Things to do in Vienna

Things to do in Vienna

1. DoLandstraße

   Akademietheater

   The Akademietheater is the smaller of two performance halls of the Burgtheater ensemble. It was built between 1911 and 1913 by the architects Fellner und Hellmer and Ludwig Baumann.

2. DoOuter South

   Amalienbad

   The big swimming pool was built between 1923 and 1926 with an interior decoration in Art-Déco style. Expect the pool to be crowded (depending on time) and hence it may be hard to swim in straight lines. In the sauna areas (for additional price), there are cold and warm pools and a hot tub in addition to a steam room, a bio sauna and two Finnish saunas (with a schedule of Austrian aufguss sessions).

   Entry times vary according to season, check website

3. DoMariahilf

   Apollo Kino

   A Cineplexx theater with plenty of choices including original versions. The cinema opened here in 1905. According to seat numbers it is one of the biggest in Vienna.

4. DoLandstraße

   Arena

   Arena Wien

   The arena is one of the biggest concert and alternative culture places. The slaughterhouse got squatted in 1976 and operates since as culture center. FM4 hosts here its annual birthday party. The programme lists the performing artists. The open air arena can host 3000 peoples.

5. DoNeubau

   Bellaria Kino

   Charming and beautiful old-school cinema screening both old classic and original versions of contemporary films.

6. DoHietzing

   Bikepath Vienna river

   Wienfluss Radweg

   A short ride of 7km is available without any traffic crossings.

   on day light

7. DoOuter South

   Bohemian Prater

   Böhmischer Prater / Familienprater

   A small historic amusement park dating back to the second half of the 19th century. Some of the rides are more than 100 years old. There is also a 21-m-high Ferris wheel. It is a lovely place to go for a longer walk. There is a BMX dirt circular track, plus a running checkpoint meet.

   Apr-Oct: Sat Sun and holidays 08:00-21:00; May-Sep: also on weekdays 09:00-12:00, 14:00-19:00

8. DoInnere Stadt

   Burg Kino

   A classic 1970s theatre which hosts international films. They regularly play The Third Man movie.

9. DoInnere Stadt

   Burgtheater

   The building was completed in 1888 and is home to one of the most respected German-language theaters, as well as the second-oldest theater in Europe. Non-German speaking visitors will find the building itself worth visiting, as the foyer contains paintings by Viennese artists Gustav and Ernst Klimt, and Franz Matsch, which can be viewed with a tour.

   Guided tour Burgtheater – Behind the Scenes: Sep-Jun Mon-Thu 15:00 (German w/English summary), Fri-Sun 15:00 (German and English); guided tour Gustav Klimt – Main Staircases and Angelika Prokopp Foyer: Sep-Jun Fri-Sun 14:00 (German w/English summary)·Tours: €5.50 (adults), €4.50 (seniors), €2 (students and children); performances: €5-51 (seats), €2.50 (standing room)

10. DoInnere Stadt

    Casino Vienna

    Casino Wien

    The casino is at Palais Esterhàzy, on the famous Kärtner Strasse near the Opera and is operated by state-owned Casinos Austria. In addition there are several poker casinos (e.g. Montesino) and many, many tiny slot-machine and betting places. The latter often occur in groups of three (because there is a legal limit on the number of slot machines per venue). They do not offer any glamor or flair and are best avoided by tourists.

    Sun-Thu 15:00-03:00, Fri Sat 15:00-04:00

11. DoOuter East

    Donauinsel

    Danube Island

    This island was built for flood protection and separates the artificial Neue Donau (New Danube) canal from the Donau (Danube). It offers many opportunities for outdoor activities, including canoeing, waterskiing, cycling, and swimming. There are a number of free beaches on the northern and southern ends of the island, and toward the center are a number of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.

12. DoOuter West

    Döblinger Bad

    The indoor pool is 25 m long, and in summer the outdoor area offers a nice view over Vienna. The temperature of the pool varies according the week.

    times listed on website

13. DoInnere Stadt

    Edelweiss Center

    Austria's biggest boulder hall is in the town center. One finds tons of boulder problems to solve. They offer courses for beginners and advanced. Can get crowded on after business hours.

    Mon-Fri 09:00-22:00, Sat Sun 11:00-22:00

14. DoInner East

    Ernst-Happel-Stadion

    Praterstadion

    Austria's biggest stadium (capacity 50.000) is frequently hosting major sports events like soccer (Austrian National Squad; Rapid Wien; Euro League and Champions League), track-and-fields, as well as the occasional concert (e.g. Bon Jovi, Helene Fischer). Vast training compound adjacent.

15. DoNeubau

    Filmhaus am Spittelberg

    Filmhaus Kino

    With a single hall, this small and modern theatre screens documentary and arthouse films. Reservations are recommended.

    €8.50

16. DoInnere Stadt

    Gartenbaukino

    The biggest Viennese one projection theater cinema opened in 1960 is screening artsy production and has electronic music events. The cinema hosts Viennese premieres and can screen 70mm films too.

17. DoMariahilf

    Haydn Kino

    English Cinema Haydn

    The theatre projects mostly English films in original version.

18. DoOuter West

    Hermannskogel

    With 542 m above sea level, it is the highest point of Vienna. The Habsburgerwarte, a 27-m-tall tower from 1888, on top of the Hermanskogel is open on weekends in the summer. It used to be km 0 for cartographic measurements in the Austria-Hungarian empire.

    Apr-Oct: Sat 13:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-17:00·€1 entry

19. DoLandstraße

    Ice skating

    Wiener Eislauf-Verein

    At the Wiener Eislaufverein in winter time one can skate on a big 6000 m² square.

    Late Oct-early Mar: 15:00-21:00

20. DoInnere Stadt

    Jazzland

    Wiens ältester Jazzkeller

    The Jazzclub plays kind of old-men Jazz in a relaxed ambiance operating since 1972.

    Mon-Sat 19:00

21. 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

22. DoOuter West

    Jörgerbad

    Kaiser Franz Joseph-Bad

    The swimming pool is 25 m long and has a retractable glass roof. It was built between 1912 and 1914. The bath offers a sauna and massage too.

    listed on website

23. DoOuter West

    Kahlenberg

    The hill has a beautiful view over the Viennese vineyards and down the Danube. On clear days one clearly sees the Viennese historic center including the cathedral. Many bike or hike trails into the Wienerwald start from here.

24. DoInner East

    Kino wie noch nie

    Filmarchiv Austria

    An open-air film festival held annually from the beginning of July until mid-August, this festival hosted by the Filmarchiv Austria screens independent international films. Pre-purchased tickets can be picked up at the concierge at 19:30 before the screening.

    Adult €8.50, senior or student €7, block of 10 tickets €65/€50

25. DoOuter West

    Kletterhalle Marswiese

    The climbing hall is part of the sport center Marswiese. It offers various climbing courses.

    Closed · opens 8 am tomorrow

26. DoOuter East

    Kletterhalle Wien

    This is one of the biggest climbing gym in Vienna with 1200 mm² lead walls and 400 m² boulder walls. It is operated by the Viennese Naturfreunde. It hosted several IFSC Boulder Worldcups.

    Closed · opens 9 am tomorrow

27. DoInnere Stadt

    Kletterzentrum Austria

    It has a small boulder place and some interesting structures to lead climb on.

    Mon-Fri 18:00-, Sat Sun·€5.50 (adults), €3.90 (youth under 25), €2.80 (children under 18)

28. DoMariahilf

    Kletterzentrum Flakturm

    On one side of the 2nd Worldwar bunker there are routes to climb high up until its roof with great views into the roofs of Vienna. The routes are usually hard and require some endurance. The alpine club organises courses for beginners and intermediate. On the other side there are boulder problems set. The outdoor climbing in middle of a historic city makes this a favorite choice for many climbers during the hot season.

    May-Sept: Mon Wed Fri-Sun 14:00-darkness; Tue Thu 12:00-darkness·€12

29. DoJosefstadt

    Kletterzentrum ÖGV

    Kletterzentrum Gebirgsverein

    A small climbing gym inside Vienna has walls in an indoor court, in the cellar, and more upstairs. The gym offers courses for various ages and climbing experience, with highly-motivated trainers and climbers. The boulders are known to be very demanding on endurance, and there are some special circuits set up upstairs. Every autumn they organise a friendly boulder competition.

    Sep-Jun: Mon-Fri 10:00-23:00, Sat Sun holidays 14:00-20:00; Jul Aug: Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00·€11 for 2 hours or more

30. DoLandstraße

    Konzerthaus

    Built between 1911 and 1913, the Konzerthaus is the homebase for the Vienna Symphony (Wiener Symphoniker), the Vienna Chamber Orchestra (Wiener Kammerorchester), the Wiener Singakademie and the Klangforum Wien.

    Box office: Mon-Fri 09:00-19:45, Sat 09:00-13:00; Sat Sun holidays: 45 min prior to performance

31. DoHietzing

    Lainzer Tiergarten

    A beautiful nature reserve which was once the Emperor's private hunting wood; on the grounds is the Hermesvilla, the favorite mansion of Empress Elisabeth. It has several 2-10 km hiking trails. Local recreation area, in summer you can see wild pigs, deer, and many Viennese families.

    Various depending on time of year, see the website, but usually mid Feb-mid Nov 08:00-17:00

32. DoInner East

    Messe Wien

    Run by Reed Exhibitions, who operate fairgrounds throughout Austria, Vienna's fairgrounds are not as known for major events as the ones in Frankfurt, Munich or Hannover, but still play host to many events important to the Austrian, Central European and German-speaking markets. The fairgrounds were completely reconstructed at the turn of the millennium and a new rotunda with a part of the historic Messeturm lattice tower placed on top was built at the main entrance, providing a beacon visible from afar.The fairgrounds are quite large, with four main halls, a congress centre and three entrances, close to U-Bahn stations Messe/Prater and Krieau on the U2. If there is an interesting event there, this may serve as a rainy-day alternative for the Prater amusement park. Most events happen January through May and October/November. Check the calendar if the event is of interest and open to the public.

33. 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

34. DoInner East

    MuTh

    Musik und Theater

    A concert hall and multi-purpose auditorium for the Vienna Boys Choir, opened in 2012. A calendar of upcoming events is published here; tickets can be purchased at the door or online.

    Box office: Mon-Fri 16:00-18:00, and 1 hr before the start of a performance

35. DoInnere Stadt

    Musikverein

    Viennese Music Association

    Home to the Vienna Philharmonic, and venue for a wide range of other classical music performances. Its largest hall, the Großer Musikvereinssaal (Goldener Saal) is considered to be one of the world's finest concert halls. For visitors wanting a closer look, daily 45-min guided tours are offered (entrance at Bösendorferstraße 12, adults €6, youth 12-16 €4.

36. 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

37. DoAlsergrund

    Pier9

    The outdoor lead wall is 21.5 m high. There are 6 security lines with 13 routes. The boulder wall is downstairs next to the stream and has the same texture concrete wall with different inclinations.

    Spring, summer, autumn·€6 lead, free boulder wall

38. DoInnere Stadt

    Porgy & Bess

    Porgy

    The Jazzclub features international Jazz artists. One can reserve seats in advance, which is recommended for special events. The bar offers good wine and some food too.

    €15-30

39. DoMariahilf

    Raimund Theater

    Constructed in 1893 as a venue for German folk dramas and plays, the building was later used for operettas. Since 1985 it has hosted German-language and international musicals.

40. DoOuter West

    SK Rapid Wien

    This is one of the city's two main clubs, playing in Austrian Bundesliga, the country's top tier. Allianz-Stadion (also known as Weststadion), capacity 28,000, was opened in 2016 over the site of the former Gerhard Hanapi Stadium. Best buy tickets online, but they may be available at the stadium or at tobacco shops (Trafik) around town.

Browse all 619 places in Vienna

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