Day 1: Imperial Vienna
Start at Schönbrunn Palace — take the U4 and arrive at 8:30am (opens at 8:30, before the tour buses at 10am). The Grand Tour (€26, 40 rooms) is more worthwhile than the Imperial Tour (22 rooms). The gardens behind are free and enormous — walk up to the Gloriette for the city panorama.
Coffee break: This is Vienna. You don't "grab a coffee" — you sit. Café Central (Herrengasse 14) is the famous one — marble columns, piano music, Trotsky used to play chess here. Order a Melange (Vienna's cappuccino, €5.90) and an Apfelstrudel (€6.90). Yes, there's a queue. Go at 2pm, not 11am.
Afternoon: Hofburg Palace — the imperial apartments, Sisi Museum and Silver Collection (combined €18). Then walk through the MuseumsQuartier courtyard — one of the world's largest cultural complexes. Even if you skip the museums, the courtyard with its colourful outdoor furniture is a favourite local hangout.
Dinner: Figlmüller (Wollzeile 5) — the most famous schnitzel in Vienna since 1905. It hangs off the plate (literally — it's bigger than your head). €17.90 and it comes with a potato salad. Book at least 3 days ahead. The Bäckerstraße location is slightly less crowded.
Evening: Vienna State Opera — standing room tickets go on sale 80 minutes before curtain for €10-15. World-class opera for the price of a cocktail. Queue forms 2 hours before for popular productions. This is one of the greatest bargains in European culture.
Day 2: Art, Markets & Sachertorte
Morning at the Belvedere Palace (€16) — Klimt's "The Kiss" is here, and it's extraordinary in person. The palace gardens (free) give you a perfect view of the Vienna skyline.
Walk to the Naschmarkt — Vienna's main market, stretching 1.5km. Breakfast at one of the stalls: Umar does incredible falafel (€7), or try the Viennese classic Leberkässemmel (a hot meatloaf sandwich, €3.50) from any bakery stall. On Saturdays, the flea market at the far end is brilliant for vintage finds.
Lunch: Bitzinger Würstelstand at the Albertina — Vienna's most iconic sausage stand. A Käsekrainer (cheese-filled sausage, €5.20) with sweet mustard, standing at a tiny table, watching the opera house. This is as Viennese as it gets.
Afternoon: Albertina Museum (€18.90) — Monet, Picasso, Rothko. One of Europe's best art collections in a former Habsburg residence. Or the Kunsthistorisches Museum (€21) — Vermeer, Bruegel, Caravaggio, in a building as beautiful as the art.
Sachertorte time: You must. The original is at Hotel Sacher (€9.50 a slice). The rival version at Café Demel (Kohlmarkt 14, €8.90) is drier and arguably better. Try both and pick a side — the Viennese have been arguing about this since 1832.
Evening: Bermuda Triangle (Bermuda Dreieck) near Schwedenplatz — Vienna's nightlife hub. Krypt is a cocktail bar in actual medieval cellars. 1516 Brewing Company does excellent craft beer.
Day 3: Local Vienna
Morning: St. Stephen's Cathedral (free entry, €6 for the south tower climb — 343 steps, incredible views). Then walk through the Innere Stadt (inner city) — Graben, Kohlmarkt, Am Hof. Window-shop, don't buy (unless you're at Julius Meinl for Austrian coffee beans to take home).
Brunch: Café Sperl (Gumpendorfer Straße 11) — a favourite since 1880. Less touristy than Central, with the same wood-panelled elegance. Order a Frühstück (Viennese breakfast, €12-16) with soft-boiled egg, ham, cheese, bread and Marillenkonfitüre (apricot jam).
Afternoon: Prater — ride the Riesenrad (Giant Ferris Wheel, €15) for views, then walk through the park. Or take the U3 to Hundertwasserhaus — Friedensreich Hundertwasser's bonkers, colourful apartment building (exterior viewing free, the museum opposite is €12).
For wine lovers: Take a tram to Grinzing — a village on Vienna's edge where wine taverns (Heurigen) serve this year's wine with cold platters. Mayer am Pfarrplatz (Beethoven lived here!) charges €4-5 per glass and the garden is gorgeous.
Final dinner: Plachutta (Wollzeile 38) — Vienna's temple of Tafelspitz (boiled beef, Franz Josef's favourite dish). €24.90 and it's a ritual — the broth is served first, then the beef with apple horseradish and chive sauce. A proper Viennese farewell.
Budget Breakdown
- Flights: £30-70 return (Wizz Air or Ryanair)
- Accommodation: €60-90/night (central B&B or boutique hostel)
- Food: €25-35/day (coffee house + market lunch + one restaurant dinner)
- Attractions: ~€75 (Schönbrunn + Belvedere + one museum + opera standing room)
- Transport: €8/day (Vienna 24/48/72h ticket from €8/€14.10/€17.10)
- Total 3 days: £280-420 per person