the guide The pink sand beach of Harbour Island, the BahamasOur sister guideULTIMATE The BahamasSeven hundred islands: Nassau and Paradise Island, the Exuma Cays and the swimming pigs, Harbour Island’s pink sand, marinas and island hopping.Visit the guide The golden sand and calm water of Paynes Bay, St. JamesOur sister guideULTIMATE BarbadosThe Platinum West Coast and Sandy Lane, UNESCO-listed Bridgetown, rum where it was born, Friday nights in Oistins and the wild Atlantic east.Visit the guide Gros Piton and Petit Piton, the twin volcanic spires of the UNESCO-listed PitonsOur sister guideULTIMATE St LuciaThe UNESCO Pitons and Soufrière’s drive-in volcano, Marigot Bay, Rodney Bay and the Gros Islet street party, reefs, rum and cocoa.Visit the guide The Grand Palace reflected at dawnThailandULTIMATE BangkokThe Grand Palace and Wat Arun on the river, the grand hotels of Charoen Krung, MICHELIN stars from street food to tasting menus, rooftop bars and the Thai islands.Visit the guide Hong Kong Island and the harbour at night from Victoria PeakOur sister guideULTIMATE Hong KongThe harbour from the Peak, the Star Ferry, Cantonese dining rooms with MICHELIN stars, dim sum in the lanes of Central and the museums of West Kowloon.Visit the guide An aerial view of a small island ringed by reef in the MaldivesOur sister guideULTIMATE MaldivesUndersea restaurants and overwater bars, Hanifaru Bay’s mantas, the whale sharks of South Ari, private islands and the little capital, Malé.Visit the guide The Taj Mahal Palace and the Gateway of India from the harbourIndiaULTIMATE MumbaiThe Taj and the Gateway of India, Marine Drive’s Queen’s Necklace, three UNESCO sites, modern Indian restaurants and day trips to Elephanta and the Ghats.Visit the guide The Lujiazui skyline lit up at night across the Huangpu RiverChinaULTIMATE ShanghaiThe grand hotels of the Bund facing the towers of Pudong, every MICHELIN star, Yu Garden, the two Shanghai Museums and day trips to Suzhou and Hangzhou.Visit the guide The towers of the Central Business District lit up at night, reflected in Marina BayOur sister guideULTIMATE SingaporeMarina Bay and Raffles, three restaurants with three MICHELIN Stars, the hawker centres, and the Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Visit the guide A caparisoned elephant in the Esala Perahera procession, KandyOur sister guideULTIMATE Sri LankaColombo, the ramparts of Galle Fort, the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, the tea country by train, Sigiriya and leopards in Yala.Visit the guide Burj Khalifa and Business Bay at blue hourUnited Arab EmiratesULTIMATE DubaiBurj Khalifa and the Fountain, abras on the Creek, resorts on the Palm, every MICHELIN star of 2026 and day trips to Abu Dhabi and Hatta.Visit the guide

Coming soon: Rail Journeys (great train journeys worldwide)

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    Vienna·Film festival

    The Viennale, Vienna’s international film festival, runs until 3 November 2026 in the city’s cinemas, the Gartenbaukino among them (viennale.at).

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