11 Things To Do In Vienna In One Day In Winter, Austria

Vienna (or Wien), the capital of Austria, is a great winter destination in Europe. Vienna is a sophisticated city full of history; you’ll feel it when you explore the city streets and places. Here, you’ll know everything you need to know to explore Vienna in one day during winter!

Vienna is famous for its musical legacy, known as the “city of music.” It was home to famous musicians such as Beethoven and Mozart. It is also known for its many impressive palaces, churches and landmarks.

And of course, during winter time & Christmas, Vienna is famous for its magical Christmas Markets. Vienna is a fantastic winter destination if you’re planning to visit Europe.

In this post, you’ll learn about 11 things to do in Vienna in winter during the time of your day trip and what to see in this beautiful European city.

Read more: 11 Things To Do In Vienna In One Day In Winter, Austria

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Useful Vienna Travel Information

What To Know Before Visiting Vienna In Winter?

• Does it snow in Vienna in December? Yes, it does, and the city looks amazing under a coat of snow; it didn’t snow much while we were there, but the thin layer of white snow made the city even more magical.
• How cold does it get in Vienna in December? The coldest months are from December to February, when the temperature can drop on average to -1.3°c (34.3°F).
• You can get the Vienna Pass, which grants you free access to 70 attractions and museums. It is available for 1,2,3 or 6 days.
• Get a 24h or 48 transport card.
• Vienna is part of the EU, so they use the euros.

What to wear in Vienna In winter:

Vienna can get extremely cold during the winter; if you’re not well prepared with appropriate clothing, you won’t have a good time. I speak from experience.

My friend who lives in Canada warned me about the cold, but I thought I would be fine for a bit over one day. I was not appropriately dressed, and the cold feeling put a strain on my time in Vienna. Here is my advice on what to pack for Vienna in winter:

• Gloves
• Beanie
• Scarf
• Turtle neck
• Sweater/hoodie
• Thick pants or fleece tights
• Good walking shoes/boots

You need to layer up and wear some heat teach clothes if possible. Otherwise, you’ll feel cold and trust me it isn’t nice, it puts a strain on yourself, and you won’t enjoy the city as much.

11 Things To Do In Vienna In One Day In Winter, Austria

I visited Vienna with my boyfriend over two days, but if you consider the transportation time( we travelled by bus from Zagreb, Croatia), we only spent 28 hours in Vienna. However what we did can easily be done during the time of a day trip to Vienna.

December is a good time to visit Vienna if you like the holiday spirit and would like to admire the Christmas displays scattered throughout the city. Vienna is dressed up to the nines for Christmas. It is one of the most amazing places in Europe during the holiday.

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Stephansplatz

Stephansplatz is located in the city centre of Vienna. It’s a good starting point to reach various attractions in the city and a shopping district.

Here are some things to do and see in Stephansplatz:

• Diozesanmuseum – medieval art museum.
• St Stephen’s Cathedral
• Kaffeemuseum Wien – famous café
• Kohlmarkt – popular shopping street.

St Stephen’s Cathedral

St Stephen’s Cathedral on Stephansplatz is a must-see when you visit Vienna. Opened in 1558, this beautiful cathedral is a mix of Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles made of limestones.

With its 137-meter-high spire and richly decorated roof, it is one of the most important Gothic landmarks of the city.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral is one of the prominent landmarks of Vienna; it is incredible to see and explore such an impressive cathedral in real.

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Belvedere Palace

The Belvedere Palace host a museum with 800 years of history and arts within its baroque walls. The Belvedere Palace comprises two baroque palaces, the Lower Belvedere and the Upper Belvedere, and an elaborate landscape park in front of the palace.

You can also see a Christmas Market there during wintertime.

You can get more information about the Belvedere Palace here.

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Hundertwasserhaus

Hundertwasserhaus is another must-see if you’re visiting Vienna. This quirky neighbourhood was created by Hundertwasser, who made a colourful house complex. This kitschy patchwork of colours, while you obviously cannot go inside the housing property, the outside is well worth the look.

You can also visit the “Hundertwasser Village”, a shopping centre where you can find souvenirs and grab a bite.

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Walk The Ringstrasse (Vienna Ring Road)

If you want to see most of the landmarks of Vienna, then you must walk the Ringstrass. A sightseeing walk through the Ringstrasse will allow you to admire the city architecture around the historic inner town. This circular boulevard is a great way to experience the city in a chill way.

It is a beautiful walk and a great way to experience the city’s essence if you’re only in Vienna for one day.

You can find a sightseeing itinerary of the Ringstrasse here.

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Ferstel Passage

The Ferstel Passage, a gothic-like arcade, is a quaint passage close to Rathausplatz and was built in 1860 by Heinrich von Ferstel. This shopping arcade was made in the Parisian’s covered passages tradition.

You can find a detailed fountain, fantastic arches and a glass roof that will transport one back to when the Ferstel Passage was a place for the upscale city people to hang out.

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Rathausplatz

The City Hall is where you’ll find most of the best events the city has to offer throughout the year; the Rathaus building date from the 19th century and surround the city park; it’s very impressive and magical during Christmas time; you get the ice world and ones of the main Christmas markets of the city.

You can find it near the ring road that circles the city’s old district.

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Ankeruhr (Anchor clock)

A mechanical clock built in 1914

If you don’t know about the clock’s history, it might seem uninteresting to check out this clock even though its design is very pretty. At midday, 12 historical figures go through a complete bonus rotation. This is the best time to see the Anchor clock.

Gutenberg Monument

The Johannes Gutenberg monument was erected in 1900 in honour of the inventor of the printing press.

Vienna owns one of the few complete Bibles Gutenberg printed in its Austrian National Libary.

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Check out the Vienna Christmas Markets

The magical Christmas markets of Vienna are a must-see if you’re visiting Vienna in December. 

If you only had a few things to do in Vienna in Winter, you could fill a whole day by admiring and eating at the beautiful Christmas markets of the city.

Here is a list of the best Christmas Markets in Vienna:

• Christmas Village on Maria Theresien Square
• Christmas Village Belvedere Palace
• Viennese Dream Christmas Market
• Christmas Market at Schönbrunn Palace

The Christmas markets usually start mid-November and last until the end of December or the beginning of January.

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Admire The Christmas Lights and decorations.

As I mentioned above, Vienna is dressed to the nines during Christmas. The Viennese sure know how to decorate the city for Christmas; everywhere you look, it is straight out of a fairy tale. 

Here is a list of some beautiful places to check out during Christmas in Vienna for the best decorations after the Christmas markets:

• City centre lights: Kohlmarkt to the Graben.
• The Kärntner Straße displays
•  Rathauspark – next to the Viennese Dream Christmas Market. It was my favourite spot!

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And that’s a wrap on those 11 things to do in Vienna in one day in winter.

Vienna is a beautiful city; it gets freezing during the winter, as one would expect, and it’s beautiful with snow 28 hours is not enough to visit Vienna; by this time, you barely start to get a taste of the city.

In my opinion, you’d need at least four days to explore Vienna properly.

I didn’t visit Schönbrunn Place (Princess Sissi’s), which I feel was a miss in these 28 hours in Vienna, so I’d recommend you do it if you’re visiting Vienna in the span of two days. Our bus was leaving too early, which made fitting this visit into our travel schedule impossible.

Also, follow me on Instagram to check out my travel adventures around Europe and more lifestyle content @cpt_lyne!

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Here is some related travel content about Europe you might enjoy:

• Geneva 2-day Itinerary; Switzerland
• Visiting Budapest in 2 Days, Hungary
• Best Things To Do In Zagreb, Croatia
• 3 days in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Best things to do In Bristol, UK
• A Complete Guide On How To Celebrate Christmas In Paris From A Local

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11 things to do in Vienna in One Day This Winter!

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✈ Best Travel Ressources To Plan Your Next Trip

✈ How To Find Flights?

– Skyscanner; it is a good comparator for finding the cheapest flights.
– Google Flight is also a good help when it comes to comparing flights.

✈ Where To Book Accommodations?

– Booking.com: plenty of options and ways to get discount the more you book.

✈ Best Sites To Book Activities

My go-to website when I need to book an activity is GetYourGuide when I can’t get a ticket directly on the website or if it’s easier to go through them.

– Klook if you need to book more than just activities and would like to get everything from the same website—(i.e. transport cards, car rental, hotel…).

✈ Other helpful travel resources

– Radical Storage: If you need a place to keep your luggage for an extended period when you travel, I recommend using them. It was a great help when we needed a place to keep our luggage safely while we left the city for a few days.
– TheTrainline: If you love to travel by train like me, then TheTrainline needs to be your go-to website for train travel in Europe. It is very reliant and easy to use.

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