Things To Do in Vienna & Vienna Airport Layover Ideas

VIE Vienna International Airport is 18 kilometres from the city, but the convenient S-Bahn means you can quickly and easily get into the centre of Vienna in under 30 minutes. So if you have a few hours before your connecting flight, you can get out and explore your layover city stress free.

See Vienna’s every major sightseeing attraction at your own pace in your own time on the Hop On Hop Off bus tour. There are 15 stops which take in the State Opera, the Hofburg, the Museums, the Parliament, the City Hall, the Burgtheater, the University, and the St. Stephan's Cathedral. The short city tour is a perfect layover activity and tickets purchased after 3 p.m. are valid the whole next day. The Short City Tour costs:

Adult one hour	EUR 13
Adult two hours	EUR 16
Children	EUR 7

The Panorama Train tour through the Schönbrunn palace park stops at the nine stations of Schönbrunn Palace, Wagenburg, Hietzinger Gate, Zoo/Palm House, Tirolergarten Tavern, Gloriette Hill, Hohenbergstraße/Tivoli, Obelisk Fountain /Schönbrunn Spa and Meidlinger Gate and, at a speed of 10 to 15 km/h, lasts about fifty minutes.

This is a great layover activity for families with very small children or for people in wheelchairs as the last train car has a hydraulic lift for wheelchairs and baby carriages as well as a boarding aid. The train runs daily from 10:00 to 18:00 stopping every hour and every half-hour at the Gloriette Hill and the Schönbrunn Palace. A day pass costs:

Adults	EUR 6
Handicapped people	EUR 4
Children 14 and under	EUR 4

With ticket and hand stamps, passengers can get on and off the train as often as they like.

The Wurstelprater is an amusement park at which the main attraction, a Ferris wheel called the Wiener Riesenrad, is a Viennese landmark. A 9 metre-tall sculpture of a Chinese man, known as Calafati, guards the entrance to the Wiener Riesenrad. The park also features a number of other activities including rides, bumper cars, carousels, rollercoasters and more.

The park is open from 10:00 to 01:00 daily between March 15 and October 31. Some attractions, as well as the food stands and restaurants, are open throughout the year. Entrance to the park is free and each attraction, individually owned by local families, charges its own fees.

For one of the most exquisite shopping experiences in Europe, head down to Mariahilfer Strasse, Vienna's inner shopping area par excellence. There is about 1.8 kilometers of retail therapy in the form of hundreds of stores that have committed to the field of fashion, shoes and accessories. They are joined by a number of flagship stores of different industries, such as Leiner, Hartlauer, Benetton, Huber or A1 shop. Once you have satiated your need to shop, and are feeling a little peckish, there are plenty of dining places to choose from too.