The Lilac Scrapbook: My top 5 things to do in Vienna

I went to Vienna in January 2020 - hopefully you've seen my Vienna travel diary by now, but if not it will be linked throughout this post. I didn't fall in love with Vienna, but that's not to say that I didn't enjoy my time in the city. It just isn't really my kind of place. And that's okay; you're not going to be wowed by everywhere you travel to. Regardless, I thought I would put together a post about my top 5 things to do in Vienna...

Stephansdom Crypt

Underneath the frankly massive cathedral there are crypts and catacombs. Bones, tombs, statues and more lie underneath the city - and you can explore them with a guide. The tour costs around €6.50 per person and occurs once an hour, provided there are enough people. Inside the cathedral there are some steps going down, on the left hand side, and you can just wait here for the tour to begin. It is signposted so you won't miss it! If you're interested in death and the macabre, then don't miss this when you're in Vienna. It was one of the highlights of my trip for sure.

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt

Vienna is jam-packed with artwork and none better than The Kiss by Klimt, in my opinion. It's at the incredible Belvedere Palace and while it is pricey (we paid nearly €20 each) it's worth it. There are other Klimt pieces, and The Kiss is just amazing. You can get really close to it, too, unlike other famous artworks in other famous galleries. An absolute must!

The Prater Wheel

One of the coolest things we did in Vienna was ride the Prater Wheel. It's a giant ferris wheel and it was featured in various films such as The Third Man and James Bond's The Living Daylights. You don't have to pay entry into the amusement park just to ride the wheel - though it is around €12 for your ferris wheel ride. The views are incredible though, and we LOVED doing this.

Mozart's Apartment & Museum

If you are into classical music and historical figures then definitely visit the Mozarthaus. It's the last place he lived in Vienna and it has mock ups of how the rooms would have looked, original sheet music and more. It cost us €11 each and I learnt a lot about Mozart and his music. The audioguide is really handy and comes included with your ticket, too.

The Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus*

We were lucky enough to be given tickets for the Vienna hop-on, hop-off bus in exchange for some social media promotion but I would have bought them regardless. It's a fantastic way of getting to see a lot of the city if you're on a limited time scale. You learn a lot through the commentary, and the seats are comfortable so if you're not able to walk around a lot this is a great way of exploring Vienna. 24hr tickets for adults are €30 and I definitely think it's worth it, especially as you have the option of taking a walking tour included in the price.