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Best Attractions in Vienna (2026)

Vienna's sights are a record of six centuries of Habsburg rule, and most of the essentials lie within or just outside the Ringstrasse. St. Stephen's Cathedral marks the centre of the old town, and from there it is a short walk to the Hofburg, where the Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum tell the story of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth, and to the Albertina and the Vienna State Opera. The Kunsthistorisches Museum, with its Bruegel paintings, faces the Hofburg across the Ring, and the Leopold Museum in the MuseumsQuartier holds the largest collection of works by Egon Schiele.

Plan the big palaces first. Schönbrunn Palace needs at least half a day if you want to walk the gardens to the Gloriette, and timed tickets should be booked in advance through the official shop. The Upper Belvedere, home of Klimt's The Kiss, also uses time slots, so aim for the first one of the day. A Sisi Pass combines Schönbrunn with the Hofburg if you plan to see both. Museums are generally open daily, though the Leopold Museum usually closes on Tuesdays, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum stays open late on Thursdays. Finish a day with the slow turn of the Wiener Riesenrad in the Prater, or with a look inside the Karlskirche as the light fades over Karlsplatz.

10 places · Updated October 27, 2026

Our top 3 attractions in Vienna

  1. Schönbrunn Palace Imperial palace and gardens, HietzingThe Habsburgs' 1,441-room summer palace in Hietzing, with state apartments, formal Baroque gardens, the Gloriette and the world's oldest working zoo in its grounds.
  2. St. Stephen’s Cathedral Gothic cathedral, Innere StadtVienna's Gothic cathedral on Stephansplatz, with a 136-metre south tower, a patterned tiled roof, catacombs and the Pummerin, the largest bell in Austria.
  3. Hofburg Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum Imperial palace museum, Innere StadtThree linked museums in the Hofburg, the Habsburgs' winter palace: Emperor Franz Joseph's state rooms, a museum on Empress Elisabeth and the court silver and tableware.

Attraction

1. Schönbrunn Palace

Imperial palace and gardensHietzing

The Habsburgs' 1,441-room summer palace in Hietzing, with state apartments, formal Baroque gardens, the Gloriette and the world's oldest working zoo in its grounds.

View details — Schönbrunn Palace

Attraction

5. Upper Belvedere

Baroque palace and art museumLandstraße

Prince Eugene's Baroque summer palace, now a museum of Austrian art holding Klimt's The Kiss, with terraced French gardens running down to the Lower Belvedere.

View details — Upper Belvedere

Attraction

6. Albertina

Art museum and Habsburg state roomsInnere Stadt

A former Habsburg palace by the State Opera holding one of the world's great print rooms, restored state rooms and a permanent collection from Monet to Picasso.

View details — Albertina

Attraction

8. Leopold Museum

Modern art museumMuseumsQuartier

A white limestone museum in the MuseumsQuartier built around Rudolf and Elisabeth Leopold's collection, with the world's largest group of works by Egon Schiele.

View details — Leopold Museum

Attraction

9. Wiener Riesenrad

Historic Ferris wheelLeopoldstadt

The Prater's Ferris wheel of 1897, nearly 65 metres high, whose wooden gondolas give slow views across Vienna and featured famously in the film The Third Man.

View details — Wiener Riesenrad

Attraction

10. Karlskirche

Baroque churchWieden

The great Baroque church on Karlsplatz, vowed by Charles VI after the plague of 1713, with a green copper dome, twin columns and Rottmayr's dome fresco.

View details — Karlskirche