Schönbrunn Palace
The Habsburgs' vast Baroque summer palace — 1,441 rooms, gardens stretching to the Gloriette hilltop monument, and the residence where Maria Theresa raised 16 children and ran an empire.
Hofburg Palace
The Habsburgs' winter residence and seat of power for over 600 years — now home to the Austrian president, the Sisi Museum, the Imperial Treasury and the National Library under one sprawling complex.
St. Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom)
Vienna's Gothic mother church and most recognisable symbol — a free nave, a 137-metre south tower to climb, and a colourfully tiled roof visible across the city.
Karlskirche (St. Charles's Church)
Vienna's greatest Baroque church, built as a plague-vow monument — a glass panorama lift takes you up to eye level with the ceiling frescoes 32 metres overhead.
Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper)
One of the world's leading opera houses — a different production nearly every night of its roughly 300-show season, and standing-room tickets from a few euros for those who plan ahead.
Zentralfriedhof (Vienna Central Cemetery)
One of Europe's largest cemeteries, and the final resting place of Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and the Strauss family — free, green and surprisingly peaceful.
Schönbrunn Zoo (Tiergarten Schönbrunn)
The world's oldest continuously operating zoo, founded in 1752 in the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace — pandas, elephants and a Baroque imperial pavilion turned zoo café.
Sisi Museum & Imperial Apartments
The private world of Empress Elisabeth ('Sisi') and Emperor Franz Joseph inside the Hofburg — bedrooms, salons and offices where they actually lived and worked.
Spanish Riding School
Classical dressage with the famous white Lipizzaner stallions, performed in a Baroque riding hall inside the Hofburg — one of the 'Big Four' classical riding academies in the world.
Riesenrad (Giant Ferris Wheel)
The 1897 Ferris wheel at the entrance to the Prater — a Vienna icon, a Third Man film location, and still one of the most recognisable landmarks in the city skyline.
Haus der Musik
An interactive sound and music museum in a former Habsburg palace — conduct a virtual Vienna Philharmonic, and trace the composers who made this city the capital of classical music.
Danube Tower (Donauturm)
Austria's tallest structure at 252 metres — two viewing decks, a revolving restaurant and a 40-metre outdoor slide spiralling down from near the top.
Prater (Wurstelprater Amusement Park)
Vienna's historic public park and funfair — free to wander, with the Wurstelprater's rides, games and food stalls clustered around the base of the Riesenrad.