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Vienna is home to a rich array of popular cultural and historic sights, including St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Karlskirche, the State Opera House, and Hofburg Palace, but all of these attractions can become very crowded with tourists.
In this Vienna travel guide, we highlight 14 of the Austrian capital’s hidden gems and secret spots for those who prefer to venture off the beaten path when they travel.
1. Flea Market 11
- Website: flohmarkt11.at
- Address: LandwehrstraĂźe 6, 1110 Wien
- Opening Hours: 6 am – 1 pm Sunday
Naschmarkt, the largest outdoor market in Vienna, attracts a large number of tourists and locals, but you can get an alternative market experience at Flea Market 11. It’s a bit of a trek to reach it, but you’ll be rewarded with more than 400 stalls where you’ll find all kinds of treasures, including vintage clothes, antiques, and fresh, local dishes.
2. Calle Libre Street Art Festival
- Website: callelibre.at
- Address: Various locations throughout the city
The annual Calle Libre Street Art Festival is a celebration of Vienna’s colorful street artworks. It usually takes place in late July or early August, but if you miss it, look out for the exhibitions and guided tours that Calle Libre provides throughout the rest of the year. You can also see some fabulous street art along the walled banks of the Danube Canal.
3. Wien Museum Hermes Villa
- Website: wienmuseum.at/hermesvilla_en
- Address: Lainzer Tiergarten, 1130 Wien
- Opening Hours: 10 am – 5 pm daily
Schonbrunn and Hofburg are often considered Vienna’s quintessential imperial buildings, but the Hermes Villa is a quieter alternative in the peaceful Lainzer Tiergarten. In 1886, Carl von Hasenauer, a popular Ringstrasse architect, designed it to serve as a secluded “Palace of Dreams” for Empress Sisi. It is now a museum that provides a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the Habsburg monarchy.
4. Donauturm Tower
- Website: donauturm.at/en
- Address: Donauturmplatz 1, 1220 Wien
- Opening Hours: 10 am – 10.30 pm daily
Many people ride the giant Ferris wheel in Prater Park to get fantastic city views, but the modernist Donauturm Tower is a great alternative. It stands 825 feet tall, and views from the top are particularly spectacular at sunset.
5. Crypts, Cemeteries, and Celebrations of Funeral Traditions
Austria has a fascination with death that might seem macabre but is rooted in a desire to remember the dead. Visit some of these unique sights to learn more about Austrian funeral and burial traditions.
The Imperial Crypt
- Website: kapuzinergruft.com
- Address: TegetthoffstraĂźe 2, 1010 Wien
- Opening Hours: 10 am – 6 pm daily
143 members of the Habsburg monarchy are buried in the Baroque Imperial Crypt, which sits beneath Capuchin Church. The elaborate decorations on the coffins are every bit as fabulous as the royals’ palaces.
Stephansdom Catacombs
- Website: stephanskirche.at
- Address: Stephansplatz 3, 1010 Wien
- Opening Hours: 10.00 am – 4.30 pm Monday to Saturday, 1.30 pm 4.30 pm Sunday
Some 11,000 skeletal remains lie beneath the stone floors of the vast St. Stephen’s Cathedral, which is still an active burial spot. You can only access the catacombs as part of a guided tour.
Sankt Marx Cemetery
- Website: wien.gv.at/umwelt/parks/anlagen/friedhof-st-marx.html
- Address: LeberstraĂźe 6, 1030 Wien
- Opening Hours: 6.30 am – 6.30 pm daily
Sankt Marx Cemetery is not your typical burial ground. Part of it is peaceful parkland, and the rest is an overgrown graveyard blanketed with pretty wild lilac. It’s here where Mozart was buried in a mass grave in 1791. The composer is now honored with a symbolic tomb.
The Funeral Museum
- Website: bestattungsmuseum.at
- Address: Simmeringer HauptstraĂźe 234, 1110 Wien
- Opening Hours: Thursday 10 am – 4 pm daily
Vienna’s Central Cemetary, where both Beethoven and Schubert are buried, is home to the Funeral Museum. This fascinating attraction is where you can learn about the concept of the “beautiful corpse” and discover more about traditional Viennese funerals.
6. Vienna’s Outdoor Pools
Vienna isn’t your usual sun and swim vacation destination, but these outdoor pools are the perfect way to cool off in the height of summer.
Schönbrunner Pool
- Website: schoenbrunnerbad.at
- Address: Schönbrunn Palace, Sportbad Schönbrunn, 1130 Wien
- Opening Hours: September – May 8.30 am – 7 pm / June – August 8.30 am – 10 pm
This pool is a wonderful place to relax after a busy day walking around the vast Schönbrunn Palace grounds. The largest pool at the complex is 50 meters long. There’s also a restaurant on-site, so you can enjoy some refreshments after your swim.
Alte Donau Beach Pool
- Website: wien.gv.at/freizeit/baeder/uebersicht/sommerbaeder/altedonau.html
- Address: ArbeiterstrandbadstraĂźe 91, 1220 Wien
- Opening Hours: September – Mid-May, 9 am – 6.30 pm / Mid-May – August, 9 am – 7.30 pm
This beach pool lies on the north bank of the Danube and is a popular one for families. There’s a paddling pool, a playground, and a gravel beach in addition to the main swimming pools. Plus, large trees provide plenty of shade to protect you from the blazing summer sun.
Gänsehäufel
- Website: wien.gv.at/freizeit/baeder/uebersicht/sommerbaeder/gaensehaeufel
- Address: ArbeiterstrandbadstraĂźe 91, 1220 Wien
- Opening Hours: September – Mid-May, 9 am – 6.30 pm / Mid-May – August, 9 am – 7.30 pm
Gänsehäufel is the oldest pool in Vienna and one of the city’s most popular spots for bathing. There are five different pool areas including a fun wave pool, and several natural beaches that are suitable for swimming and sunbathing.
7. Wotruba Church
- Website: wienmuseum.at/hermesvilla_en
- Address: Ottillingerplatz 1, Georgsgasse/Rysergasse, 1230 Vienna
- Opening Hours: 2 – 8 pm Saturday / 9 am – 4.30 pm Sunday
Karlskirche and Stephansdom are Vienna’s best-known religious buildings, but Wotruba Church, officially known as the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, is a must-see hidden gem. It has a unique Cubist design that looks like a jumble of concrete slabs perched at the top of a grassy hill.
8. ‘Stock-im-Eisen’ Nail Tree
Address: Kärntner Str. 1, 1010 Wien
This section of ancient tree, displayed behind glass in Stephensplatz, is covered in hundreds of nails. It is thought to have been felled in the 1400s. Negalbaum, “nail trees”, were common in Medieval Europe, and it is believed they served as symbols of good luck. ‘Stock-im-Eisen’’ which means “staff in iron” in German, is the oldest-known example.
9. Viennese Heuriger
Heuriger are traditional wine taverns in which only Viennese wine is available. The taverns also usually offer buffet-style dishes to snack on alongside your drinks, such as cold schnitzel, cured hams, and blunzen (blood sausage).
Most Heuriger are found on the outskirts of the city in wine-growing areas. The best way to reach them is via public transport, so buy a Vienna City Card for unlimited travel.
Here are some of Vienna’s most peaceful Heuriger.
Sirbu
- Website: sirbu.at
- Address: Kahlenberger Str. 210, 1190 Wien
- Opening Hours: 4 pm – 11 pm Monday to Friday / 3 pm – 11 pm Saturday
This classical tavern sits at the top of Kahlenberg, which means it offers excellent views of the Danube and the city center. You can expect traditional service and classic Vienesse specialties on their menu.
Weinstube Josefstadt
- Website: weinstube-josefstadt.at
- Address: Piaristengasse 27, 1080 Wien
- Opening Hours: 3 pm – 11.30 pm daily
Weinstube Josefstadt has outdoor bench seating and is surrounded by greenery, making it the perfect place to escape from the busy city center.
Gasthof Schneider-Gössl
- Website: schneider-goessl.at/heurigenrestaurant-1130/heurigenrestaurant
- Address: Firmiangasse 9/11, 1130 Wien
- Opening Hours: 4 pm – 12 am Monday to Saturday / 11.30 am – 10 pm Sunday
This Heuriger lies beyond Hietzing, so it remains fairly unknown and quiet. In addition to its traditional hospitality, it offers live music every day and a peaceful garden with 300-year-old grape vines.
10. Otto Wagner’s Villa
- Website: ernstfuchsmuseum.at/the-otto-wagner-villa/
- Address: HĂĽttelbergstraĂźe 26, 1140 Wien
- Opening Hours: 10 am – 4 pm Tuesday to Sunday
After its completion in 1888, architect Otto Wagner’s summer villa served as a popular meeting place for his famous artistic friends. The likes of Gustav Klimt, Josef Hoffmann, and Gustav Mahler attended events here in the villa’s heyday. The Nazis seized it in World War II and subsequently fell into decline until Austrian artist Ernst Fuchs bought and renovated it in the 1970s. It now serves as an extravagant tribute to Fantastic Realism.
11. Ausgrabungen Michaelerplatz
- Website: www.visitingvienna.com/culture/vindobona
- Address: Michaelerplatz 5, 1010 Wien
Michaelerplatz lies at the heart of Vienna, just outside the grand Hofburg Palace. It’s home to an archaeological complex that reveals glimpses of ancient Roman ruins that, for centuries, were hidden away behind Renaissance-period structures. This site gives a fascinating glimpse into Vienna’s long, rich past.
12. Unique Coffeehouses
The traditional coffeehouses of Vienna are not to be missed, but these unique cafes put fresh twists on Viennese coffee culture.
Café Neko
- Website: theneighborscat.com/cafe-neko
- Address: Blumenstockgasse /Ecke, Ballgasse 5, 1010 Wien
- Opening Hours: 10 am – 8 pm daily
Inspired by Japanese cat cafes, Café Neko offers visitors the opportunity to cuddle with resident cats while enjoying a range of coffees, cakes, and snacks.
Das Möbel
- Website: das-cafe.wien
- Address: Burggasse 10, 1070 Wien
- Opening Hours: 9 am – 12 am Monday to Wednesday / 9 am – 1 am Thursday to Saturday / 9 am – 11 pm Sunday
Das Möbel keeps its style fresh by regularly changing its decor. The interior is frequently redesigned with the help of young local artists so that visitors can experience the latest cutting-edge trends and discover the hottest new talent.
Café Phil
- Website: phil.love
- Address: Gumpendorfer Str. 10 – 12, 1060 Wien
- Opening hours: 3 pm – 11 pm Sunday & Monday / 9 am – 12 am Tuesday to Thursday / 9 am – 1 am Friday & Saturday
This cafe-cum-bookstore is the perfect coffee shop for lovers of literature. Guests are welcome to take a book from the shelves to keep themselves entertained while enjoying their drinks. If they like what they read, they can buy the book and take it with them.
Konzertcafé Schmid Hansl
- Website: schmidhansl.wien
- Address: Schulgasse 31, 1180 Wien
- Opening hours: 6 pm – 10 pm daily
If you want live music while you sip your coffee, head to Schmid Hansl. Local musicians blend traditional Viennese folk music with pop, jazz, and world music for a unique sonic experience.
13. Belvedere at Christmas
- Website: belvedere.at
- Address: Prinz-Eugen-StraĂźe 27, 1030 Wien
- Opening Hours: 11 am – 9 pm Monday to Friday / 10 am – 9 pm Saturday & Sunday
Belvedere Palace is one of the city’s most popular attractions, but at Christmas time, most people flock to the Rathausplatz Christmas Market. Belvedere’s Christkindlmarkt is a beautiful alternative. The Baroque Upper Belvedere and its pretty lake serve as an incredible backdrop to this timeless winter market.
14. Vienna’s Courtyards
Vienna is home to countless courtyards tucked behind luxurious townhouses and palaces. The best way to see them is by joining a walking tour with a knowledgeable local guide who can offer insider tips on the most enchanting lanes, alleyways, nooks and crannies of the city center.
Explore Vienna’s Hidden Gems
Now we’ve introduced you to some of Vienna’s more unique experiences and attractions; you can get started planning your alternative tour of this must-visit European city.
