A long list of free things to do in Vienna

Inspired by our first trip to the Austrian Capital
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Vienna is one of the most beautiful cities we’ve visited so far, but it is by far of the top 5 most expensive cities to be. And let’s be honest, in a town where a museum can easily cost more than 25€, you will need this post, huh? After spending 4 days in Vienna last summer, I came up with this marvellous list of free things to do in Vienna.

Before continuing with the post, I have to say that, even though Vienna is very expensive, it is one of the safest cities we’ve been to. When we roamed around through the endless streets full of beautiful architecture and art, we realized Vienna was a safer and slightly more expensive version of Paris.




Visit Vienna even if you’re on the budget because it is so worth it to see the beauty behind every corner that every penny spent won’t hurt in the end.

But to cut the pain in your pockets to a minimum, here are 5 free (or close to free) things to do in Vienna.

Take a walk around Karlsplatz

Karlsplatz is one of the loveliest squares we had the pleasure to visit. And it is one of the largest in Vienna too!

We even did a post about how amazing and full of life it is; read it here: What to do in Vienna: Karlsplatz.

If you’re in Vienna in the spring or the summer, you will be surrounded by flowers and life when you get off on the KarlPlatz Station. There’s even an organic garden over there with loads of different eatable vegetables growing! It is not every day that you see corn growing in the middle of a big city, right?

Explore the Rathaus

The Rathaus in Vienna was one of my favourite places to visit. And do you want to know why? Because it is not always that you can find a place free of charge that can give you a unique sensation of “being a Disney Princess in the castle“, huh?

The building is astonishing and a mandatory stop on your Vienna tour. Believe me! The whole aesthetic of the place really reminded me of the Cathedral in Cologne. Then I found out that it was designed by the same genius gentleman. Simply breathtaking.

There you can find a place to relax, a place to be amazed and, depending on the day, incredible concerts and exciting events. The Rathaus, which literally translate into City Hall, holds several events throughout the year.

If Vienna has a heart, it is the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, or Stephansdom in german. This church is the symbol of Vienna and stands as one of the most important gothic structures in Austria. When you start planning your trip to Vienna, this is a place you shouldn’t miss.

See Vienna from the St. Stephen’s Cathedral

Without a doubt, the view from St. Stephen’s Cathedral is the best view you can get from the city! But be prepared because the 343 steps to the top are complex, but the picture is worth the effort.

When we visited the church, we paid around 4€ each, but according to their website, it is 4,50€ now. It’s not free, but it’s pretty cheap. A small price to pay to see the whole city of Vienna and take the most incredible landscape pictures ever. They also have a pretty exciting and macabre tour of the catacombs. Still, we had no time to visit since everything closes really early, in our opinion. The visiting time ends around 5 or 5:30pm, depending on the tour you’re taking.

Besides, the history behind Stephansdom is for sure one of the most interesting ones. Read it all about it here: St. Stephen’s Cathedral: The Best View from Vienna.

If Vienna has a heart, it is the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, or Stephansdom in german. This church is the symbol of Vienna and stands as one of the most important gothic structures in Austria. When you start planning your trip to Vienna, this is a place you shouldn’t miss.
If Vienna has a heart, it is the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, or Stephansdom in german. This church is the symbol of Vienna and stands as one of the most important gothic structures in Austria. When you start planning your trip to Vienna, this is a place you shouldn’t miss.
If Vienna has a heart, it is the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, or Stephansdom in german. This church is the symbol of Vienna and stands as one of the most important gothic structures in Austria. When you start planning your trip to Vienna, this is a place you shouldn’t miss.

Typopassage and the Museumsquartier

One of our first posts about Vienna was about this secret little place, the Typopassage. It is located inside the world-famous Museumsquartier in Vienna. Felipe is a massive fan of calligraphy and typography in general; on the counterpart, Marcela, I find it interesting but a little bit boring, if you might ask. And this is the reason why the title of the section has 2 places.

If you’re more Felipe, please read our post, book your ticket and run. Run Forest Run! It is small, it is hidden, it is fabulous.

And if you’re more Marcela, do the same because it is very cool even though you’re not into letters and numbers that much. Trust me! Besides, the whole Museumsquartier is more than marvellous. You can sit down and enjoy the sun, you can rest your feet up in the air sitting outside on one of the weird chair-like structures there, you can visit the museums or just grab a coffee or a soda.

Arena Wien

If you’re into art, punk, metal, incredible movies, unusual exhibitions, alternative culture stuff in general and tired of the same ol’ Vienna we showed you so far, head east to Arena Wien.

Arena Wien is the place where I loved the most. My inner teenager punk rock girl came back to life when I entered the place. The whole complex has an abandoned factory & 90’s Berlin vibe that conquer my heart faster than you can say. “Oi! Oi! Oi!”

We went there to see one of my favourite artists, Chelsea Wolfe and felt an incredible connection to the site. Later we found out that several of our friends did play on the same stage on their euro-tours. From the most famous all the way to the smallest and unknown bands. The arena has a huge outdoor stage, an open-air cinema, a bar that serves food and drinks, and an inside stage and apparently much more than we had the pleasure to see it. You can go there even without a show and just enjoy the atmosphere.

Check out their website and see if you can book your trip at the same time that your favourite artist is playing!

We went there to see one of my favorite artists, Chelsea Wolfe and felt an amazing connection to the site. Later we founded out the several of our friends did play on the same stage on their euro-tours. From the most famous all the way to the smallest and unknown bands.
We went there to see one of my favorite artists, Chelsea Wolfe and felt an amazing connection to the site. Later we founded out the several of our friends did play on the same stage on their euro-tours. From the most famous all the way to the smallest and unknown bands.
One of the most amazing things about Vienna is how your heart stops every time you turn your head. The city is so beautiful and full of history that I can only show you how amazing it is to roam around the streets, parks and gardens without looking at the clock.
If you’re into art, punk, metal, cool movies, unusual exhibitions, alternative culture stuff in general and tired of the same ol’ same ol’ Vienna we showed you so far, head east to Arena Wien.
If you’re into art, punk, metal, cool movies, unusual exhibitions, alternative culture stuff in general and tired of the same ol’ same ol’ Vienna we showed you so far, head east to Arena Wien.
 Bonus Round:

Visit all the Gardens and Parks that you can possibly can

One of the most amazing things about Vienna is how your heart stops every time you turn your head. The city is so beautiful and full of history that I can only show you how amazing it is to roam around the streets, parks and gardens without looking at the clock.

Save one day just for that. Buy your lunch or your coffee and head somewhere green and spend some hours imagining how great inspired names of classical music got just by being in Vienna back in the days.

On the photos above you can see the Belvederegarten, the Volksgarten, Rathausplatz, the Heldendenkmal der Roten Armee, Kuntshaus Wien, Strandbar Herrmann and random pictures of us walking around Vienna.

One of the most amazing things about Vienna is how your heart stops every time you turn your head. The city is so beautiful and full of history that I can only show you how amazing it is to roam around the streets, parks and gardens without looking at the clock.
One of the most amazing things about Vienna is how your heart stops every time you turn your head. The city is so beautiful and full of history that I can only show you how amazing it is to roam around the streets, parks and gardens without looking at the clock.
One of the most amazing things about Vienna is how your heart stops every time you turn your head. The city is so beautiful and full of history that I can only show you how amazing it is to roam around the streets, parks and gardens without looking at the clock.
One of the most amazing things about Vienna is how your heart stops every time you turn your head. The city is so beautiful and full of history that I can only show you how amazing it is to roam around the streets, parks and gardens without looking at the clock.
One of the most amazing things about Vienna is how your heart stops every time you turn your head. The city is so beautiful and full of history that I can only show you how amazing it is to roam around the streets, parks and gardens without looking at the clock.

Karlsplatz

Rathaus in Vienna

St. Stephen’s Cathedral

Museumsquartier in Vienna

Arena Wien

Belvederegarten

Volksgarten

Heldendenkmal der Roten Armee

Kuntshaus Wien

Strandbar Herrmann

Like I said earlier, Vienna is a safer version of Paris. I say that because I love Paris with all my heart and, of course, it is one of the most incredible cities in the world. But maybe, because of the size and the madness, I don’t feel 100% safe walking the streets of Paris. Not like I thought in the streets of Vienna. And the magic of both cities is the same to me. Both are a must see and visiting one of them, in any way, means that you can skip the other, ok? And if you’re staying in Vienna for a whole weekend with your loved one, check out this excellent post from Karolina Patryk.

So this was Fotostrasse’s tips on how to save money and have a fantastic time in Vienna, but, like always, if you have another place you think deserves a spot here, please leave us a comment or tag your Instagram photo with #fotostrasse and let us know the reason why, ok?

In the summer of 2014, we went to Vienna and stayed at the A&O Hostel Hauptbahnhof in a private room. It was great, but if you’re not on the budget and want a little bit more comfort, use this space to search for your hotel in Vienna.

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