11 Things to Do in Vienna in the Fall

Autumn is one of the seasons that brings out the beauty of all there is to see in a city like Vienna. The weather is generally cool and above all unpredictable. In any case, in the autumn months you can make many plans for each of the possible scenarios we encounter.

There are many possibilities in Vienna in the months of September, October and November and therefore in this post I have made a selection of my favorite things to do in Vienna in autumn. Read on and discover them.

In September, the arrival of autumn coincides with the start of the opera season in Vienna. Since Vienna is considered the city of music, the city's opera is a symbol of the city and is one of the best things to do in the capital.

The advantage of doing it at the beginning of the season is that there are discounts on tickets and more passes for the plays. It is a perfect plan especially in the cold days of autumn.

Another option is to take a guided tour of the opera building in which in addition to marvel at its architecture, they will explain in detail the history and operation of the opera. At the beginning of the season it is also common for some of the operas to install a giant screen on the facade of the building to see them from the outside.

Information of interest

• Address of the opera house: 2 Opernring Street.
• Approximate prices: from 10 euros.
• Other opera houses in Vienna: Volksoper (Vienna Folk Opera), Musikverein, Konzerthaus.

Schoenbrunn Palace is a must-see at any time of the year. But it is in autumn when, in my opinion, it is especially recommended. This is because the main charm of the palace lies in its gardens and these look spectacular with the reddish and yellow colors of autumn.

The palace was declared a World Heritage Site and although you have to pay an entrance fee to enter its rooms, the visit to its gardens is completely free. You will not regret it, because Vienna has also earned the nickname of city of palaces for a reason.

If, in addition to its gardens, you want to know the interior, I recommend you to take a tour of Schoenbrunn Palace and kill two birds with one stone.

A visit to the Prater Park is also a must for the same reasons as before. Thanks to the colors of the trees in autumn, the park is transformed into a beautiful place to escape from the crowds of the city.

It is the largest park in Vienna and in its vast expanse we find, among other things: an amusement park, sports fields, a soccer stadium and even a peculiar house declared as an independent republic.

If the weather is nice, it is a popular place for picnics, walks or sports. But my favorite part of the park is when you visit the giant Ferris wheel next to the amusement park, because from the top you have spectacular views of the park and the entire city.

It is inevitable that in autumn we get cold and rainy days. Those days are perfect to opt for the indoor plans I propose below.

Visit Vienna's museums

Some of the best museums in Vienna that you can visit are:

• Kunsthistorisches Museum: it is Vienna's Museum of Art History and has the incredible collection of Habsburg art where there are works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Titian, Raphael and Velazquez, among others.
• Albertina Museum: contains drawings and prints by artists such as Monet, Renoir, Degas, Chagall, Miro, Da Vinci, Magritte, Munch and Picasso.

Relax in one of the beautiful cafés

For more plans against cloudy days just listen to the Viennese themselves. And they love to take refuge in the cafés accompanied by a good coffee and sweets.

Some of the best cafés in Vienna are:

• Café Central
• The Frauenhuber café
• The Museum Café
• The cafeteria of the Sacher Hotel, where the famous cake originated, are.

Many places around Vienna take on a special color in autumn. And the best thing is that you can visit them by taking an organized excursion to the area, or go on your own if you prefer.

For me, there are two places with a particular charm at this time of year and I would like to recommend them to you below:

• Excursion to Wachau from Vienna: this wine region has beautiful valleys that take on spectacular colors in autumn. In addition, one of its villages, Dürnstein, is a World Heritage Site.
• Excursion to Hallstatt from Vienna: one of Vienna's most famous sites known for its spectacular views of the Alps and its skywalk viewpoint.

Austria's National Day is celebrated on October 26 in the middle of autumn. This date commemorates the day on which, in 1955, Austria gained its full independence as a country.

Of course the bulk of the celebrations take place in its capital, Vienna, and it is a great day to be in the Austrian capital. The centerpiece of this holiday is the great military parade that strolls through the streets of the city center.

Although, as it is a national holiday, it should be noted that many of the monuments are closed. However, on this day you are allowed to enter places such as the Parliament, or the ministries and museums such as the military history museum or the national library remain open with free admission.

The Kahlenberg hill is another of Vienna's little-known spots that is really worth a visit. Not because of the place itself, which it is, but mainly because of the views from the top of the hill at 484 meters.

The panoramic views of Vienna from this point are spectacular and I dare say some of the best in the capital.

The environment is also at the height, as it is in the middle of the known as Vienna Woods and surrounded by vineyards that in autumn have a reddish and yellowish colors that greatly enhance the views. From the top, where the church of St. Josef is located, there are plenty of perfect hiking trails.

In autumn most of the important festivals and holidays in Vienna are condensed in Vienna, such as All Saints' Day, Immaculate Conception Day or St. Martin's Day. Each day has its own peculiar celebrations but I am going to highlight the activities to do on two important dates:

• Visit Vienna's cemeteries: best to go one or two days before Saints' Day to avoid the crowds. In the cemeteries of the city rest great figures such as Beethoven and Johann Strauss in the central cemetery, or Mozart whose grave is in the cemetery of St Marx.
• Celebrate Halloween at the Prater amusement park: it is decorated with a terrifying decoration and there are special attractions such as a house of terror.
• Go to the museum dedicated to torture: it is especially visited on October 31.
• Taste the typical sweets: to sweeten a terrifying day, many of the city's bakeries prepare Halloween-themed sweets.

In the month of October a very important festival takes place in Vienna's cultural scene. The Contemporary Music Festival starts in October and lasts until November with a series of performances of classical music, jazz or rock. All of them with a contemporary style.

The main stage of this festival is the well-known Wiener Konzerthaus. As you can see, autumn is a time of great cultural activity in Vienna.

The Setagayapark is not often mentioned in travel guides and is therefore considered one of Vienna's hidden gems. It is a Japanese-style park located north of the city almost on the outskirts.

Although it is small and can be walked through in about 15 minutes, it is very beautiful, especially in autumn colors. From the city center it can be reached by bus 1A or streetcar 37 in about half an hour. It is a perfect place to visit in those cases where you have time to spare and are looking to see something different.

The park is only open from April until the end of October, so in autumn, besides being the most beautiful time of the year, it is one of the last opportunities to visit it. Park hours are from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.

The Naschmarkt is Vienna's best-known and largest market. Over 120 stalls, restaurants and cafés spread over its extensive area, making it a meeting and entertainment point for the Viennese.

There are two reasons to visit in autumn. The first is for the seasonal products you will find at the stalls:

• The typical chestnuts abound.
• The first shipments of wine arrive from the vintages near Vienna.
• The traditional Austrian apricot jam is left to ripen in the sun in summer and is consumed in autumn.

The second is that it tends to be crowded especially in spring and summer, so that the autumn months are less crowded and much more comfortable to visit.

The autumn weather in Vienna is mostly cool, but not excessively cold. The maximum temperatures gradually decrease from over 20 degrees Celsius in September to an average of 5 degrees Celsius in November.

With the minimums the same thing happens and they go down from 13 degrees to reach even the 0 at the end of autumn. But in general they are very pleasant temperatures to see Vienna.

The most negative thing about autumn is its unpredictability, as the weather changes a lot and quickly goes from being sunny to being cloudy. However, the probability of rain is low and hardly exceeds 20% on average.

The great advantage of the autumn months is that the temperatures are very bearable and the influx of tourists is not very high. So it is an ideal time to travel to Vienna in this respect. From September onwards the number of visitors drops considerably and there are usually no problems finding accommodation or space in the monuments.

Prices also drop somewhat due to lower demand, although in general Vienna is an expensive city to visit. Something that is more than compensated by its beauty. In summary and as a personal appreciation, autumn is an ideal season to visit the capital of Austria.

The weather will be the main conditioning factor when it comes to packing for a visit to Vienna in the autumn months. To help you in this arduous task I leave you a list with the essentials that should not be missing in your suitcase. And as an extra help in this links you have some very useful tips for your trip to Vienna.

• Warm clothes but without overdoing it. A sweater and a thin coat are enough.
• If you travel in November the cold starts to be more intense so at that time the coat becomes more necessary.
• Raincoats, umbrellas and waterproof clothing should not be missing.
• Comfortable shoes as Vienna invites you to walk a lot through its streets.