For Free
Although most sights such as museums are pay-for-entry, it’s still possible to carve out an enjoyable and interesting trip based around sights and activities that are free or very inexpensive, or simply by soaking up the mood and vibe of street life.
Some museums are free for those under 19 years and, if you’re interested in modern or contemporary art, drop into any of the free private art galleries scattered throughout the Innere Stadt. The following are free:
Dorotheum (Click here) Sensational auction house packed with everything from paintings to furnishings and household objects.
Archiv des Österreichischen Widerstands (Click here) Exhibition documenting the antifascist resistance movement under Nazi rule.
Bawag Contemporary/Bawag Foundation (Click here) A private space with a contemporary focus.
Neidhart-Fresken (Click here) Frescoes surviving from the 14th century.
Schloss Belvedere Gardens (Click here) Exquisitely laid out gardens between Upper and Lower Belvedere palaces.
Schloss Schönbrunn Gardens (Click here) Expansive gardens, manicured and adorned in some parts, but also with pleasant wooded parkland.
Museum für Angewandte Kunst (Click here) Tuesday from 6pm to 10pm. Vienna’s best collection of applied arts.
Simply walk or catch a tram around the Ringstrasse (Click here), or stroll through the Innere Stadt. The best of the Ringstrasse is around the Parlament (Click here) and University Main Building (Click here); beyond these also check out the Altes AKH and Bethaus, especially the Christmas market, and the charming Servitenviertel (Click here). The northern side-aisle of Stephansdom (Click here) is free, and the Justizpalast (Click here) is great for a visit if you’re not on trial (views are good from the canteen). The Hofburg (Click here) is the most magnificent of the free highlights. Most churches are free and the Rathaus (Click here) has free guided tours.
Servitenkirche & Servitenviertel (Click here) Wonderfully quiet church grounds and quarter around it.
Prater (Click here) Vienna’s park and woodland across the Danube Canal.
Donauinsel (Click here) An island and recreation area in the middle of the Danube River.
Augarten (Click here) Eighteenth-century parkland with paths and meadows.
Hietzinger Friedhof (Click here) Burial place of Gustav Klimt, Otto Wagner and other notable Viennese.
Rathausplatz has the biggest bashes, including the Musikfilm Festival, but also lots of free concerts and activities in summer. Good places for people-watching and soaking up the vibe in summer are the MuseumsQuartier, Donauinsel (Click here), Prater (Click here) and Naschmarkt (Click here). Discos in the week are often dirt cheap or free, especially before midnight. Vienna also has a lot of drinking venues that are bars most of the time but morph late at night on the weekend into small discos, with a DJ spinning CDs in a corner. Mostly there’s no space to dance, but you can wag your tail on the seat. Blue Box (Click here) is one place.