help with Vienna itinerary 12/20-24

Dec. 22nd - Turandot at Staatsoper - La Bohème at Volksoper - Christmas concert at Musikverein - Wiener Symphoniker concert at Konzerthaus
(The Wiener Symphoniker play also Dec 21st)
Dec. 23rd at 6pm Hänsel und Gretel at Volksoper

I suspect you are more likely to find good hotels just out of the innere Stadt, for example along the Ring. The last times I was in Vienna (always for business, so I didn't reserve the hotels) I found myself on the back of Konzerthaus, nominally out of the central area but within walking distance.

Thank you! Yes, the hotels are definitely limited (and of course also pricey - but feel like with our limited time, it is worth paying to stay in the right location). I see more reasonable options like Motel One Staatsoper (mixed reviews on tripadvisor), 011 Boutique, Hotel Secession an der Oper, but curious if others have thoughts on other places near there, and whether this would be the "best" area to try to stay. Thanks so much for your reply!

The location of the hotel is not that important, as public transport is available everywhere and easy to use. You have to get acquainted with public transport anyway, as you can't explore Vienna just by walking, especially not in that schort time frame.

Best is to take the express train (RailJet) from Vienna's main train station to the airport (just a 15 minutes' ride); €4.40 per person.

Here is a little folder, targeted at short-time visitors. On pages 2 and 3 it gives you a good overview of the main sights in Vienna, suggesting two walks in the city center. (Ignore page 4 which is not up to date, as this folder has not been reprinted since 2020.)

Classical music events: https://www.classictic.com/en/sitesearch/?search=Vienna

If you can catch a concert at the Musikverein, do it. It was built during the late 19th century during the rule of Franz Joseph, and the main performance hall is truly Habsburg wonderful. It is still considered one of the best concert halls in the world.

If you have any budding historians in the party, the HGM (Heeresgeschichtlisches Museum/Museum of Military History) has an excellent WWI exhibit, including the car in which Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his beloved Sophie were shot (complete with bullet holes), as well as the clothes which the archduke was wearing (complete with bullet hole in the collar). A photo of assassin Gavrilo Princip is a part of the exhibit... but rests on the floor. The WWII exhibit? Terrible. Poorly organized mishmash of stuff that seems to exist only because the museum felt like it had to have something related to WWII.

Oh yeah... MotelOne Staatsoper is great... for solo or couple travelers. I wouldn't see it as a very good place for a family... would have to get probably 3 rooms for your group.

thank you for all these replies!
For the music performances, there are just SO many, it's hard to figure out how to prioritize. I appreciate the comments about the concert halls and what's "prime". More info on this would be appreciated if anyone has other suggestions, as I think Musikverein Four Seasons concert is not available (tickets are sold out).

For Motel One, yes we'd need to get 2-3 rooms, but it's still cheaper than the hotels. Some reviews kept reiterating how small the rooms truly are, which makes me a tad nervous. I was also considering Hollman Belletage, 011 Boutique Hotel, and Alstadt Vienna.

I am often travelling with groups or on business trip so I really have not much choice - and when we are a group of course keeping into budget is a consideration. I do not know the Vienna MotelOne, but I was often assigned rooms in other hotels of the same chain in Austria and Germany during business trips. It is a no-frills chain, rooms are decent but very simple (for example, no drawers or wardrobe doors or room phones to keep maintenance expenses down). Space is adequate for one person, maybe a bit tight for two or more.

The last times I was in Vienna I stayed two times at the Hotel am Konzerthaus (not bad at all) and one time a little more distant from the center, at Trend Hotel Ananas.

If you are there on Sunday, the choir at the Augustiner Church(in the Hofburg complex) is beautiful.

EDITED: I also loved the House of Music.

Vienna has one of the best public transportation systems around. Their Ubahn/subway is very easy to navigate, so you won't have a problem getting around while you're in the city.
I can't speak about getting an early morning taxi, as our flights were later in the day.
Music is literally everywhere in Vienna. Some of the churches offer free organ recitals: St. Peter's Church has an organ recital on Monday afternoons (dates/times may vary, depending on the season), & I think St. Stephan's Cathedral also offers a free concert 1 day/week.
There are several small venues that offer evening concerts for a fee. We bought tickets from 1 of several street vendors dressed in period costumes near the city center, so no need to plan too far ahead. I was somewhat skeptical, but the concert was wonderful! A small ensemble of about 8 musicians performed classical music, with 2 opera singers making cameo performances.
We stayed at an airbnb near the Westbahnhof. It was a short walk to the station, and the ride into Vienna city center took about 15 minutes. You may want to stay closer to the heart of the city, but just wanted to let you know approximate travel times.
Have a wonderful time!

Given the age of you kids, consider the Wombat Nachmarkt Hostel if you want to spend less on hotels and more on everything else. Wombat has family rooms you could all share. Or you can let the kids stay in a private 4 bed room while you and your spouse share a private 2 bed room. Also, kids could enjoy the bar and meet others their ages without needing to leave the building.

My daughter and I are staying there in October. And, even though I was traveling alone in Europe by the age of your oldest, I still want to know where my 30-something kids are when we travel with them.

Just returned on Monday from two weeks in Salzburg and Vienna. Had a fabulous time.
We stayed at Hotel Konig Von Ungarn in Vienna.
Great location just a few bucks from St. Stephens.
Quiet, clean, friendly and a nice breakfast each morning. Choosing the “breakfast included” option was worth it.
Public transport is terrific in Vienna. There are plenty of ways to get around, We chose the 48 hour Hop on Hop off tour via Bug Bus Tours which included a Danube River cruise with the Explorer ticket.

Hope y’all have a terrific time!

With regards to the post above, I do not recommend a hop on hop off bus in Vienna as 1) the public transportation system is cheap and very easy to use and 2) the HOHO buses do not go into the historic city center, so they only get you to the sights that they are trying to promote. Case in point is the Danube River cruise which is a total waste of time unless you like looking at trees and power plants. Vienna's riverside is not scenic.

My husband and I are both musicians. While in Vienna we enjoyed the House of Music, which is a combination museum and interactive music experience. Maybe your musical son would enjoy it as well. We also were able to get tickets to the Vienna Philharmonic and the Opera. Both were bucket list things for us, but it depends on what’s scheduled while you’re there. For the Vienna Philharmonic, tickets not being used by season pass holders were released for sale a few days before the concert, and we were able to get them that way.

Barbara, I looked for the Philharmonic tickets and they are sure hard to come by!

My kids have never been to the opera, and I have only been twice in my life. I think I'd prefer a classical concert experience since we likely can't do both. But I'd love to hear how your experience was...

There are just so many venues and groups playing, it's really hard to choose. Musikverein - I only see something in Brahms Saal rather than the Golden Hall. Is that worth it over something else like a concert at St. Stephens, or Four Seasons/Vivaldi at Karlskirche, Mozart/Strauss at Kursalon. St Ann's seems to have bad reviews about the seating/visibility and comfort. Mozarthaus looks kitschy to me but could be good fun.

It's good to have choices, but I'm still a bit overwhelmed.

I would recommend the Vivaldi concert because the music may be more familiar for your children.

Thank you! My kids know quite a bit of classical music, but Vivaldi's Four Seasons is so beautiful and familiar - and it's not too long. Perhaps that is the best choice. I just don't want to miss out on something that is super unique/quintessential, but I think I just have to bite the bullet. Thanks for the comment!

So... I find myself wondering... how'd it go?... did you find a classical music concert to see?

We had a wonderful trip! We opted to do the following:

In Budapest, we went to the State Opera House - it was not an opera, but Handel's Messiah. It was beautiful inside, and the music and singing were superb, of course.

In Vienna, we opted to go to Musikverein, because the Opera House did not have the best dates/shows for our time. At Musikverein, we were able to attend a magnificent Christmas concert. Stunning/amazing! Loved the atmosphere. We were in the very back row on second level, and next time I would opt for better seats but acoustically it was outstanding even being so far back.

I had hoped to go to another church concert or smaller performance but we just ran out of time. I found the comments on this thread so useful, thank you!

Oh! We stayed at Vienna am Konzerthaus Vienna MGallery and we LOVED it! It was just outside the innere stadt, but super easy to get around and very close to walk to Musikverein and a few other sights. The breakfast was absolutely amazing, rooms were large, staff was very helpful. It was a fair price. We would recommend this hotel to anyone!