Arriving in the capital of Austria, people immediately ask themselves what to see in Vienna in order to remain satisfied with the trip. This city attracts millions of tourists for a reason, because it has a huge number of unique places that you can enjoy for weeks. In this article, the most famous of them will be indicated with a description so that travelers do not have problems with a choice.
The majestic cathedral
If time is short, and you can’t imagine what to see in Vienna, then you should go to St. Stephen’s Cathedral. This magnificent building was erected in the Gothic style, and its maximum height reaches 136 meters.
The religious building has long become a symbol of the city, and not a single tourist can pass by it. Inside it there are catacombs on the eastern side of the building, and members of the Habsburg dynasty were buried in the crypt. The belfries took care of the presence of 23 bells, the sound of which is heard in a large radius from the Cathedral. Even one glance at the roof, in which 230 thousand tiles were laid, can cause admiration.
The palace, which is remembered for a lifetime
No matter how many people stay in the Austrian capital, and no matter how they plan what to see in Vienna now and what to leave for the distant future, the Belvedere is worthy of attention first of all. This complex was built in the XVIII century by order of Eugene of Savoy.
Later, the territory was supplemented by an alpine garden with various details. And another five years later, the Upper Belvedere appeared, which became a real decoration of the whole city. Here you can feel the atmosphere of the era, and architecture does not allow to divert an admiring glance. Many famous masters of those times worked on the project, and the result exceeded all expectations. Now on the upper floors of the complex is an art gallery, which contains unique creations of the past two centuries. Only here you can see some works by Oscar Kokoschka and Gustav Klimt. In December, the Christmas market with its characteristic color unfolds on the territory of the palace.
Beautiful residence
The search for what to see in Vienna is obligatory, even on one day of presence, should not exclude the magnificent residence of the former emperors of the state called Schönbrunn. Here you can spend many hours, but there is no desire to leave.
Forty rooms and several large halls are open for tourists inside the huge baroque palace. Already for the sake of this one building, you can immediately collect things and fly to the capital of Austria. Available rooms include the bedrooms of the emperors, an office with a terrace, an entrance hall, a security room and much more.
Among the halls, first of all, it is worth visiting Mirror, Rose and galleries. In the first of these, Mozart himself played, and Maria Theresa took the oath of her subjects ministers. The second is distinguished by magnificent design with landscapes of Italy and Switzerland. Here you can spend hours walking and admiring the beauty, especially for novice tourists, and yet all the charms of the Schönbrunn residence do not end there.
Hiking in the area
The above residence is a unique building, which occupies a special place among the sights of Vienna. Where to go and what to see in the vicinity of the building, it will immediately become clear.
There is a local cafe with incredible desserts, a palm house, a labyrinth for walks, as well as a large park. If travelers come with children, then they just need to look into the zoo, which is also located on the territory of the residence.
Here there is just a huge number of animals, many of them are rarely found in such institutions. The important thing is that the Vienna Zoo is one of the oldest in the world. For a long time the fauna has been constantly replenished with new species. And even for those who are not interested in observing animals, it may be interesting to see something new for themselves. Tickets are not cheap, but Vienna is famous for its rich life, so you just have to put up with it. For the sake of positive emotions and joy of children, this can be allowed.
Unique museum
If tourists are interested in what to see in Vienna in winter, then you should pay attention to the beautiful Liechtenstein Museum. The palace serves as the building for him, and the name of the building was received from the eponymous princely family, which was very respected in the state. Representatives of the glorious dynasty of Liechtenstein were famous connoisseurs of art and founded the famous museum.
It all started with Charles I, who in the 16th century put together a large collection of different products and expensive furniture. And now the museum houses a collection of one and a half thousand paintings, among which are the works of Raphael, Ricci and Rembrandt. In addition, here you can admire the Italian bronze, jewelry with ivory and other materials. A special exhibit is a golden carriage created for Prince Joseph Wenzel.
The only problem is the ability to enter the building only on Fridays from 15:00, as it was closed for daily visits in 2011. Prince Liechtenstein was not satisfied with the low attendance of the museum.
For art lovers
For those who are always ready to enjoy works of art, there will never be problems with what to see in Vienna in winter or summer. One trip to a museum called Albertina can take a whole day.
Inside the beautiful building there is a collection of nine hundred thousand drawings in graphic style, as well as from 50,000 other works. Pictures of recognized world masters Da Vinci, Dürer, Raphael, Rubens and other masters will be revealed to the traveler.
And after such emotions, you can safely go to the Vienna Opera, which was erected in 1869. This building is imbued with an aristocratic spirit, because not only vivid performances were held here, but also balls known throughout the world. To get on one of them was the dream of any girl.
It is worth noting that this building is a reconstruction, because the original opera building was wiped off the face of the earth in 1945 by military operations. They managed to restore it, and amateurs of entertainment in an aristocratic spirit restored the former glory of this symbol of the city.
Continuation of familiarization with art
For lovers of good performances, the question of what to see from the sights of Vienna will never arise. They will enjoy spending time in the theaters of An der Wien, in Josefstadt and the Volkstheater.
The first was named after its construction on the banks of the river, however, the waters have long been diverted from it. Great masters gave concerts and performances in this building, and in 1945 it was used as a house for productions of the Vienna State Opera.
The second theater is located in the smallest area, but is actively conducting its activities. About 800 productions take place in it during the year, and the walls of the building are visited by approximately 300 thousand people.
The Volkstreater differs from the first two in that it is directly connected with folk art. The reason for its founding was that in the 19th century ordinary people could not afford to visit expensive theaters, but they wanted spectacles. That was the foundation of this institution, where even now you can appreciate the value of the work of many authors.
Another unique complex
Austrian emperors loved luxury, and partly thanks to them, problems with where to go and what to see in Vienna do not arise. The attention of lovers of palaces and park complexes is presented by the Hofburg residence. It was here that the rulers of the Austrian Empire spent most of the time.
Exterior architecture as well as circuit walks are just part of the tour. The most interesting thing awaits the traveler inside a large building. Here you can walk independently, explore every corner and get pleasure.
If a person is interested in what to see in Vienna for 2 days in it, then you should definitely pay attention to the Silver Chamber with its huge collection of products from this metal. After that, you can go to the imperial apartment, where the leaders of the state met with the most important people in world history.
Another interesting place is the Sissy Museum. The expositions in it are dedicated to the Empress Elizabeth, who did not want to hear about palace etiquette. She was not shy of physical labor, she loved to write and was rather mysterious.
The historical part of the tour
In every country there are places where the spirit of the Middle Ages is felt incredibly strongly. In Austria, such a place is the Kreuzenstein castle, which is located in the village of Leobendorf. If a tourist is looking for what to see in 3 days in Vienna in winter or summer, he should definitely spend time traveling here.
You need to drive only 17 kilometers from the capital, and you can already enjoy the unique building with the highest walls and beautiful architecture. True, with an experienced eye, you can see that this is only a reconstruction of the times of the XIX century, since the original structure was destroyed during the Thirty Years War. Nevertheless, tourists are breathtaking from one glance at the terrain from a height of 260 meters, and the Danube flows from below.
Inside the fortress there is a room with hunting trophies, where even a real skeleton of a whale is available. The weapons room has a large collection of guns from different eras. It is also worth visiting the chapel, the count's hall, as well as the clock tower with a mechanism from the 15th century.
Beauty of the Middle Ages
If you liked the Kreuzenstein fortress and would like to find something similar, among what you can see in Vienna, then feel free to go to the castle of Liechtenstein. At the edge of the forest adjacent to the capital, the founder of a world-famous dynasty built a house where it developed. The construction has a rather sad history, because it appeared back in 1130 and during this time it was destroyed several times.
First, by the Turks, then during the course of European civil strife, then World War II made adjustments, and the last restoration took place in the 50s of the last century. Tourists will be interested to look at architecture with a minimum number of window openings, but with many gear elements, turrets and the like. Inside, you can admire furniture and other elements of interior design of the XIX century. When visiting, you should definitely go to the ancient chapel of St. Pankratia in the complex. Here is preserved the drawing of the Crucifixion of Christ, dated to the 13th century.
Some more history
In search of what can be seen in Vienna in 1 day is quite extravagant, the path lies in the Tower of the Crazies. Once in this building mentally ill patients were kept, and it is as if felt at every step. Here today a museum of pathoanatomy is opened, and exhibits can plunge even the most persistent people into a sense of horror. The bodies of infants of irregular shape, brains, dissected organs - all this is in the museum's collection.
Another interesting option to see in Vienna is a church called Votivkirche. From a distance it seems that the building has been around for many years, but this is a stylistic trick. It was built in 1879 using neo-Gothic elements. The external and internal lining of the temple is admirable, and the wooden altar of the 15th century is a wonderful decoration.
Unusual style
If all the previous options for what to see in Vienna in 3 days have already been exhausted, then you should move on to more extravagant options. The first of these will be the house of Hundertwasser, an artist who, together with architect Kravina, managed to create an incredible building. Even now, its design can not be accurately attributed to one style. A lot of characteristic stripes, a combination of bright colors, the location of windows and more makes one admire the human imagination.
Another place to display unusual culture is the Street Art Gallery. It presents the work of street artists from around the world, and grandiose exhibitions are held from time to time. Here you can learn a lot of new things and see unusual works.
Nature and modern entertainment
If everything to see in Vienna in 3 days is already deleted from the list, then a good option would be to go to the forest near the city. Here pure nature with hills and different types of trees is preserved. For tourists, it will certainly be interesting to just walk along the outskirts, and perhaps spend the night in a hotel at the edge, where, by the way, there is a parking for vacationers.
Inside the city itself, Pratter Park can serve as family fun. He will offer you a huge number of attractions for children and places where you can simply enjoy a warm day. Each tourist is advised to buy a ticket for the Ferris wheel with a ten-minute session to look at the city from a great height. After that, you can stroll among the trees and exhibits in a large six-kilometer territory.
Souvenirs
The answer to the question of what to see in Vienna in winter themselves will be places for buying souvenirs. The first of these is the Piatnik factory, which has been manufacturing playing cards since 1824. They make unique decks with colorful drawings, which become an excellent example in the collection of souvenirs of any tourist.
The factory, like many other buildings, was destroyed in 1945, but restored again. The second place to buy souvenirs is the production of Viennese balls of snow. This item is also one of the most popular souvenirs that are brought from the capital of Austria. Inside these models there are religious buildings of the city, as well as artificial snowflakes. By the way, you can immediately order your own unique model.
Summary
You will always find in Vienna what to see on your own. Among these places are the oldest Royal Burgtheater, Gasometers, Concerthouse and much more. You need to go to this magnificent city for a good rest without time limits, otherwise you can miss a large number of interesting sights. All of them deserve to be viewed by tourists who are not indifferent to history, art, nature and architecture. This city with its charm will charm every tourist and make you come back more than once. The only negative here are prices, but you stop worrying about money when admiration burns inside.