Before you plan
Book timed tickets for the Hofburg first, then build the day around them. The Sisi Museum’s FAQ says it can only guarantee admission with an online ticket for a booked time slot, and the Imperial Treasury sells tickets for a specific date and time slot too. Our tickets and tours page explains the options.
Check the Sisi Museum dates
In October 2026 the Sisi Museum’s official page said the museum area was temporarily closed until the redesigned Sisi Museum opens on 19 November, with revised hours until 18 November. If you are travelling earlier, confirm what is open on the official page.
Hours below were checked in October 2026 on the official page linked beside each one. They change by season, so confirm them for your dates.
The plans at a glance
| Morning | Afternoon | Evening | |
|---|---|---|---|
| One day | Imperial Apartments, Sisi Museum and Imperial Treasury | Kohlmarkt, Graben, St Stephen’s, Kärntner Straße and the Albertina | Tram 1 or 2 round the Ring |
| Two days: day 1 | Spanish Riding School or the Hofburg | Old town on foot, Albertina | Concert or a quiet dinner |
| Two days: day 2 | Kunsthistorisches Museum | MuseumsQuartier, Naschmarkt, then Belvedere or Schönbrunn | Free |
Short on time? Do the Imperial Apartments, walk Kohlmarkt and the Graben, and finish at the cathedral. That is about half a day.
One day: Hofburg and the old town
This plan keeps everything within the old town and the Ring.
Morning: the Hofburg (allow about 3 hours). Start with the Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum and allow about two hours. Check the Sisi Museum’s opening times for your date, because interim hours apply only until 18 November 2026. Guided tours of the Sisi Museum and Hofburg usually run about two hours, so a booked tour covers the same slot. Then add the Imperial Treasury for an hour or so. It is open daily except Tuesday, from 9am to 5:30pm (official FAQ, checked October 2026). See inside the Hofburg for what each part holds, and visiting the Hofburg for entrances.
Midday: Kohlmarkt, Graben and lunch (allow 1.5 hours). Leave by Michaelerplatz and walk down Kohlmarkt, a pedestrian shopping street that runs to the Graben. The pastry shop Demel is on Kohlmarkt if you want a coffee and cake. Continue along the Graben, which became Vienna’s first pedestrian zone in 1974, to Stephansplatz.
Early afternoon: St Stephen’s Cathedral (allow 1 hour). The cathedral stands at Stephansplatz. See St Stephen’s Cathedral for the details.
Late afternoon: Kärntner Straße and the Albertina (allow 2 hours). Kärntner Straße is a pedestrian street that runs from Stephansplatz towards Karlsplatz, passing the State Opera on the way (see Vienna State Opera). The Albertina borders the Hofburg and is open daily from 10am to 6pm, with late opening to 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays (official hours, checked October 2026).
Evening: a tram ride on the Ring. Trams 1 and 2 run along the Ringstrasse past the State Opera, the Hofburg, Parliament and City Hall. Sit by a window for a free city tour on an ordinary ticket. You can find ticket details in our getting there guide. For an evening in the palace, see the concert options on the tickets and tours page.
Two days: add museums, a market and a palace
Day 1 follows the plan above, but you can slow it down. Add time for the Imperial Treasury, an extra hour in the Albertina, or a Spanish Riding School slot.
For the riding school, the school’s morning exercise page lists sessions at 10am from Tuesday to Friday, lasting about 60 minutes, with admission 15 minutes before. On its performance page, the first dates listed in October 2026 were weekend mornings at 11am, lasting about 70 minutes. Book early and fit your Hofburg visit around the time. See best time to visit for more on performance days.
Day 2, morning: Kunsthistorisches Museum (allow 2.5 hours). The museum stands on Maria-Theresien-Platz, which connects the Ring with the MuseumsQuartier. It is listed as open daily from 10am to 6pm in October to December 2026, with Thursdays until 9pm (official hours, checked October 2026). Read the Kunsthistorisches Museum page for what to prioritise.
Day 2, midday: MuseumsQuartier and the Naschmarkt (allow 2 hours). From the museum, cross the square to the MuseumsQuartier for lunch or a coffee. Then take the U2 from Museumsquartier to Karlsplatz, one stop, and walk to the Naschmarkt, which lies between Karlsplatz and Kettenbrückengasse. The stalls open at 6am Monday to Saturday, and many close between 6pm and 7pm. They are closed on Sundays, although the restaurants stay open. There is a Saturday flea market from 6:30am to 2pm at Kettenbrückengasse (all from the Vienna Tourist Board, checked October 2026).
Day 2, afternoon: pick one palace.
- Belvedere: ride tram D from the Ring. See Belvedere.
- Schönbrunn: take the U4 from Karlsplatz to Schönbrunn, six stops. See Schönbrunn Palace. Allow at least half a day.
Do not try both on the same afternoon. Schönbrunn deserves the longer slot.
Getting between the sights
Most of day one is on foot. Herrengasse (U3) and Stephansplatz (U1 and U3) are the stations you will use most, and Karlsplatz (U1, U2 and U4) is the hub for day two. Trams 1, 2, D and 71 stop at Burgring beside the Hofburg. Our getting there guide has the full routes and ticket options.
If you will ride four or more times in a day, compare the price of single tickets with a 24-hour ticket. Wiener Linien lists the 24-hour ticket at €9.70 online, while the Vienna Tourist Board lists an adult single at €3.20 (both checked October 2026). Check both on the day, because the Wiener Linien shop shows lower “from” prices that appear to be reduced fares.
Evenings
The sights close by late afternoon or early evening, so plan the evening separately. From mid-November the Christmas markets at Maria-Theresien-Platz, Am Hof and Stephansplatz stay open until 9pm, and many balls are held at the Hofburg, mostly in January and February. Dates change each year, so use our best time to visit guide and the linked official pages. For a concert inside the palace, see tickets and tours. On Friday and Saturday nights the U-Bahn runs through the night every 15 minutes, which makes a late return easy.
If the days do not line up
- Tuesday: move the Imperial Treasury to another day and keep the Albertina and the Ring.
- Sunday: shift the Naschmarkt to Saturday, or keep the MuseumsQuartier lunch and skip the stalls.
- Public holidays: the Sisi Museum is open daily and on public holidays, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum publishes holiday hours, so check both before assuming a closure.
- Rain: the Hofburg, the Albertina and the Kunsthistorisches Museum are all indoors. Use the Ring tram for the view.
To choose where to sleep so these days run smoothly, see where to stay.
