Historic Center of Vienna
Historic Center of Vienna
4.5
Points of Interest & LandmarksArchitectural Buildings
About
The historic centre of Vienna is rich in beautiful architecture, including Baroque castles and gardens, as well as the late-19th-century Ringstrasse lined with grand buildings, monuments and parks.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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The area
Neighborhood: Inner City
In Vienna's best-known district, pedestrian boulevards Kärntner Strasse and Graben connect you with landmarks such as the Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera), Vienna’s iconic Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) and the vast compound of Hofburg, the Habsburgs’ former Imperial Palace. Peek down side streets such as Annagasse and Weihburggasse, and Graben’s Seilergasse and Habsburggasse, to get a feel for the center. The Imperial Apartments and the refreshingly demystifying Sissi Museum are must-dos at Hofburg. Spacious squares such as Am Hof and Freyung often host beautiful seasonal and antiques markets.
How to get there
  • Stephansplatz • 2 min walk
  • Stephansplatz • 2 min walk
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See what travelers are saying
  • Claire L
    304 contributions
    Vienna the beautiful
    This was a tour organized by Viking Cruises as part of their Budapest to Amsterdam itinerary. Vienna is an absolutely beautiful city. Our guide was very knowledgeable and made our visit both interesting and informative. We also entered St-Stephen's Church.
    Visited October 2022
    Written December 11, 2022
  • SeosamhOC
    Dublin, Ireland479 contributions
    Impressive
    It is very enjoyable to spend time walking around the historical center of Vienna. There is so much beautiful architecture to see and many places to stop and visit. Amazing how clean and litter free the center is.
    Visited November 2022
    Written December 11, 2022
  • CBrussels
    Germany624 contributions
    Absolutely beautiful!
    Absolutely beautiful, easy to walk with lots of shops, restaurants, cafes, galleries, churches, museums. Buildings are grand and historical. There are quite a lot of Xmas markets with quality stalls, food and drinks, things to do for the children. Xmas markets are usually in a beautiful square, church or park. Great atmosphere. Very clean and orderly. We love it. We went for 5 days and apart from going to museums, we just walk around there to eat, drink, relax and shop. Most wonderful!
    Visited December 2022
    Written December 24, 2022
  • Neil S
    North Sydney, Australia646 contributions
    Has aged very well
    The city of Vienna is simply beautiful, and there are many many attractions and sights to see. The city centre has so many things to look at and every corner has something new (but old) to see. Spend some time ambling around.
    Visited December 2022
    Written December 27, 2022
  • Natasa K
    Thessaloniki Region, Greece37 contributions
    Just magical...
    I have visited Vienna a couple of times, but I can never get enough of it. Words are poor to describe the beauty and atmosphere of the historic center of this city. The palaces, the churches and all the other buildings with their different architectural styles make up a unique scenery. Especially at Christmas time when everything is decorated, it is wonderful to walk around in the evening, with a cup of glühwein, browsing the Christmas markets.
    Visited December 2022
    Written January 11, 2023
  • RandyRoss
    Ridgetown, Canada11,739 contributions
    Wonderful!
    We visited Vienna in for way too short of time in December (Dec. 16-17). However, it was our second visit, so we had already seen much there and we just loved the Christmas lights and the Christmas markets. This is a beautiful city, whether winter (this visit) or summer (our first visit). The history, architecture and pure beauty astound!
    Visited December 2022
    Written February 2, 2023
  • Kate
    3 contributions
    Nice Walk
    You can walk through the inner city and experience the flair of the city at any time. You do not necessarily visit all the options on the way, but of course you have the possibility to do so. Also you will find water refill stations on the way, what is an extra plus. During events or in high season this can be a crowded place, but it's worth it.
    Visited February 2023
    Written February 7, 2023
  • dadio77
    Bromsgrove, United Kingdom300 contributions
    Great city centre to get around!
    Vienna centre is small enough (or so it seems!) to walk around in a day or so, plenty of things to see, shops to visit and cafes to stop off at - I can't recall another capital city that works so well. Looking forward to another visit in the future!
    Visited February 2023
    Written February 22, 2023
  • Amanda
    5 contributions
    Must See
    This is a casual must see location to walk around in. The buildings are beautiful and there are so many stores and stalls available to look at any time of the year. Not to mention the cathedral is gorgeous and easy to visit when you're there.
    Visited February 2023
    Written February 25, 2023
  • Doughnut00
    Glasgow, United Kingdom264 contributions
    Magnificent
    Wien is something else. The sheer scale of the buildings takes your breath away. The streets can be very confusing. We tried using Google maps, but it was useless. Best with a paper map tbh. Great city. Great people.
    Visited March 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 1, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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Ana Drogrishka
Republic of North Macedonia3 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
City with warm people and rich culture and architecture. Loved every inch of it.
Written November 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KBD87
Arkansas1,139 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
We made a visit to the ahistorical center of Vienna with a Viking cruise. It is a very busy place with lots of upscale shopping as well as cafes, restaurants and lots of activity. St Stephen’s Cathedral is a focal point. Most all the other buildings are the same height and architecture so it was a little disorienting to us but we weren’t there long enough to get acclimated. There were horse and buggy rides, plenty of taxis as well as the subway to get in and out of the area. It seems to be one of the can’t miss places when visiting Vienna
Written November 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CabanaWoman
Shreveport, LA227 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
Vienna is a gorgeous city and perfect for walking to view historic architecture, the gardens, the shopping streets, the restaurants, coffee houses and the culture.
Written October 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TravelBedfordshire
Leighton Buzzard, UK1,055 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Beautiful buildings all in immaculate condition. Very impressive. Just lovely to wander around the history and architecture of it all.
Written October 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

David M
Laguna Beach, CA40 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Shame shame on the city leaders for allowing the graffiti to proliferate the entire city, including hundreds of year old buildings you’ve taken a city that was one so beautiful and regal down to very common with paint and cuss words everywhere shame on you if you don’t get a handle on it Vienna will become a place no one wants to visit
Written October 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Don M
New Westminster, Canada74 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Very flat and walkable with great sights around every corner. You should follow a suggested walking tour to get the basics and then expand your range. The streets are not linear and there are dozens of crossways between streets so you need google maps unless you are really good with a printed map. The printed maps don’t show the detail you need with all the passages and plazas. We saw most of what we wanted on 3 days and wouldn’t recommend less if you really want to see what this city has to offer.
Written September 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Robert S
17 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Very good trip of five days and four nights staying at the Hilton Vienna Park. Visited a lot of the attractions that my wife and I researched before we travelled. Walked to the city centre numerous times to enjoy the atmosphere especially around the Cathedral and eating out at many restaurants. The highlights were the Viennese Philharmonic Orchestra concert in the Music Hall, The Shoenbrunn Palace, The Belvedere Palace, The Spanish Riding School, The Cathedral and The Sisi Museum. The only disappointment was the Boat Trip which started at the canal and took ages before it reached The Danube. Could not see a thing, apart from the fishing lodges, as the banks were too high. A short journey down the river and then back on the canal. The trip involved two stops at lock gates which took over an hour combined to complete. The graffiti on the walls of the canal were an absolute eyesore.
Written September 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

A N
9 contributions
Sep 2023 • Business
I have enjoyed it so much. Beautiful neighborhood. I have spend all day walking this beautifully historic, architecturally rich area. Every way I looked there was history and culture
Written September 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Artur Z
7 contributions
Sep 2023 • Family
I have spent few days in Vienna with my family. Just love it. This city is amazing. I will be definetely coming back.
Written September 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Marti324
Sarasota, FL163 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
Vienna is a beautiful city. I enjoyed just wandering around the city, enjoying the buildings and people watching. Take a map with you, I found it to be pretty easy to get lost, or turned around.
Written September 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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