Itinerary for 9 Days

How wonderful to have so much time in Vienna to get a full experience of that wonderful city. I was there on my very first trip to Europe in 1989, so I can't say I remember a great deal in order to give you feedback on your itinerary.

However, I wonder what the value is in planning each day in so much detail. With as much time as you have, wouldn't it be good to allow for more flexibility in your daily schedule?

I think it's good to make a list of your priorities. You can then organize each day more based on your current mood and energy level, rather than trying to keep to a rigid agenda. And allow yourself room to change your mind or skip something on your list if you discover you're so enjoying something else you're doing that you don't want to stop.

Have fun!

On my first visit, I went to both the Schönbrunn and the Hofburg. I loved the Schönbrunn - get the ticket that has access to all the rooms, and the gardens are beautiful, several nooks with unexpected pleasures. But I felt that the Hofburg was a waste of time. First you go through room after room after room after room of dishes and table silver. Then you go through the Sisi museum, where you learn all the details of her life without very many displays, and then you finally arrive at the imperial apartments. This royal couple obviously didn't like change. They alternated between the two (winters at the Hofburg, summers at the Schönbrunn) and seeing the private rooms at the Hofburg was deja vu. There are many more rooms to visit at the Schönbrunn.

Consider a day trip to Melk.

How wonderful to have so much time in Vienna!

On Weds, you are planning to visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum near the end of the day. I would go there first thing in the morning as it is one of the great art museums in Europe. It was built by the royal family as a museum to house their art collection accumulated over 600 years. The building itself inside is a work of art!

As for the Belvedere Palace, the upper level is filled with great paintings, Gustav Klimt among them.

Another jewel of a museum is the Albertina, not as crowded, with many Impressionist paintings by Monet, Renoir and others.

We went to the Vienna Opera house on a tour, beautiful and interesting. Also saw a performance of Rigoletto and experienced such a feeling of "Wow!" I am really at the Vienna Opera!

First, I really appreciate the research and detail you have included. You have obviously done your homework, but let me help you dive a little deeper and go beyond Ricknickland.

Naschmarkt - This is not the best market to visit anymore. It is nice, but not the best. Currently, it is full of many aggressive non-Austrian vendors selling nuts and dried fruit. Also a few tacky knick-knack shops have sprung up. Produce and food there is also hugely expensive. So INSTEAD, please visit the Karmelitermarkt, which will actually be just around the corner from your apartment. It is the best of the markets in Vienna and has many awesome vendors and restaurants. It is a very nice atmosphere and not full of tourists.

Café Museum, Cafe Griensteidl - Meh. Not really bad, but not really great.

The best cafes (in my opinion) - Sperl, Hawelka, Diglas, Central, Demel, Vollpension (this one is super fabulous where grandmas bake cakes from old recipes, very popular with locals), Prueckel, any Aida location.

Schonbrunn and Hofburg - Total palace overload. I would only do Schonbrunn interior.

Salm Brau - a good restaurant near the Belvedere.

What I don't see on your itinerary - Prater, Albertina Museum, a walk through the woods to a Heuriger, a day trip to the Wachau. I'd also mention that there are many festival typically at the time you will be here. The harvest festival, Erntedankfest, for example, may occur outside of the Hofburg during your stay. I would look at the Vienna tourist board calendar for other events.

A few things that may be of use.
On the Naschmarkt, yes lots of fresh produce but also meat, fish, condiments (esp hummus & Co), sausages, sauerkraut, cheese (Käseland is an institution there). But Saturdays can be really really busy. And exhausting. And if you go late in the day, the fresh stuff will be picked over. The producers who set up for only the Saturday market will likely be gone by the time you get there. The only sensible strategy for Saturday at the Naschmarkt is go early, get out early. Since that is your arrival day, maybe not the best plan. But you can check it out and see. Along the sides of the market are more some regular grocery stores (Hofer, Billa) plus tons of Asian groceries and up on Gumpendorfer there is a Spar grocery store (a bit more upscale than Hofer and Billa). Lots of opportunities to stock up nearby. But do it Saturday. Groceries are mostly shut on Sunday.

Beer. Brickmakers in the 7th is the hot place for craft beer in Vienna these days. Reservations mandatory. There is another place in the Innenstadt that has some nice beers as well, but I can't remember what it's called. Near the Börse. Lichtenthaler Bräu is in the 9th (right on the D tram line). Nice beer and traditional pub menu. Oh, there is a Beer Store on Gumpendorfer right next to the Spar. You might find some interesting Austrian bottles in there and I think they make their own, too.

And yes, that's too much on Wednesday :-) KHM is half a day for sure--there is a gorgeous cafe in the museum, btw. You might turn that day around, go to the museum in the morning, then the Hofburg in the afternoon when a lot of the tour groups will have cleared out.

That can be a lovely time of year here.

Have fun!

First of all, I'd like to say thank you SO much to everyone who has replied thus far. Your input is very valuable, and I appreciate that everyone has taken the time to share their knowledge and experience.

Lane, I'm a planner. That's just who I am. But that doesn't mean that I don't take my time as I go along. I'm also more than willing to deviate if something interesting crosses my path. But I'd rather overplan than miss a lot in the time I have.

Perry, I ordered the book you recommended and I can't wait to read it; it sounds perfect for me.

Chany, I will definitely reconsider on the Hofburg, especially since there seems to be a consensus on that. I might make that a time-permitting activity if there's time to kill in the area (since there are so many major sites right there).

Judy B, thanks for all of the art tips. I will definitely devote more time to the Kunts, and I'm glad I've included the upper rooms of the Belvedere and the Albertina (I would't want to miss out on the Impressionist works). Question: Is the opera house tour worth it if you're also planning to see an opera? I also plan to do the Haus der Musik, so I'm not sure if the opera house tour is also necessary?

Emily, I will definitely go to the Karmelitermarkt (along with the coffeehouses you've recommended - I'd forgotten about Prückel). Since I'm literally walking by the Naschmarkt the one day, I'll probably wander through it, but I will certainly keep in mind what I've learned. I will also keep in mind the festivals, the more the better, to my mind. I do plan to do the Albertina, the Prater and some Heurigen, although I rather doubt I'll fit in Wachau this time, but it is on my list of maybes (if something is closed or whatever). Sal Bräu looks amazing; I may have to go there sooner than my last day.

Zonderpaard, wow, what great beer suggestions; and I appreciate the extra info for the Naschmarkt.

As others have said, Schönbrunn OR Hofburg. We came back to town to eat lunch after Schönbrunn as it is not a long trip.

You ask if Weds is too much - yes, but if you drop Hofburg and move Kunsthistorisches to the AM, it will be better. The Kunsthistorisches was our favorite.

We were surprised by Amerling Beisl. We went for lunch and It is fine, but not quite what I expected from the R.S. book (charming it was not) but we had a decent lunch, for me a Mediterranean platter with hummus , etc., at a reasonable price. I am not 100% certain it is open for dinner.

We liked Le Bol, a French cafe recommended by R.S. They have lovely large salads and cold white wine, and it is sort of communal dining.

We stayed across the canal, too, and really enjoyed two restaurants that are not far from your apartment, El Hans and ef`16. El Hans is very creative, fresh, non-traditional. More like a tapas place. Turns out it is one of the top-rated places in Vienna, though well out of the old city and down a dark and deserted street. Ef16 is also very creative and we had perhaps the best polpo (octopus) starter we've ever had and that is saying a lot because we eat it all the time in Italy.