Layover at Vienna for 6 hours – enough for some sightseeing?
- By
- Aparna Patel
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- 23 Jul, 2023
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Note: Vienna is not very efficient airport, and there can be long walks involved between areas since it is badly planned and security can take some time if you are unlucky.
As much as people here advise for the train to get to the city, If you want to go to Schönbrunn you may consider (budget allowing) just grabbing a pre-booked car transfer immediately, since they’ll wait for you in the arrival hall and might save you 45 minutes (of average waiting and journey time) compared to the CAT/ S-Bahn and subway journey. From there, take the U4 subway back to Karlsplats (~20 minutes) on the edge of the first district, have a walk through central Vienna past the cathedral, and then walk the short distance to Wien Mitte station where you could take the train back to the airport.
That proposal is a very hectic itinerary. There is more than enough to keep you very busy downtown, and has plenty of good architecture and historical atmosphere. Aside from the Cathedral, try Hofburg, shopping streets Kohlmarkt and Graben, and the countless little streets that are less populated by tourists.
I would advise against Schloss Schönbrunn, it is in the West of the City, while the airport is in the east. It is quite far away from most of the other sights which are in the City.
So i would suggest a quick tour round St. Stephan, Hofburg, Opera and maybe Museumsquartier.
Another data point regarding the CAT (City Aiport Train), Taking a Taxi is still twice as expensive than taking the CAT.
The City Airport Train will take you (close to) the center in just 16 minutes. It is however a lot more expensive than the regular train going the same way in just 10 or so minutes more. Each of the two trains runs every 20-30 minutes, so the fastest option depends on when exactly you arrive at the train station.
From the terminal Wien Mitte-Landstraße you can either continue with the U3 subway line for 2 stations to get to Stephansplatz (the very heart of the city), or just walk there. All of the historical center is really nice and you can find nice and interesting places everywhere. If you want to see as many sights as possible on a short walk (1-2 hours if you want to see stuff), you can follow e.g., this route.
It’s certainly possible to do this with a 6 hour overlay, but it will be quite stressful, especially if you need to pick up your luggage after arriving in Vienna.
I have transited through vienna around 15 times and happy to give you some tips on what to see during your 6 hour layoff.
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St.Stephens Platz church (start here. Its the city centre walk around for 2h you will see viennese operas, palace and shopping streets around. If you like cakes be sure to taste Sacher torta (shop not far from main opera)
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Schonbrunn palace (takes 2h minimum really nice with museum and zoo!)
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Museum Quartier (walk around open space inside people will be chilling out in summer, of course if you are museum fan this is great). From Museum Quartier try to explore long shopping street Mariahilfer strasse (takes about 1 h)
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“Hundertwasserhaus” is a very unique beautiful designed apartment houses worth a visit.
Vienna is very well connected by excellent metro system. All the places i mentioned above can be explored through metro/tram lines saving you time.
Last but not the least, have a coffee in viennese style. They will always serve coffee with a small glass of water to drink after the coffee (which i love it).
Yes. For example, only 16 minutes to central Vienna, so sightseeing in that interval is viable but what to see there seems to be a matter of opinion so off topic here.
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