Also known as the historic Old Town of Vienna, Innere Stadt is a UNESCO World Heritage Site added to the list in 2001. If you're in the city, touring its historic old town is something that you shouldn't miss.
Since there are a lot of things to see in Innere Stadt, it would be impossible to visit them all in one day. I've created this quick guide to highlight the must-see attractions for a day of sightseeing especially if you have limited time in Vienna.
While most itineraries would start from the center of the old town, this walking tour guide starts from outside, specifically at the town hall. This is with the assumption that you're staying pretty close to Innere Stadt, like 10 to 15 minutes away. Plus I think it's much nicer to see the outside attractions first before going inside the city center to spend the longest there, especially if you want to check out some shops and cafés.
- How to Get to Innere Stadt
- Innere Stadt Self-Guided Walking Tour
- Other Tour Options for Exploring Innere Stadt
How to Get to Innere Stadt
If you're staying close to Inner Stadt, it's quite easy to get there just by walking, especially if you don't mind a bit of exercise.
If you live a bit far from this area, you can take the U2 subway and get off at Schottentor, which is just a few minutes away from Rathaus. Alternatively, you can take the 1, D, and 71 trams which have stops near Rathaus.
Innere Stadt Self-Guided Walking Tour
Before we get to the itinerary, let me preface this part by saying that you need more than a day to truly enjoy Vienna. I stayed there for four days and I still felt like it wasn't enough.
So if you really only have a day to go sightseeing, then I would recommend following this walking tour as this takes you to the highlights of the city.
Rathaus and Rathausplatz
Completed in the early 1880s, the Vienna City Hall is the most important secular building in the city. It has an iconic tower that's 98 meters high and the entire building has over 1,500 rooms.
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| the Vienna City Hall, also known as Rathaus |
Right in front of it is the Rathausplatz, which is one of the most famous plazas in Vienna. It's always accessible to the public as it's a popular venue for events the whole year round.
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| Rathausplatz in Vienna |
Maria-Theresien-Platz
From Rathausplatz, make your way to Maria-Theresien-Platz which is roughly 650 meters away. It is a large public square with two museums facing each other from both sides.
On one side is the Naturhistorisches Museum or Natural History Museum and on the other is the Kunsthistorisches Museum or Art History Museum. These two buildings look nearly identical, except for the statues on their facade.
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| Kunsthistorisches Museum, one of the two museums adjacent to Maria-Theresien-Platz |
Entry to the Naturhistorisches Museum is €12 for adults and free for visitors aged 18 and under. Meanwhile, it costs €21 for adults to enter the Kunsthistorisches Museum while visitors aged 19 and under get to enter for free.
If you only have one day to tour the city center of Vienna, you may not have enough time to visit these two museums because you need more than an hour to truly enjoy your visit there.
The Hofburg Palace
Just right across Maria-Theresien-Platz is the Hofburg Palace which is known as one of the biggest palace complexes in the world. It was formerly the residential palace of the imperial family. Nowadays, it serves as the workplace and home of the President of Austria. The other buildings serve as government offices while one of its buildings is a museum, where you can get take a guided tour, and the palace ground is used for events.
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| Neue Burg, a wing of the Hofburg Palace that holds the museum |
If you want to enter the museums and exhibition areas, it costs €16 for adults and €10 for children. If you have a Vienna Pass, you get to enter for free. You can also use the pass to gain entry to other museums and tourist attractions in the city.
Michaelerplatz
From Hofburg Palace, you can enter the central area of Innere Stadt by going the opposite way from which you entered the palace ground.
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| Michaelerplatz |
Here you will find Michaelerplatz, which is another important square in Vienna. From here, you can see the main entrance of the Hofburg Palace. Surrounding the square are many historical buildings and notable architectural wonders in the city.
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| one of the fountains at the entrance of the Hofburg Palace |
The Graben
The Graben is one of the most famous squares in Innere Stadt. From Michaelerplatz, the Graben is just a three-minute walk away.
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| the Graben |
Following this walking tour guide, the Graben would start at the junction of Kohlmarkt and Tuchlauben and end at Stock-im-Eisen-Platz. On this square, you will see various restaurants, coffee shops, and retail stores, including so many luxury brands. This is one of the busiest parts of Innere Stadt.
Here you will also find the sculpture called the Plague Column created by artists Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and Matthias Rauchmiller. This piece of art was erected after the Great Plague epidemic in 1679. It's a Baroque-style memorial and is one of the best-known and most prominent sculptures in the city.
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| the Plague Column |
The Peterskirche
As you walk on the Graben, you will spot the Peterskirche or St. Peter's Church, which is a Baroque Roman Catholic parish church. It was built in 1733 and it's one of the oldest Christian sites in Vienna. It's open daily and visitors can enter for free.
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| Peterskirche, also known as St. Peter's Church |
St. Stephen's Cathedral
From Peterskirche, just walk a couple of minutes back to the Graben and make your way to the other side of the square, and from there, you would see St. Stephen's Cathedral, which is the most prominent church in Vienna.
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| St. Stephen's Cathedral with its iconic towers |
This cathedral is particularly famous for its majestic towers with very detailed designs. These towers are an iconic sight and have dominated Vienna's skyline for centuries. The cathedral is open daily for visitors and entry is free.
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| the interiors of St. Stephen's Cathedral |
Surrounding the cathedral are several cafés and restaurants if you want to stop for a quick coffee break from all that walking around.
Helmut-Zilk-Square and the Albertina Museum
Helmut Zilk Square is a city square with sculptures addressing the impact of war and fascism on Austrian history. It is about 700 meters away from St. Stephen's Cathedral.
Right in front of this square is the Albertina Museum which houses one of the largest and most important print rooms in the world. It also houses lots of modern art by famous artists like Monet and Picasso.
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| the Albertina Museum in front of the Helmut-Zilk-Square |
Vienna State Opera
Just a couple of minutes away from the Albertina Museum is one of the most famous opera houses in the world.
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| Vienna State Opera |
With Vienna's rich musical history, the Vienna State Opera is a sight that you shouldn't miss. Completed in 1869, this opera house can seat 1,709 and it was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. This building was built in Renaissance Revival following the plans by August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll, and designs by Josef Hlávka.
Other Tour Options for Exploring Innere Stadt
This walking tour that I created is great if you want to maximize one day in Vienna without having to spend too much. This is a good way to see the highlights of the city center if you're on a tight budget.
If you don't want to do a walking tour on your own, you book a guided tour. This way, you get to learn more about the different tourist spots in Vienna. Here are some guided tours that you can join.
- Vienna Guided Walking Tour - This is a good option if you want to explore the city on foot but you want a tour guide to give you more information about the different tourist attractions.
- Classic Vienna: Guided Bike Tour - This is an excellent option if you don't want to walk. This three-hour guided bike tour takes you to the highlights of Vienna City Center.
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