One Day in Vienna

Vienna in one day is like a golf course with one hole. I would choose two major attractions - for all of them two weeks would not be enough - and spend the rest of the time walking around in the historic center to see and feel the aura of this wonderful city. And come back later for a longer time!

Would you recommend a tour guide?

I would visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum, and then go have a wonderful coffee + dessert in the Cafe Centraal, then look at the Stephensdom Cathedral for your one day. It's three wonderful and different things, giving you a good taste of Vienna.

Thank you very much for your responses!!

Tough assignment. I would say see the Hofburg Palace to get an idea of the obscene wealth of the Hapsburgs. Visit St. Stephens, and take a tour of the Opera House. Or you could ride the tram around the ring road, hop on and off anywhere that catches your fancy. there really isn't a hop on hop off bus. It depends mostly on your interests. Hank, Novato, CA

Shelley's advice is the best. The Kunsthistoriches Museum will give you a glimpse of the Hapsburg taste and influence and the phenomenal wealth of the Empire. Cafe Central is not only beautiful inside, but serves great food, and gives you an impression of Viennese intellectual culture in the fin de siecle. And St Stephans will show you the incredible power the Church had over medieval life. Go right up to the wall and crane your neck up and imagine it's 1400 and you just came in from the countryside to trade your crops and this is the biggest, most amazing thing you have ever seen or will ever see.

But I also think you have to fit in one more thing: perhaps the Romermuseum, or just to the Michaelerplatz and see the open-air foundations on display, to show you the deep historical roots of the area. Vienna has been a city or settlement since at least 500 BCE, if not earlier.

Better yet, what's this "one day" stuff? Wrangle four more.

Wow sounds so amazing really wish we would have had more time. Really appreciate all your responses, its been very helpful!

The HOHO will take you to the major sights and we found it useful in 2015. If you are a fan of Klimt, the Belvedere could be a great place to visit.

Here is what I have recommended before to people who were going to be in Vienna for Saturday night and Sunday till late afternoon. I'm not sure if you have a night there as well, so this may need to be further cut down.

This is malleable based on your interests, but here is what I would do:

-If you get in early enough on Saturday, I'd go see an opera or ballet at the Wiener Staatsoper if something is playing that night. If nothing is, look into other venues for classical music; Rick lists many of these in his guidebook. Last time I was in Vienna, I went to a concert here and enjoyed it (musicians were pretty good, and the church is GORGEOUS): https://classicexclusive.com/en/home/

-Walk by St. Stephen's Cathedral at night; I think it's the most beautiful building when it's lit up at night. A significant portion of Rick's St. Stephen's tour focuses on the exterior architecture, so that would be worth reading. The inside is beautiful too, of course, so it would also be worth popping in during opening hours to see that as well. I believe they do concerts in there, so maybe you could combine the two for your Saturday evening entertainment (I can't speak to the concert quality, having not attended one there).

-Start the day following one of Rick's Vienna walks to get a sense of the city center (District 1); if you haven't had a chance to get inside St. Stephen's, you could do that now as well, though pay attention to the Mass schedule as you'll be there on a Sunday. When Mass is in progress, you are only allowed to enter the Nave if you are attending Mass (though you get to do so for free then); when Mass is not in progress, you can enter the Nave for a fee. And you can always stand at the back and peer through the gate without paying anything.

-See the Lipizzaners perform at the Spanish Riding School at 11 AM (I think this is specific to Sundays...not sure what the scheduling/options are on other days of the week)

-Go to a cafe for a lunch and leisurely coffee (Cafe Braunerhof is about a block away and still has a very local vibe; my personal favorite is Cafe Sperl, but it's maybe a mile away and outside the Ring, so may not make as much sense when you have such a short time)

-Tour the Hofburg (Imperial Apartments, Silver Collection, and Sisi Museum); if you have the time and interest, you could add on the Treasury.

-Perhaps grab a wurst as a snack from a wurstelstand on your way out of town!