If you want to understand Vienna rather than simply tick off its sights, a good walking tour can make all the difference. Vienna offers almost 100 guided walks, ranging from classic city introductions to specialist tours covering Jewish history, architecture, food, shopping and film.
I’ve selected nine Vienna walking tours and themed experiences that offer something more interesting than simply following a guide from one landmark to another. Some are ideal for first-time visitors; others take you deeper into the history, culture and everyday life of my home city.
Small Group Walking Tour
If it’s your first time in Vienna, start with a classic city walking tour. In most cases, tour guide Maria leads this particular walk and, judging by her glowing customer reviews, she has become something of an attraction herself.
The tour provides an informative, entertaining and relaxed introduction to Vienna, its people, culture and food. You’ll explore the Hofburg Imperial Palace, wander through the Baroque streets around Michaelerplatz and Josefsplatz, and continue towards the Vienna State Opera.
The route also includes St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the Mozart House, giving you a useful overview of Vienna’s historic centre and its most important landmarks. The two-hour tour is available in several languages and is particularly useful if you want to get your bearings before exploring Vienna independently.
Essential Vienna History Tour
Walking across Vienna’s city center, explore Vienna’s unique history on foot, starting with its Roman origins and the reason a castle was built here in the first place.
Along the way, discover St. Michael’s Church and its unusual mix of three architectural styles, then delve into the history of the vast Hofburg Palace and the Habsburg rulers who shaped Vienna.
You’ll uncover stories behind Heroes’ Square, the Austrian National Library and the Imperial Treasury, as well as the church where Habsburg weddings took place — including some rather surprising royal marriage arrangements.
The walk also reveals darker chapters of Vienna’s past, from the Second World War to the Monument Against War and Fascism. Expect plenty of intriguing anecdotes, from the Providentia Fountain to Habsburg burial traditions, before finishing at Vienna’s iconic St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
Stories and Secrets of Vienna
If you have already seen Vienna’s headline sights and want to uncover the city’s more intriguing, less obvious side, this is a good choice. You will step away from Vienna’s grand boulevards and discover the atmospheric little streets, courtyards (see photo) and hidden corners tucked away in the historic centre. This entertaining walking tour mixes famous sights with the kind of places you might easily walk past without knowing the stories behind them.
Along the way, you’ll see St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Mozart’s final Vienna residence, the Franciscan Church and Monastery, and the charming Ballgasse. But there’s plenty more to discover, including the atmospheric Blutgasse and Domgasse, Palais Neubauer-Breuner and the Deutsch-Ordenshaus.
Expect plenty of stories and local legends as you explore Vienna’s old university district, the Jesuit Church and remnants of the old city walls. You’ll also hear about traditional Viennese food and discover the wonderfully named house “Where the Cow Plays on the Board.”
World War II, Nazi and Hitler Tour
This thought-provoking walking tour takes you beyond Vienna’s imperial grandeur to explore some of the city’s darkest chapters. Over around two and a half hours, a knowledgeable guide leads you through quiet streets and hidden alleys while tracing more than 800 years of Jewish history in Vienna.
You’ll learn about the Jewish communities that helped shape the city, as well as the long history of antisemitism and the devastating persecution of more than 65,000 Austrian Jews during the Nazi era.
The tour also explores Vienna around 1900, when a struggling young Adolf Hitler lived in the city, and examines the ideas and experiences that later contributed to his catastrophic political ideology. Along the way, you’ll encounter lesser-known locations connected with Nazi persecution and learn about Austria’s complicated process of confronting and remembering its past.
It’s not an easy subject, but it offers a deeper understanding of Vienna — and of how the city continues to reckon with its history today.
Food And Wine Tours For First Timers and Insiders
Fancy a proper taste of Vienna? There’s a food and drink experience running through the historic Old Town that covers the whole spectrum in two flavours. One’s your classic introduction — think Wiener Schnitzel, goulash, Austrian wine and the street food staples every visitor should tick off, all wandered through in a few unhurried hours. The other goes deeper, ducking into old-school taverns and lesser-known dishes that don’t make it into the guidebooks, with the stories behind them along the way.
Both keep things small (groups capped at 12) and unrushed — no megaphones, no scripted stops, just genuinely good food, wine, and a guide who actually knows their stuff. Whether you’re after the essentials or you’re ready to go further off the beaten path, it’s a solid way to eat your way through the city properly. Send me a message if you are interested to join a tour.
Vienna Jewish Tour
When my grandmother’s cousin married a jew from Vienna in 1934, the city’s Jewish life was blooming and very different. Do you have Jewish ancestors in Vienna, too?
During this private Vienna Jewish Tour I could basically call the shots. The tour was individually put together. In my case we visited the Jewish Museum in Vienna, the area of the Jewish Temple and other monuments and places where Jewish history happened.
If you prefer a group tour, join the Jewish Vienna walk. I participated in that, too. The tour guide was from one of the best tour companies in Vienna, what a passionate and knowledgeable lady.
Third Man Movie Tour
Vienna Walking Tours. Highly interesting, wildly funny, truly engaging: I am a big fan of the Third Man movie with Orson Welles. That tour was just the right thing. Apart from learning more about the making of the film, I have turned into an expert on post war Vienna. We went right through the city center most of the time. Whether you have seen the film or not, the stories and anecdotes shared during this tour will resonate with you for a while.
The two-hour tour is conducted in both German and English. More information about the tour.
Jean Nouvel Buildings: Gasometers
Vienna Walking Tours. This unusual tour to Gasometer city is a must for architecture fans. The listed Gasometers are among the best off-path places to visit in Vienna. The buildings beautifully blend 19th century industrial design with contemporary updates. My favourite takeaway from the tour was to learn about the exceptionally closely knit urban community of Gasometer City.
Vienna’s four iconic gasometers host stunning interiors designed by architects such as Jean Nouvel and Coop Himmelblau. Find out what to expect from a guided tour.
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