Vienna

Hotel Das Tyrol. Walkable to most all you need.

Download the RS app - it has a great Vienna section w/a very good walking tour of the Old Town.
Def see St. Stephan's Cathedral and take the elevator up to the top for amazing views.

Idealy with so little time (actually unless you are a museum hound, 2 full days isnt terrible), but with so little time if you can afford it (big if in my world), stay inside the ringy-thingy or at least within a block of it. (Ringstrasse) Better on the southwest side too, if possible. This will put you close to 75% of the good stuff. Here is why: https://mashapasha.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/wien_turistik_map.jpg

Maybe Emily will come along. She knows her Vienna stuff really well.

https://bit.ly/Vienna_in_3_days

This is a little folder, targeted at short-time visitors. It gives you a good overview of the main sights in Vienna, suggesting two walks in the city center which might appeal to you. (Ignore the very last page which is not up to date, as this folder has not be reprinted since 2020 due to Corona times without tourists in Vienna.)

I responded to your other post and I've asked for your dates so that I can suggest some hotels that are available.

As far as what to do, I suggest the following:

Day 1 -
Morning: Schonbrunn Palace, interior and gardens
Lunch: Take the U4 to Schwedenplatz and have lunch at Brioche und Brösel (a stand from the famous Figlmueller family offering tremendously good sandwiches).
Afternoon: Stephansdom (including the elevator to the North Tower for a view); walk across the Graben, turning left on Kohlmarkt, through the Hofburg, taking a right on the Ring and walking to the Votivkirche which will allow you to see all major sights on the Ring. Make a pit stop at Cafe Landtmann for coffee and cake.
Dinner: Amerlingbeisl, Palmenhaus or Glacis Beisl (assuming you are coming in warmer weather)

Day 2-
Morning: Upper Belvedere Palace to see Klimt's Kiss
Late Morning: walk down to the Lower Belvedere towards Rennweg; walk through Schwartzenbergplatz and pick up a sausage at Würstelstand Zum scharfen René for lunch on your way to the Vienna/Wien Museum, fantastic and free; walk by the Karlskirche, admiring the famous Musikverein and the Otto Wagner pavilions on your right.
Afternoon: Head towards nearby Cafe Sperl for coffee and strudel. I suggest a stroll down the famous shopping street of Mariahilferstrasse and the adjacent Spittelberg area full of galleries.
Dinner: the iconic Plauchutta
Evening: Try to see an Opera or performance at the Musikverein (or the Konzerthaus)

Thank you all so much for your suggestions! They have been a huge help. We will be in Vienna 9/12-9/14.

Emily is always good but still I bet she cant find me a cheap hotel near the good stuff for June ....

Try me....

Emily, So, my son and his wife found someone to watch the kids and bought tickets to the Opera in Vienna 9 June.

They will drive from Ramstein Air Base so not too bad. I am still waiting to find out how many days early or after they will stay. I will go up with my S.O. for the better part of a day with them and maybe another day for us. At least 2 nights. My S.O. has never seen Vienna. I will give her a quick sample, cause if she likes it it's just a few hours up the tracks for return trips.

Until I hear from my son, can't plan. I suspect because of his job description that his job is turmoil right now.

I bet she cant find me a cheap hotel near the good stuff for June ....

Finding a hotel having reasonable cheap prices is no rocket science.

As I said already several times in this forum, a good connection to public transport is more important than the location of the hotel. So many people want to stay inside or near the Ring, but could save a big chunk of their money if they would be willing to endure the hassle of a short ride by subway or tram.

Your son will arrive by car, so good luck with parking in the very center.

With the opening of the new main train station (Hauptbahnhof) the whole area has been gentrified, including several new hotels having been built. From there you can be in less than 15 minutes at the Ring and the center.

Look on Google Maps: There are e.g. the Hotel Motel One, Leonardo Hotel and Prize by Radisson.
All three hotels belong to international hotel chains, having other locations in Vienna, too.
Compare the prices offered by booking.com with those on their original websites.

Emily, let me give you a plug for those who need help on Austria. We havent always agreed, but over the years I have come to like your style. You rarely if ever say not to do somehting or be afraid of something or you are wrong if you do something and then just end there .... its almost always followed by a solution. The difference between being negative and being positive or helpful and not so helpful. Like "XXX is difficult in Vienna!!!" vs "XXX is difficult in Vienna, but here is one solution if your hotel can not help you: https://www.wien.info and here are some XXX in the Ringstrasse you might want to check out, https://www.boe" And your advice is first hand, as a resident of Vienna, which is a blessing. There are a few on the fourm now that I swear are using AI to develop answers.

wmt1, thank you sir, actually the Hotel Motel One isnt bad. A fairly newly renovated 3 star hotel in a good location for my S.O. as she has never seen Vienna before so this trip will be 75% inside the Ringstrasse as thats the classic tour. The price very nice too for Vienna at about $180 a night for for their "Compact" (their words, not mine) 16m2 room during the time period I am there (the only room available). The other hotels might be great for her 3rd or 4th visit.

If you go to the zoo you can also visit the aquarium, which was a flak tower in WWII. One of my favorite spots.

KGC, and I love Aquariums. Thank you.

To clarify, the zoo at Schönbrunn is a separate attraction in a different part of town from the Haus des Meeres - the one in the anti-aircraft tower.

Both are worth visiting if you like animals.

PS - Thanks Mr. E

Emily I love animals that i dont have to take care of. The aquarium in particular interests me because the design firm that I owned did one of the better aquariums in the US. So I walk through these things with a different eye..... its professionally fun.

The aquarium in particular interests me ...

https://www.haus-des-meeres.at/en

https://www.zoovienna.at/en/

Unfortunately I have two days, 28 and 29 June (I have dates now), and its going to be hard to convince someone who has never been to Vienna to spend time in a zoo and aquarium. But the aquairum is only about a 20 minute walk from the Ringstrass.

I do enjoy zoos too. But for that I have a pretty sweet one just down the street.

Mr. E (and apologies to the OP for switching things up) - some ideas below.

June 8 - 10:

Max Brown Hotel 7th District - 125 Euro per night; my favorite part of Vienna; walk down Burggasse towards the Ring is fun, with many good restaurants like Ulrich on the way as well as the charming Spittelberg area.

Ruby Marie Hotel - 120 Euro per night; right off of the main shopping street (Mariahilferstrasse) which takes you easily into the first district with two subway stops or walking; if walking you will go right past many of the major art museums.

Hotel Indigo - 135 Euro per night; steps away from the Naschmarkt and right in front of a Ubahn station which takes you to the center in two stops; go to nearby Rudigerhof for the best schnitzel (a secret art nouveau gem).

Novotel Wien City - 148 Euro per night; right on the canal, with the ability to just walk over a very picturesque bridge to be in the First District; nearby Balthazar coffeeshop is my favorite.

NH Wien Belvedere - 131 Euro per night; two blocks from my apartment; the Belvedere Palace is in the backyard of the hotel and the Ring is a short downhill walk (or easy two stop tram ride) away. A friend of mine swears by this hotel.

Austria Trend Savoyen - 146 Euro per night; also right on my street with the Belvedere Palace behind; my parents have stayed here on many occasions and the breakfast is top notch and the rooms are modern (good view from the roof as well).

June 9 - 11:

Lindner Hotel - 143 Euro per night; again, on my street and have had guests stay here; entrance to Belvedere is next door, Ring is a 5 minute walk away; great local spot nearby which I can tell you about privately.

Max Brown Hotel mentioned above.

Ruby Marie Hotel mentioned above.

Hotel Indigo mentioned above.

Hotel Josephine - 136 Euro per night; I don't know it, but it looks very cute and next to the main shopping street.

NH Belvedere mentioned above.

Emily, I do this a lot for people coming here, so I know how much work and effort goes into it. So you know how grateful I am. I will go through them over the next few days.