Figlmüller Wollzeile
What to order: the house schnitzel with potato salad and a wine from their own winery.
geocalia
Day itinerary · 48.21° N · 16.37° E
Central Vienna in a day, from the St Stephen's tower to the opera for a few euros.
The cathedral and its tower first thing, Sisi's apartments, Figlmüller's schnitzel, the afternoon with Velázquez and Bruegel and the evening at the opera standing.
Leaving from
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Part of ViennaDanubeWalkable CitiesHistoric bookshops and libraries of EuropeChristmas markets of EuropeClassical music and opera in EuropeClassic film locations
Add to my trip
Total time14 h
By car0 min each way
WalkingAbout 2 h spread across the day
TransportOn foot; metro only to get back
BookingHofburg timed and a table at Figlmüller
DifficultyEasy; 343 steps if you climb the tower
Cost€90–130 pp
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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1
St Stephen's Cathedral and its south tower
tours Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 11:30 · full ticket with the two towers and the catacombs, €29
- 9 min on foot
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2
Hofburg, Sisi Museum and the Imperial Apartments
timed ticket, only at the official shop · no suitcases or large bags
- 11 min on foot
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3
Figlmüller Wollzeile
book a table · kitchen 11:00 to 21:30
Wollzeile 5, 1010 Viena · +43 1 512 61 77
Restaurant €€Book - 15 min on foot
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4
Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Habsburgs' Bruegels and Velázquezes
€22 online · free for under-19s · 10:00 to 18:00, Thursday until 21:00
- 10 min on foot
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5
Vienna State Opera with standing-room tickets
standing places on sale the same day from 10:00, online or at the box office
- 4 min on foot
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6
Bitzinger, the Albertina sausage stand
a Käsekrainer eaten standing at the exit · open until 4:00
Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Viena
Takeaway €Book
Approximate cost
About €30–55 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
St Stephen's Cathedral and its south tower
If you have only one day in Vienna, or it is the first of several, this is the plan: everything fits in the 1st district and on the Ringstraße, and it is done on foot. You start at the cathedral before the groups arrive, see how Franz Joseph and Sisi lived in the winter palace, eat the city's most famous schnitzel, spend the afternoon with the Habsburgs' paintings and finish at the opera for the price of a coffee.
The day, hour by hour
9:00 · St Stephen's Cathedral. Tourist visits are Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 11:30; then there is Mass and it stops until 13:00. The full ticket, €29, includes the nave with audio guide, the 343-step south tower, the north tower with the Pummerin bell and the catacombs with a guide. If you only have time for one thing, climb the south tower.
11:15 · Hofburg and Sisi Museum. About ten minutes on foot along the Graben and the Kohlmarkt to the dome on Michaelerplatz. Tickets are timed and sold only in the official shop. The Sisi Museum reopens renovated on 19 November 2026; before that date only the apartments can be seen. Don't go in with a suitcase: there is no left-luggage.
13:00 · Lunch at Figlmüller Wollzeile. Back towards the cathedral, in the Wollzeile passage. The pork schnitzel, thin and bigger than the plate, is ordered with potato salad. Book: at midday it fills up.
14:45 · Kunsthistorisches Museum. About twenty minutes' walk to the Maria-Theresien-Platz. The picture gallery holds the world's largest collection of Bruegel and the portraits of the family of Philip IV painted by Velázquez. Buy online: €22 against €24 at the ticket office. The café under the dome is good for a break.
18:30 · State Opera. Ten minutes away, on the other side of the Burggarten. The 435 standing places go on sale the same day from 10:00; buy yours in the morning from your phone, before entering the cathedral, and you won't have to queue. Each place has its own subtitle screen.
22:30 · A sausage at Bitzinger. On the way out, the stand at the Albertina, fifty metres from the opera, stays open until four in the morning. It is what Viennese do after the performance.
With children or in the rain
In the rain the plan works just the same: almost everything is under cover. With children, the Kunsthistorisches is free for under-19s and has an Egyptian room that hooks them. If the opera is too long for them, swap it for the Prater big wheel, with the U1 metro from Stephansplatz to Praterstern.
Time1 h 30
Change the route
If you prefer Klimt to Brueghel: the Upper Belvedere is open until 18:00:
Belvedere, Klimt's The Kiss in a Baroque palace
If it rains, a long afternoon coffee instead of the whole museum:
Café Sperl
With children, instead of the opera: the big wheel is open until late:
The Prater Giant Ferris Wheel
For a weekday treat: lunch in the Stadtpark, booking in good time:
Steirereck im Stadtpark
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Café Sperl
What to order: a coffee with a slice of Sperl cake, made with milk chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon and almond.
Steirereck im Stadtpark
What to order: weekday lunch, which lets you get to know the house more calmly than dinner.
Takeaway and markets
Bitzinger, the Albertina sausage stand, Vienna (Innere Stadt)
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Vienna
All year, Monday to Saturday: on Sundays the cathedral can only be visited in the afternoon. The opera has performances almost every night from September to June; in July and August it is closed for holidays, and then the evening becomes a concert or a terrace.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Buy the standing place at 10:00
From the Staatsoper website, on the day of the performance.
- 2Book the Hofburg before you leave home
The morning slots sell out in season.
- 3Avoid Sunday for the cathedral
That day the visits begin at 13:00.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the day cost?
Between €90 and €130 per person with admissions to the cathedral, the Hofburg and the museum, lunch, the standing place and the standing supper.
Can it be done on a Sunday?
Yes, changing the order: the Hofburg and the museum in the morning and the cathedral from 13:00.
How long does a performance last?
It depends on the work: allow three hours on average, with an interval. Check the length in the Staatsoper calendar before buying.
And if there is no performance?
In July and August the opera is closed. Extend the museum, which on Thursdays is open until 21:00.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/austria/vienna/itineraries/a-day-with-st-stephens-and-the-hofburg
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.