Café Sperl
What to order: a coffee with a slice of Sperl cake, made with milk chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon and almond.
geocalia
Day itinerary · 48.21° N · 16.37° E
A Sunday in Vienna, two palaces, a café from 1880 and the city from the big wheel.
Schönbrunn at opening and the climb to the Gloriette, lunch at the Café Sperl, Klimt at the Upper Belvedere and the Prater big wheel when the lights come on.
Leaving from
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Add to my trip
Total time10 h
By car0 min each way
WalkingAbout 2 h, including the climb to the Gloriette
TransportMetro U4 and trams D and O
BookingSchönbrunn timed
DifficultyEasy
Cost€85–120 pp
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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1
Schönbrunn Palace and its gardens
opens at 8:30 · State Apartments €30 or Palace Ticket €42 · gardens free until 17:30
- 30 min by metro
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2
Café Sperl
U4 to Kettenbrückengasse · on Sunday open 10:00 to 20:00
Gumpendorfer Straße 11, 1060 Viena · +43 1 586 41 58
Café €€Book - 30 min by tram
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3
Belvedere, Klimt's The Kiss in a Baroque palace
Upper Belvedere, €23 · free up to 18 · open until 18:00
- 30 min by tram
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4
The Prater Giant Ferris Wheel
tram O from Quartier Belvedere to Praterstern · 12 to 15 minute loop
Approximate cost
About €20–35 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Schönbrunn Palace and its gardens
On Sunday, Vienna changes: the Naschmarkt and almost all the shops close, but the palaces, museums and the big wheel open as on any day. It is the day to leave the centre: Schönbrunn first thing, before the coaches, a relaxed lunch in an old-style café, Klimt's Kiss in the afternoon and the Prater big wheel when it gets dark. All by metro and tram.
The day, hour by hour
8:30 · Schönbrunn Palace. Metro U4 to the Schönbrunn stop and five minutes on foot. The palace opens at 8:30 and at that hour there are almost no groups. The short tour, State Apartments, is about 40 minutes and €30; the Palace Ticket, the whole piano nobile in 75 minutes, €42. Tickets are timed: buy them on the official website. Afterwards, walk up through the park to the Gloriette, the gallery at the top, to see the palace with Vienna behind. Allow an hour for going up and down.
13:00 · Lunch at the Café Sperl. Back on the U4 to Kettenbrückengasse and a few minutes' walk along the Gumpendorfer Straße. The café opened in 1880 and keeps its marble tables, Thonet chairs and billiard tables. It serves Viennese dishes of the day and its own pastries; for dessert, order the Sperl cake. On Sunday it is open from 10:00 to 20:00, except in July and August, when it is closed.
15:00 · Upper Belvedere. Tram D from the Opera to the Schloss Belvedere stop. In the upper palace hang the Kiss and other Klimts, and the Schieles. Entry €23; under-19s do not pay. It closes at 18:00. If you have time left, walk down through the Baroque garden to the Lower Belvedere.
17:15 · Prater big wheel. Tram O leaves from Quartier Belvedere, next to the main station, and reaches Praterstern; from there it is five minutes on foot. The big wheel has turned since 1897; the ride lasts between 12 and 15 minutes and in winter it is already dark. Buy your ticket on its website and check the day's timetable.
With children or in the rain
For children, Schönbrunn has the park and the maze, and the Prater, rides behind the big wheel. If it is cold or rainy, swap the Belvedere for the afternoon at Therme Wien, the thermal baths at the end of the U1, with a children's area. With heavy rain, the Kunsthistorisches replaces the stroll through the gardens.
Time3 h
Change the route
In July and August, when the Sperl is closed on Sundays:
Figlmüller Wollzeile
With children or in cold weather, the afternoon at the thermal baths at the end of the U1 instead of the Belvedere:
Therme Wien, Vienna's thermal baths in Oberlaa
If it rains hard, instead of the stroll through the gardens:
Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Habsburgs' Bruegels and Velázquezes
When the river is running high, a boat trip from Schwedenplatz before the big wheel:
Danube Canal cruise from Schwedenplatz
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Figlmüller Wollzeile
What to order: the house schnitzel with potato salad and a wine from their own winery.
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
Designed for a Sunday, when the Naschmarkt and many shops close and the palaces open as on any day. Best from April to October for the gardens; in winter the Schönbrunn park can be seen in half an hour. In July and August the Café Sperl is closed on Sundays.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Enter Schönbrunn at 8:30
By mid-morning the palace fills with groups.
- 2Check the big wheel's timetable before you leave
It changes according to the month.
- 3In summer, eat at Figlmüller
The Sperl is closed on Sundays in July and August.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the day cost?
Between €85 and €120 per person with Schönbrunn, the Belvedere, the big wheel, lunch and transport.
Why on a Sunday?
Because the palaces and the big wheel are open all the same and the centre is emptier. The Naschmarkt, however, is closed.
Is the Palace Ticket worth it?
If you are interested in Maria Theresa's rooms, yes; if not, the short tour shows the essentials for €12 less.
Can it be done with a pushchair?
The metro and the new trams are low-floor; the climb to the Gloriette is long but on wide paths.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/austria/vienna/itineraries/sunday-in-vienna-schoenbrunn-and-prater
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.