Five days of palaces, museums, churches and coffee, at a pace that leaves room to wander. This is the route Elli took in October.

At a glance

• How long: 5 days
• When we went: October
• Best for: First visit, palaces, art, café culture
• Pace: Relaxed. One big sight each morning, then walking
• Getting around: On foot. The centre is very walkable

Book before you go

• Schönbrunn Palace timed entry. Take an early slot (around 10:30); it gets busy.
• Belvedere tickets, ideally for the morning.
• Optional: a Vienna State Opera tour.

Day 1: Schönbrunn and the cathedral

1. Schönbrunn Palace, then lots of time in the gardens.
2. Palm House in the Schönbrunn grounds.
3. St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Go inside.
4. St. Peter’s Church nearby. Small, beautiful and free.

Day 2: Museums and slow walking

1. Albertina Museum: a mix of classic and modern art.
2. Kunsthistorisches Museum. Grand, but plan for brain overload.
3. St. Michael’s Church and the Augustinian Church.
4. Sit down in Burggarten park.

Day 3: Belvedere and Karlskirche

1. Belvedere Palace: the gardens, and Klimt’s The Kiss.
2. Karlskirche, maybe the most beautiful church in Vienna.
3. Optional: drinks at the Aurora rooftop bar if you still have energy.

Day 4: Hofburg, books and cake

1. The Hofburg palace area.
2. Austrian National Library, one of the highlights of the trip.
3. Coffee and cake at Café Central. Touristy, still worth it.
4. A walk through Volksgarten.

Day 5: A slow ending

1. Votive Church. Check the opening hours; it closed earlier than we expected.
2. Museum of Applied Arts (MAK), a nice change from classic art museums.
3. Finish with a walk in Stadtpark.

Tips from our trip

• Don’t stack two big museums on the same day.
• Leave gaps in the plan for wandering. The architecture is the attraction.
• In October the parks start turning autumn colours.

What we’d change

• Fewer museums, more random walks.
• [ADD: a restaurant in Vienna you’d recommend. Food was the weak spot of this trip.]