# A day in central Vienna: St Stephen's, the Hofburg, Figlmüller's schnitzel, the Bruegels and standing-room opera 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. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/vienna/itineraries/a-day-with-st-stephens-and-the-hofburg · Revisado: 2026-11-12 ## El día - 09:00 · 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 - 11:15 · Hofburg, Sisi Museum and the Imperial Apartments (timed ticket, only at the official shop · no suitcases or large bags) - 11 min on foot - 13:00 · Figlmüller Wollzeile (book a table · kitchen 11:00 to 21:30) · Figlmüller Wollzeile, €€ - 15 min on foot - 14:45 · 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 - 18:30 · 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 - 22:30 · Bitzinger, the Albertina sausage stand (a Käsekrainer eaten standing at the exit · open until 4:00) · Bitzinger, the Albertina sausage stand, € 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. ## Cómo llegar ### Without a car It is the only sensible way: the 1st district is almost pedestrianised. You reach Stephansplatz on the U1 or U3, and return to the hotel by metro from Karlsplatz, next to the opera. ## Consejos ### Buy the standing place at 10:00 From the Staatsoper website, on the day of the performance. ### Book the Hofburg before you leave home The morning slots sell out in season. ### Avoid Sunday for the cathedral That day the visits begin at 13:00. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### 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.