Vienna in 3 days

Morning

• St. Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom)1h15

  From Neubau walk or take the U3 to Stephansplatz and reach St. Stephen's Cathedral before 9am; do the free nave and the south tower climb while the square is still empty.

  TipThe rear standing area is free, but the nave, the catacombs tour and the two towers each cost separately, so decide before you go in. The south tower's 343 steps give the better climb and skyline; the north tower has a lift to the Pummerin bell and shorter queues, and the tiled roof pattern is best photographed from the Stephansplatz corner opposite.

• Hofburg Palace2h

  Walk the Graben and Kohlmarkt to the Hofburg and enter the Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum at opening with your Sisi Ticket, the included audioguide pacing the Habsburg rooms.

  TipThe single Sisi Ticket covers the Imperial Apartments, the Sisi Museum and the Silver Collection here plus the Schonbrunn Grand Tour, so buy it once if you plan both palaces and skip two separate queues. Enter the Imperial Apartments right at 9am opening; the audioguide is included, and the courtyards, Heldenplatz and the arcades are free to walk through any time.

Afternoon

• Cafe Central1h30

  Coffee-house lunch at Cafe Central just north of the Hofburg; go after the noon queue thins, order a Melange and Sachertorte, and settle in without any pressure to leave.

  TipThe vaulted hall is spectacular but the queue outside the door often runs 30 minutes at peak; arrive at 8am opening or after 3pm to walk straight in. Coffee-house etiquette means one Melange buys you the table for hours with no rush, so order a coffee and a slice of Sachertorte and linger; for the same ritual without the line, try Cafe Sperl or Cafe Landtmann nearby.

• Albertina1h45

  Take the pre-booked Albertina next for the Monet-to-Picasso rooms and the state apartments, finishing on the free terrace above the Opera and Albertinaplatz.

  TipBook online to skip the ticket line, then start with the permanent Monet-to-Picasso collection upstairs before the temporary blockbuster show pulls the crowds. The Habsburg state rooms on the way in are included and often overlooked; the terrace over the Opera and Albertinaplatz is free to step onto and gives a rare elevated view of the ring.

Evening

• Vienna State Opera2h

  Queue at the Operngasse door of the State Opera an hour before curtain for a standing-room ticket, tie your scarf to the rail, and take in an act; the whole ritual runs well under 20 EUR.

  TipStanding-room tickets cost 13 to 18 EUR and go on sale about 80 minutes before curtain from the Operngasse side door, so join the queue at least an hour ahead for a good rail spot. Tie your scarf to the rail to hold your place, then step out; if you would rather sit, book seated tickets online weeks ahead, and note the opera closes for July and August.

• 1h30

  Walk back into Neubau for dinner among the Spittelberg lanes, where Biedermeier wine taverns and small-plate bistros serve better and cheaper than anything on Stephansplatz.

Morning

• Schonbrunn Palace3h

  Ride the U4 to Schonbrunn for an 8:30am slot on the Grand Tour before the coaches arrive, then climb to the free Gloriette for the postcard view down over the palace and gardens.

  TipBuy a timed-entry ticket online, since the palace admits by slot and same-day slots sell out by midday in season. Take the earliest slot around 8:30am or the last two hours of the day to dodge the tour-group peak; the vast gardens, the Gloriette hill and the maze are free, so save the paid interior for the Grand Tour and spend the rest outdoors.

Afternoon

• Belvedere Palace (Klimt's The Kiss)2h

  Cross the city to the Upper Belvedere for an early-afternoon timed ticket and head straight to Klimt's The Kiss before the crowd builds, then take the rest of the Austrian collection at leisure.

  TipBook an Upper Belvedere timed ticket and go at 9am opening, because the room holding Klimt's The Kiss is the single most crowded spot in Vienna by late morning. See the Kiss first before doubling back through the rest of the collection, and skip the Lower Belvedere unless a special exhibition draws you; the formal gardens between the two palaces are free.

• Hundertwasserhaus45 min

  Walk fifteen minutes east to the Hundertwasserhaus for the wavy facade and roof gardens, best framed from the Kegelgasse corner, then look into the free Hundertwasser Village arcade opposite.

  TipIt is a residential building, so you view the wavy facade and planted roofs only from the street, which takes ten minutes. Photograph it from the corner of Kegelgasse and Lowengasse for the full frame, then cross to the free Hundertwasser Village shopping arcade opposite; combine it with the nearby Kunst Haus Wien museum if you want the paid indoor version.

Evening

• Karlskirche1h

  Head to Karlskirche and take the dome lift to the frescoes; a weekday early evening usually means no queue for the panoramic platform inside the cupola.

  TipThe paid ticket includes a panoramic lift that rises inside the dome to within touching distance of the ceiling frescoes, which is the reason to pay entry rather than just admire the baroque facade from the reflecting pool outside. Go on a weekday morning when the lift has no queue; concerts of Vivaldi's Four Seasons run most evenings, but the daytime dome visit is the better value.

• 2h

  Dinner around the Naschmarkt or lower Mariahilf, then a nightcap back in Neubau; the district's small bars stay lively later than the quiet first-district streets.

Morning

• Kunsthistorisches Museum2h30

  Be at the Kunsthistorisches Museum for opening and go straight upstairs to the Bruegel room, the largest anywhere, before the groups arrive, then pause for coffee under the grand domed cafe on the first floor.

  TipThe Bruegel room, the largest collection of his paintings anywhere, is the reason to come, so head upstairs to the picture gallery first before the tour groups arrive. Pause for coffee and cake under the domed cafe on the first floor, one of the grandest museum cafes in Europe; the ticket also covers the Imperial Treasury in the Hofburg on separate days if you buy the combined pass.

Afternoon

• MuseumsQuartier2h30

  Cross to the MuseumsQuartier courtyard for a drink on the coloured Enzi loungers, then pick one museum inside: the Leopold for the world's largest Schiele collection, or mumok for modern art.

  TipThe courtyard with its coloured Enzi loungers is free and open around the clock, a prime spot for a drink between museum visits; the Leopold Museum here holds the world's largest Egon Schiele collection and needs a separate ticket. Buy the combined MQ ticket only if you plan to hit both the Leopold and the mumok modern-art museum on the same day.

• Naschmarkt1h15

  Walk down to the Naschmarkt for a late graze through the grocers and food stalls; a weekday afternoon is calmer than the Saturday flea-market crush, though the sit-down places are pricier than they look.

  TipCome before noon to browse the grocers, cheese counters and Middle Eastern stalls before the sit-down restaurants take over and the prices climb. The Saturday flea market at the Kettenbruckengasse end runs from around 6:30am to mid-afternoon and is the real draw; the market is closed Sundays, so plan your visit for a weekday morning or a Saturday.

Evening

• 1h

  Spend the golden hour on Neubaugasse and the Spittelberg lanes, browsing roasters and design shops as the district wakes up for the evening.

• 1h45

  Last dinner at a Neubau Beisl or natural-wine bar, the modern Viennese counterpoint to the imperial cafes, with schnitzel or seasonal small plates and a bottle of Austrian white.