Vienna - 1st timer

Hi Michelle - there is so much to do in Vienna! I spent about 3.5 days (October 2018) and hope to go back to see more and take side trips. Some of my favorites were:

Ringstrasse Tram Tour - not the tourist tram, but the regular transit tram; the RS guide book has an excellent description of how to use the city trams as a hop-on-hop-off tour around the center. I had a transit pass valid for the duration of my stay, so whenever I found myself with time, I'd jump on the tram and get off at a different stop. One evening I happened upon a big fair at the Rathaus and spent the evening there! At another stop I visited the Johann Strauss and other monuments as I wandered the beautiful StadtPark.

Kunsthistorisches Museum - for me, unforgettable!

I followed the Rick Steves walking tours to see the cathedral and city center sights, as well as a trip out to Shoenbrunn Palace. I love ballet and attended a performance at the Opera House in early October. I also enjoyed wandering the NaschMarkt and had a terrific outdoor lunch there.

See the horses train at the Spanish Riding School. We were able to see a rehearsal of this famous group.
Art museum..Kunsthistoriches. Their Bruegel collection is exceptional.
Have lunch at Cafe Demel, and then finish off the meal with one of their famous pastries. The best!
We ate Weiner Schnitzel every single night we were in Vienna.
Apfelsteudel is a must too. We bought some through a window as we were walking around the city. If you like chocolate, Sacher Torte is famous in Vienna. I didn’t have any as I don’t like chocolate but others enjoyed it.
The Opera House. If there is a performance during your dates, try to get a ticket.

I love Vienna, I go every year! Depends what your interests are, of course, but some sightseeing highlights for me are:

Schonbrunn and its grounds, which are especially gorgeous in autumn
The Hofburg (if palaces aren’t really your thing I’d say just pick one between Schonbrunn and the Hofburg; I love them and am quite interested I. Habsburg history so I like both)
Belvedere Palace for Klimt
Stephansdom
I’m quite interested in architecture and design; especially Jugendstil and the Vienna Secession movement, so on one trip I hunted down a bunch of interesting buildings like the Secession building, Majolica House, and the Austrian Postal Savings Bank, and spent a bunch of time in the Leopold Museum checking out their collection of Secession-era applied art pieces. I also liked the Hundertwasser House and Hundertwasser Museum from the outside; wasn’t massively engaged by the museum itself on the inside.
Tour of the opera house, and then go back to see an opera
If you’re at all interested in horses, I think the Spanish Riding School show with the Lipizzaner horses is fun

In terms of local dishes, well, Wiener schnitzel is obviously a classic, as is Sachertorte. Try out a few of the classic cafes and enjoy a franziskaner. There a few different old school places where you pick out a variety of little open-faced sandwiches from a counter that are fun. Get lunch at a wurstelstand. Kaiserschmarrn is a delicious dessert. In October/November, you can get Martinigansl, which is roast goose with potatoes or dumplings, red cabbage, and sometimes cranberries. In general just enjoy good Central European cooking - goulash, roast pork, venison, various types of dumplings, kraut, strudel...and definitely, definitely enjoy Austria’s excellent wine.

After our visit, the one dish I craved and tried to recreate at home was pumpkin soup. It was great. My version, not so much. You even see pumpkin at salad bars in the region. They were amused that the only thing we do (US) with pumpkins are pies and jack-o-lanterns. Tafelspitz is another Austrian specialty. Chunks of boiled beef in broth. Definitely the Gulaschsuppe.

Make sure you watch The Third Man before you go to Vienna. It's a very good film, and there's a museum with a fanatical, English-speaking Austrian proprieter who absolutely loves the film and has collected numerous artifacts about it in a series of rooms and buildings. It's quite a trip to take his tour, and from there it's a short walk to Naschmarkt, where you can find many varieties of food and goods to enjoy.

We liked Vienna so much on our first 5 day visit, that we returned the next year for another week. If I’m remembering correctly, there are walking tours offered through the TI office. Doing one might be a good idea for you, since your time is so short.

The Jugendstil architecture is exceptional. You should definitely plan to view some.
I loved the Klimt works in the Belvedere Palace. The Kunsthistorische Museum is, of course, world-class.

All of the prior comments are spot on. Also, research and visit some of the great old cafes - coffee during the day, wine and beer in the late afternoon.

I just wanted to add that you should make sure to stay near the center. The first time we went we stayed out a ways. It was right near a subway but still was not a good idea.

Last September we spent 5 glorious nights in wonderful Vienna. Our hotel was centrally located so we walked to most of the museum's and other landmarks. We love museums and in addition to those mentioned up thread we enjoyed the Albertina as well. Another highlight was attending a free concert Sunday am at the Augustinin Church. It's conveniently located next to the Hofburg winter Palace. As CWsocial mentioned, we also enjoyed wandering the NaschMarkt & having a delicious outdoor lunch.

We enjoyed the local cuisine but also had an Italian dinner at Da Capo. It was recommended by forum contributor Emily who lives in Vienna.

We had planned to hire Gerhard Strassgschwandtner for a walking tour (founder of the Third Man Museum) but he was going to be out of town the week we were there. Highly recommended by RS and other RS guides.

As already reported, there is so much to do in Vienna! I was just looking through our photos and reminiscing. Enjoy your planning!

Edited to add: We also enjoyed a self guided tour of the Opera House & guided tour of Schönbrunn Palace. We especially liked the beautiful gardens.

I really loved Vienna in 2015 - would love to go back again. The Austrian red wine is surprisingly good. I loved the lightly fried pike perch. For a Texan, schnitzel is a poor relation of the chicken fried steak! Don't skip dessert.

If you are a museum freak, I highly recommend the Vienna Pass. Unlike most "passes", it includes practically everything you actually want to see that charges admission. Highlights for us were the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Belvedere for the Klimts, Military History Museum, Albertina, Treasury Museum of the Hofburg, and the morning exercises of the Spanish Riding School. By the time we made it to the Schonbrunn, we were "palaced out" and just visited the grounds and the zoo - but we could have toured the Palace with the Vienna Pass.

If you can, go to an opera at the opera house. We saw Don Giovanni. My one regret is that we didn't spring for better seats.

https://www.viennapass.com/what-you-get/

We visited Vienna in September, 2019 and had a wonderful time. Highlights for us were the Grand Tour of Schonbrunn Palace and walking in the beautiful gardens behind the palace up to the Gloriette, also walking on the pedestrian streets in Vienna - up Kartnerstrasse to St. Stephen's cathedral, then Graben street to St. Peter's Church, passing the Plague statue, down Kohlmarkt street to the Hofburg Palace. We stayed at a hotel on Burggasse in the Spittelberg area which had easy access to transportation and museums. There are nice cafes on Spittelberg and Gutenberg. We had a great dinner at La Boheme on Spittelberg - chicken Milanese, and a 3 course dinner of salmon salad, traditional beef and potatoes, and outstanding creamy chocolate mousse. Opera music played in the background and it had Austrian decor. (Cash only.) If you like music get tickets for a Mozart Strauss concert. We also enjoyed the exterior of the Belvedere Palace and the Upper and Lower gardens. The Volksgarten in Vienna had beautiful roses and was a nice place to rest. The Palmenhaus near the Burggarten is a good place to sit on the outdoor patio and have dessert.

WOW!! Thanks everyone!! I'm so impressed by all the suggestions! Thanks for taking the time to give me so many tips! I will definitely keep this list with me. I can't wait to see the city... fingers crossed that we can all start traveling again soon!

I forgot! Check out the Naschmarkt in Vienna. Both a sight to see and a place for food from stalls and kiosks.

It's great to get a Vienna question! I agree with the ideas above, most of which can easily be found in any travel book or website as a top sight. Please note that shops are always closed on Sundays as are the markets.

As you have indicated nothing about your interests, I'm going to focus on the places I would want to visit in three days.

Day 1 - Frommer's Self-Guided Walking Tour of the city center, starting and ending at the Operahouse (3 hours). https://www.frommers.com/destinations/vienna/walking-tours/walking-tour-1. Time in St. Stephan's Cathedral. Time in a city center cafe (I recommend Diglas on Wollzeile). Lunch at Palmenhaus (fortunately you are in Vienna during pumpkin season so you can have good soup here). Museum visit (I recommend the Albertina or Kunsthistoriches). Dinner at Flglmuller for Schnitzel or Plachutta for Tafelspitz. I'd spend any gaps in time wandering around the first district (the area inside of the Ring).

Day 2 - Schönbrunn Palace (interior and gardens). I'd go in the morning. I'd then have lunch at Rudigerhof, a schnitzel institution. Stroll through Naschmarkt (really my least favorite market in Vienna but it's on your way) and then have a cake and coffee at Vollpension (run by Grandma's cooking traditional cakes) or Cafe Sperl (iconic cafe). I'd also check out the Judenstil buildings in the area, such as the Secession and Majolika Haus.

Day 3 - The Belvedere in the morning, inside and outside. Stroll by Karlskirche on the way to the U4 subway line, which you will take to the end station of Heiligenstadt. Board the 38A bus to Kahlenberg for a spectacular view of the Danube from a small mountain as well as all of Vienna in front of you. Try to find the ferris wheel and the Belvedere. Walk down from Kahlenberg stopping at Mayer Am Nussberg (https://www.mayeramnussberg.at/en/), a traditional buschenschank serving good house wine, meats and cheeses (a very Viennese thing to do). Mayer is set among a vineyard and is beautiful. From Mayer Am Nussberg, follow the signs leading you down the hill labeled Stadtwanderweg 1 (https://www.wien.gv.at/umwelt/wald/freizeit/wandern/wege/wanderweg1.html) to my favorite heuriger, Schübel-Auer (https://www.schuebel-auer.at/en/). Stunning courtyard, great wine and the best food. Again, a really Viennese thing to do.

Other tips - buy a 72 hour transportation pass upon arrival. Do not do day 3 on a Monday and only do day 3 in good weather. Do not do Day 2 on a Sunday as the market will be closed.

Certainly , a surfeit of places to see , things to do , and all else , three days will barely scratch the surface . Of course , once you visit you will likely return , if the city affects you as it does for many . Before you go , gaining some understanding of the city , its history , background , and cultural evolution will enhance your appreciation during your visit . This 90 minute documentary , by the Harvard historian Joseph Koerner , will go far in giving you a basis to advance your knowledge . " Vienna: City of Dreams " ( BBC Scotland 2007 ) https://youtu.be/AFZBOTgL_Hk

There is not much to add to all the suggestions you got. Depending on your major areas of interest you will have to make a tough selection. Don't plan too much for a short time frame. Enjoy the unhasty pace of the city.

I somewhat disagree with some of the suggestions, but that is more of a personal preference. In my opinion Oberlaa's cakes and pastries are superior to Demel's, and I don't like the original Sacher Torte because it is too dry for me. Don't eat Wiener Schnitzel all the time, there is much more delicious food. Try a Schnitzel from pork and the original from veal (not at Figlmüller), that's enough.

Staying right at the city center is not really necessary as you cannot do all the sights just by walking anyway. Public transport is everywhere, look for a place close to a subway or tram stop.

Prague is a beautiful city, but if you can shift one day from Prague to Vienna, I would highly recommend it.

This is the toughest 3-day itinerary for 1st timers. I have never been aware of anybody who was able to do this in three days as suggested, though.
https://www.wien.info/en/recommendations/vienna-in-three-days

If you've any interest in classical music, go to the opera house. The building itself is wonderful, inside & out, & if performances are happening, any seat will be thrilling. My intro didn't even include a seat, decades ago in the cheapie standing-room-only area waaaaay up top in nosebleed heaven, the back of the uppermost balcony. It was Tosca, & when the first character skulked onstage, muttering, I was sure he had on a body mike, the acoustics are so stellar.

Also loved the elegant horses of the Spanish Riding School, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, wine gardens, the Hundertwasser architecture, most every form of Austrian calories. If the weather's autumnal for you, warm strudel is one of the world's best comfort foods, ditto a bowl of gulasch. Strudel's made not only with apples; "milk" was more like cream & ricotta, ohh.