Known as a city of high culture and grand palaces, Vienna isn’t always an obvious choice for a budget city break. But you don’t have to look far to find cheap (and even free) things to do here, from bagging cheap opera tickets to joining free walking tours...
Vienna regularly tops the rankings for the world’s most liveable city thanks to high scores in safety and stability, its wealth of cultural attractions and great choice of restaurants. That’s good news for visitors too, with the walkable Austrian capital offering travellers plenty of attractions, from extravagant Baroque architecture to hikes through vineyards. There’s just one problem: Vienna has a reputation for being an expensive place to visit.
With a slew of 5-star hotels in grand old palaces, fine dining establishments that can charge more than £100 per person and museums you need to pay entry for, costs for a Vienna trip can certainly stack up. Fortunately for the budget-conscious, there are ways to explore the city without splurging, from free film screenings to walking tours — and even cheap tickets to see the opera. Here’s how you can spend a long weekend in Vienna on a budget.
READ MORE: Explore Vienna – top things to do, where to stay and where to eat
Friday
Buy a Vienna City Card: The Innere Stadt (inner city) of Vienna is extremely walkable – you can get from one side to the other in about 25 minutes. But if you want to get out of the city or don’t fancy walking so much, it’s well worth getting a Vienna City Card. A 72-hour pass costs €29 (£25) – less than many other European capitals – and you can tag on return airport transfers on local trains for an additional €22 (£19). As well as public transport, your pass also gets you discounts on entry to museums and attractions, at selected shops and even in some restaurants.
Check into: Mercure Vienna First (doubles from €119/£103 a night), a 49-room chain hotel with a boutique feel just six minutes’ walk from St Stephen’s Cathedral. Nearby is Vienna’s Bermuda Dreieck (Bermuda Triangle), a district known for its nightlife and where food and drink are cheaply found. You might save some cash by staying in a private room in a hostel, but most of these are outside the inner city, which means you’ll pay for it in lost travel time.
Grab a quick bite at: Schachtelwirt, where classic dishes that Austrian grandmothers might make are served in a biodegradable box. The restaurant is part of the 'Neo-Gasthaus' movement in the city, where young chefs take on traditional dishes and modernise them – in this case, with Croatian and Italian influences. The menu changes weekly, but you can expect regulars like roasted pork with dumplings and crackling.
Enjoy a night at the opera: Vienna is the capital of high culture and nowhere is more emblematic of this status than the Vienna State Opera. Most of the performances are in German, but there are displays showing subtitles in eight languages, including English. While tickets can fetch hundreds of euros, there are also 435 standing-room tickets starting from €13 (£11.07).
You can save even more by applying for a free BundestheaterCard before you go. The card will allow you to book standing tickets online the day before (so you don’t have to queue up on the day) and cuts the price of the cheapest ticket to just €4 (£3.41). You’ll still get the same glamorous experience, because there’s a real sense of occasion and people dress up even for the cheap seats.
READ MORE: The world's most spectacular opera houses
Saturday
Enjoy a leisurely start: and go park hopping. Central Vienna is home to a few parks, each well maintained and adorned with sculptures of musicians. Start in leafy Stadtpark, which houses the two Michelin-starred Steirereck – it’s expensive and reservations are booked up months in advance, but even if you don't eat there, the striking, mirrored exterior is a sight to behold. Nearby, Joseph Brot at Landstraßer Hauptstraße 4 is an organic bakery where you can pick up bread and pastries at a much more reasonable price. Stock up for later or sit down for an indulgent breakfast at the bistro.
Next, head for Resselpark. It’s much more urban than Stadtpark and is usually abuzz with performers. In winter, you’ll also find a Christmas market here. The centrepiece is the stunning Baroque Karlskirche (St. Charles's Church) – to see its lavish frescoed interior you’ll have to pay €9.50 (£8.10) but your Vienna City Card will get you a 20% discount. From there, you’ll pass through the tiny Schillerpark on your way to Burggarten, a majestic castle garden with a conservatory that now doubles as a butterfly house.
Grab lunch at: Cafe Sacher Wien – (make sure you book ahead) Vienna is famed for its coffee houses and you’ll have no shortage of options, but Cafe Sacher Wien is where you’ll find the original Sachertorte – a decadent chocolate cake invented in the city – in elegant surroundings. Save some budget for this one – a main plus one of these sweet treats costs around €30 (£26) per person.
Walk off those calories: on a relaxed wine hike. There are several routes west of Vienna ranging from just over a mile to several miles long. Start in the afternoon to be rewarded with the best selection of wine bars as you meander through the vineyards – bring cash and take your time as many don’t open their doors until 4pm. The city makes an event of grape harvest season with Wine Hiking Day each autumn.
For a short taster, get the bus up to Kahlenberg for a panoramic view of the city before making your way down through the vineyards. Drinking stops along the way include Mayer am Nussberg, Sirbu, Wieninger and Monte Nucum, where wines by the glass start from less than €5 (£4.26). If you bought baked goods from Joseph Brot, bring them up for a hilltop picnic.
Stop by: Rathausplatz when you’re back in the city. There are free events here throughout the year, from the annual summer film festival with daily screenings between July and September, to the busy Christmas market from mid-November to the end of December. Stalls bursting with street food always accompany these. Even when there’s nothing on, the neo-Gothic city hall will be all lit up and ready for a selfie.
Sunday
Go on a walking tour: and see Vienna without the crowds. Sunday mornings are when inner-city streets are at their quietest as most Austrians like to keep this day for family time. There are lots of free, guided walking tours in English to choose from, taking you to city highlights including the Hofburg Palace and Albertina Museum.
GuruWalk is a good place to look for them as the groups are generally smaller. Although the tours are free, they are only possible because guests tip on a pay-what-you-can basis; €10 (£8.60) per person is usually a good amount. Alternatively download the city’s free ivie app, which has suggested walks with narration, plus you can use it to store your Vienna City Card.
Have lunch at: 1516 Brewing Company. The microbrewery makes a range of beers on site, from pale ales to lagers. Prices start from a modest €3.90 (£3.32) for just under one pint. Accompanying the drinks is an eclectic menu that spans the spectrum of burgers and ribs to salads and Wiener Schnitzel (a fried pork cutlet), all generously portioned.
Squeeze in a bit of culture: at the Wien Museum MUSA. It houses an extensive contemporary art collection and showcases works from up-and-coming artists. On the first Sunday of every month, you can get in for free. Otherwise tickets are just €8 (£6.82) for adults, and free for anyone under 19 – plus it’ll get you into one of the other outposts of Wien Museum for free.
READ MORE: New museums to visit this year and beyond
Getting there
WizzAir flies from London Gatwick to Vienna from £36 return. Or try Ryanair, which flies from London Stansted to Vienna from £42 return.
For more information, visit wien.info/en.
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Lead image: Mistervlad/Shutterstock