Free things to do in Vienna

Free things to do in Vienna

1. SeeInnere Stadt

   Ankeruhr

   A large 4-m-diameter musical clock on a pedestrian bridge connecting two neighboring buildings. The clock was designed between 1911 and 1914 by the Judgenstil painter Franz Matsch, and features prominent figures from Viennese history, each with a Roman character. At noon all figures parade across the clock face, accompanied by music. During the Advent season, Christmas songs are played daily at 17:00 and 18:00.

   Free

2. SeeInnere Stadt

   Ausgrabungen Michaelerplatz

   Michaelerplatz Excavations

   Archeological excavations carried out between 1989 and 1991 revealed not only the foundations of medieval buildings but also remains of the Roman canabae (civilian support settlement) of Vindobona, as Vienna was then known. The viewing area was designed by Viennese architect Hans Hollein.

   Daily 24 hr·Free

3. SeeInner East

   Bezirksmuseum Brigittenau

   Brigittenau District Museum

   This little museum tells the story of the district itself through pictures, views and models.

   Sun 10:00-12:00, Thu 17:00-19:00, closed on holidays and school breaks·Free

4. SeeOuter East

   Blumengärten Hirschstetten

   The Flower Gardens of Hirschstetten are run by the City of Vienna. The Gardening Department fosters their plants, which are then used in public gardens and parks. In the public section, several themed gardens (Chinese, Mexican, etc.) are installed; there is a preserved farm with petting zoo, an educational beehive, some turtles, owls and wild cats. For children, there is a big insect-themed playground available. Between Oct and March, only the orangerie is open for public. In front of the orangerie, there are popular Christmas and Easter markets during the weeks before the respective holidays.

   end of Mar - mid Oct: Tue-Sun 08:00-18:00; Jun-Aug Fri-Sun 08:00-20:00·Free

5. SeeLandstraße

   Botanischer Garten

   Botanic Gardens

   Established in 1754 by Empress Maria Theresia as a garden for medicinal plants and granted to the University of Vienna, which has maintained it since. The gardens contain a number of rare plants, including alpine specimens.

   Hours vary by season and weather, generally 10:00-15:00/18:00·Free

6. SeeInner East

   Circus- und Clownmuseum

   Circus and Clown Museum

   This unusual museum houses a collection of props and costumes, with rotating exhibits.

   Sun 10:00-13:00, every 1st and 3rd Thu 19:00-21:00·Free

7. SeeHietzing

   Hietzinger Cemetery

   Hietzinger Friedhof

   Many prominent Viennese from the 18th to the 20th centuries are buried here, including the playwright Franz Grillparzer, painter Gustav Klimt, architect Otto Wagner, and modern composer Alban Berg.

   Free

8. DoOuter West

   Jubiläumswarte

   A tower was erected on the 50th regency anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. The new one is 31 m high, reopened in 1956 and was renovated in 2012.

   all day·free entry

9. SeeAlsergrund

   Jüdischer Friedhof Seegasse

   Jüdischer Friedhof Rossau / Seegasse Jewish Cemetery

   Vienna's oldest preserved Jewish cemetery, in use from the 16th century until 1784. In 1941 Nazi officials decided to raze the cemetery; in response a number of Viennese Jews removed 931 gravestones and buried them at the Zentralfriedhof. In the 1980s 280 of the gravestones were rediscovered and returned to their original locations. The cemetery was resanctified in 1984. Due to ongoing restoration work (as of late 2016) the cemetery cannot be entered, but can be easily viewed from an elevated walkway overlooking the site.

   Mon-Fri 08:00-15:00·Free

10. DoOuter East

    Motorikpark

    Huge playground for kids and grown-ups with focus on physical exercising and enhancing coordination. There is no shade in the hot season.

    Nov-Feb: daily 08:00-16:30, Mar: daily 08:00-18:00, Apr-Aug: daily 08:00-20:00, Sep-Oct: daily 08:00-19:00·Free

11. SeeInnere Stadt

    Museum Postsparkasse

    Otto Wagner Museum

    SIGNA, the owner of the Post Office Savings Bank building, runs the WAGNER:WERK Museum Postsparkasse. Opened by BAWAG P.S.K. in 2005, it's in the small banking hall. The museum and the main banking hall are open to visitors. At the post office of his original design. At this museum you can see the more serious aspect of his artistic enterprise, that of public life. Also some of the original furniture and his plans.

    Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00·Free

12. DoInnere Stadt

    Opera Film Festival

    Sommerkino Rathausplatz

    Each day, weather permitting, you can watch an opera on a huge open-air screen. On another part of the square, there are plenty of food stalls (maybe a little overpriced) which offer Viennese, as well as international food. On pleasant summer evenings, the atmosphere can be quite relaxing.

    Jul-Aug·Free

13. DrinkInner East

    Prater Dome

    Austria's largest club. Come dressed like euro-trash to get in. Thursday is ladies' night with free entry and drinks. Popular with the young conservative working class.

14. SeeLandstraße

    Sankt Marxer Friedhof

    St. Marx Cemetery

    This historic cemetery was in use from 1784 until 1874. Mozart was buried here in an unmarked pauper's grave in 1791; the tombstone dates from a later period, after his grave was tentatively identified. The Bezirksmuseum Landstraße offers regular guided tours of the cemetery (in German).

    Closed · opens 6:30 am tomorrow·Free

15. SeeHietzing

    Schönbrunn Park

    Schlosspark

    A Baroque garden which has remained fundamentally unaltered since it first opened to the public in 1779, and popular for locals. Highlights include the Gloriette, offering grand views over the gardens, a children's Maze (Irrgarten) and Labyrinth, and the Crown Prince Garden (Privy Garden or Kronprinzengarten).

    Daily, gates open Apr-Oct 06:00, Nov-Mar 06:30; gates close at sundown (varies by month)·Free, except for the Gloriette, Maze/Labyrinth, and Crown Prince Garden (€2.20-€4.50)

16. SeeInnere Stadt

    Wiener Rathaus

    Vienna City Hall

    Designed by Friedrich von Schmidt (the architect of the Cologne Cathedral) and completed in 1883, this is the most significant neo-Gothic building in Vienna, with a 103m-high clock tower. There is a very pleasant park with two fountains in front of the building facing the Ring.

    Tours (in German) Mon Wed Fri 13:00, no registration required·Free; audioguides in English/French/Italian/Spanish available with ID

17. SeeInner East

    Wurstelprater

    This year-round amusement park (map available here was established in the late 18th century, and is most famous for its Riesenrad (see listing below). The park also includes standard fun rides as well as a Madame Tussauds wax works cabinet and the Liliputbahn (a narrow-gauge railroad). Possibly the weirdest attraction though is the Kugelmugel (Antifaschismusplatz 2), a spherical house (diameter 7.68m) that, after failing to get a planning permit, declared independence from Austria. First built elsewhere and carted off to the Prater by Austrian authorities, it now sits uninhabited and fenced off with barbed wire.

    General park: open daily 24 hr; rides and attractions: 15 Mar - 31 Oct 10:00-01:00·Free (general admission), €1.50-5 (individual rides and attractions)

18. SeeOuter South

    Zentralfriedhof

    Central Cemetery

    With nearly 3 million graves and covering an area of almost 2.5 km², this is one of the largest cemeteries in Europe. It has an interdominational character, being subdivided into Catholic, Protestant, and two Jewish sections (one of which is still in use); newer divisions include Russian Orthodox, Buddhist, Muslim, and Mormon. The cemetery has served as a giant park for weekend ramblings since its creation in 1874, and though it is some distance from the city centre (25-30 min from Stephansplatz), it is worth the trip. The tram stops are named after the cemetery gate next to it: Zentralfriedhof 1. Tor is the entrance to the old Jewish section; Zentralfriedhof 2. Tor is the main gate. A public bus 106 (€0.60 or regular ticket) runs in the cemetery connecting all of the gates and areas.

    Closed · opens 7 am tomorrow·Free

19. DoOuter East Not mapped

    Donauinselfest

    Danube Island Festival

    An open-air free music festival that takes place every June, and one of the largest of its kind in Europe. The festival is spread over an area of 6.5 km² with a number of music stages, hosting mostly Austrian and European pop musicians. Food and drink stands offer a range of dishes, including Austrian and vegetarian.

    End of May·Free

20. SeeInner East Not mapped

    Prater

    This large park began life as a carriage-riding area for the nobility, and is still a popular place to spend a weekend afternoon with family.

    Daily 24 hr·Free

21. SeeMargareten Not mapped

    The "Red Vienna": Community Housing of the 1920s and 1930s

    During a short period from 1919 to 1933, the city of Vienna erected some 65,000 apartments of high quality for the impoverished working class. Highly noticeable is also the contemporary architecture of these buildings all across town, of which several interesting ones are clustered on a short stretch along Gürtel road. The style ranges from Art Déco to modernistic, the buildings have courtyards and often resemble fortresses – as which they were even used during the civil war 1934. Look out for the 1920s,,, or the 1950s high rise building of Matzleinsdorf just nearby. Show respect while visiting, as these are living houses and not tourist attractions in the first place.

    Gates close in the evening·Free

22. SeeInnere Stadt

    MUSA Museum Startgalerie Artothek

    Museum Start Gallery Artothek

    Hosts special exhibits of contemporary Austrian art.

    Tue Wed Fri 11:00-18:00, Thu 11:00-20:00, Sat 11:00-16:00; closed Sun Mon and holidays·Free

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Vienna (CC BY-SA 4.0).