Being one of Europe's pricier cities, going out for drinks or having lunch might be not an everyday activity. But does it always have to cost money to enjoy this city's beautiful sights and views? No, not at all! Vienna offers a broad range of public squares and gardens to explore or to hangout and provides cool activities and free museums to experience something new! Here's our long list:
Take a stroll through a park or garden
Volksgarten
Nearly 50% of Vienna's innertown is "green" - which means parks, gardens and recreational areas - and all of them open to the public. Viennese love to hang out in the parks and spend considerable time there whenever the weather is right. It's no problem to bring your own snacks and drinks! Here's a list of some parks & gardens in Vienna:
Volksgarten
Burggarten
Stadtpark
Belvedere Schlossgarten
Schönbrunn Schlosspark
Rathauspark
Botanical Garden (University of Vienna)
Augarten
Sigmund Freud Park
Lainzer Tiergarten
Setagayapark
Türkenschanzpark
Grüner Prater
Kurpark Oberlaa
Visit the Wien Museum
The Wien Museum is a free museum, committed to a pluralistic, cosmopolitan and progressive society. The collection covers the entire history of Vienna with well over a million objects, from the most everyday items to rare, precious, high-quality art and items. You can also visit the cafe on the roof terrace from where you have a beautiful view over Karlsplatz and St. Charles Church.
Go on a tour through the City Hall
Rathaus | @lazytravelphoto
The city hall square in front of the beautiful town hall attracts visitors almost all year round with events. But have you already been inside that impressive building? You can visit the Vienna City Hall free of charge and without registration on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 pm. If you want, you can borrow an audio guide in English, French, Spanish and Italian free of charge upon depositing your ID. The meeting point for the tours is the city information center in the town hall, entrance.
📍Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz 1, 1010
Relax on the "Enzis" at Museumsquartier
Museumsquartier | ©Udo Titz
Next to the rooftop "Libelle" Museumsquartier is a beautiful 90,000 m2 large area in the 7th district, inhabiting not only a range of art installations, museums as well as exhibition spaces and regular events but a beautiful square with its own designed furniture - the "Enzis" - to sit and chill! It is not rare to see people bring their own wine and snacks and just enjoy themselves or meeting new people doing exactly the same thing. It is a very social place and ideal if you like to be in a bit more crowded spot.
Enjoy the view at the top of MQ Libelle
MuseumsQuartier | ©Hertha Hurnhaus
Next to Museumsquartier you will find this spectacular viewing terrace that give you an amazing view over Vienna’s city center - completely for free. Though the Libelle doesn’t exactly look like a dragonfly, which it translates to, it surely is an architectual highlight and a must-see if you are in the area. The elevator to the MQ Libelle usually works between 10am and 10pm except on Tuesdays when it's closed to the public. Further updates and information you’ll find on their website.
Go on a Hike around Vienna
Kahlenberg
Yes, you heard right: Vienna is the perfect place for hiking … on an amateur level of course. You won’t find glacier covered mountains but quite a lot of hills are surrounding the city, with endless forests on top. With its 13 Hiking Paths in and around Vienna, ranging from 4 up to 22.9 kilometers in length, hiking time is estimated to be varying from 2 hours for the shortest to around 6 hours for the furthest route.
Find all hiking paths here.
Try samples at the Naschmarkt
Naschmarkt
The Naschmarkt in Vienna is Austria‘s biggest and most popular market. The famous market is not only a great place to find fresh food and produce, but you can also score some free samples, so you can try them before you buy something.
Visit the Justizpalast
Justizpalast
The Palace of Justice sits just off the famous Ring boulevard, between the parliament building and the Museum of Natural History. Since the location is set back behind a small park with trees, people often miss it as they walk around the Ring. After a security check, you can enter this beautiful building for free and marvel at the architecture. At the top floor, there is a cafeteria with a terrace, from where you can have a perspective over the city.
Enjoy the view at the IKEA Rooftop
Ikea Rooftop | @ro_li94
Up again we go! This location is a unique and breathtaking spot and still quite a secret tip: the roof of the newly built IKEA at Westbahnhof (U3, U6) is a free to enter terrace with an amazing view to enjoy Vienna from above. Just take a ride with the elevator from outside. The building that also inhabits a hotel is actually Vienna’s first city-IKEA and it's definitely not just a warehouse for furniture.
Explore Vienna's cemetery Zentralfriedhof
Zentralfriedhof
The Vienna Central Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in the world by number of interred. There are graves of honor from Beethoven to Falco, fantastic Art Nouveau architecture as well as abundant lush greenery that makes the cemetery a popular local recreation area. You can enter this place for free but don't forget to be respectful.
If you want to learn more about this interesting place, book our tour!
📍 Simmerringer Hauptstrasse 234, 1110 Tor 2
Stroll through the amuseument park Prater
A fascinating world awaits visitors for both young and old. Full of turbulent roller coasters, spooky ghost trains and attractions of all sorts - there is hardly any other place in the world to challenge your senses in this intoxicating way even if you're just strolling through this large amusement park. The entry to this location is free - you just have to pay for the rides!
Go on a tour through the Parliament
©Parlamentsdirektion/Hertha Hurnaus
The newly renovated Parliament offers guided tours free of charge. Explore and learn about the building, its rich history, and the democratic process that takes place there.
You can register via the event calender here.
📍 Dr. Karl Renner Ring 3, 1017
Visit the MUSA Museum
Musa Museum | ©TimTom
The MUSA Museum houses contemporary art sourced by the City of Vienna's Department of Culture. It has one of the largest collections inculding paintings, graphics, sculptures, statuary art, photography, films, videos, installations or "art on the building" (mosaic, graffiti, fresco). There's free entry on every first Sunday of the month. Public tours are also free of charge.
Admire streetart at the Danube Canal
Donaukanal
The area along the Danube is open to graffiti artists who have turned the concrete walls into their very own art gallery in Vienna. In the last 20 years, the Danube Canal has become a walkway mile in summer - walking there feels like you're on vacation! You can also bring your own snacks and drinks and sit along the danube while watching the sunset.
Have a look inside St. Stephen's Cathedral
Steohansdom | @wienzufussphotoblog
Stephansdom is one of Vienna's most stunning landmarks. A part of the interior of the church can be visited free of charge if you want to get a quick taste of it's atmosphere, beautiful ornate chapels and architecture. The front of the nave and part of the northern side are open access.
Visit the Money Museum
Money Museum | ©OeNB
To bring the story behind its exhibits to life, the OeNB’s (Austrian National Bank's) Money Museum offers free guided tours for all groups of visitors. The interactive tours give visitors the chance to learn more about the manifold aspects of money, monetary history and central banking.
You can reservate here.
FREE Things To Do
6 mins reading time
Jun 4, 2023
Kathrin Schwarz
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