8 Best Tours and Day Trips from Vienna

The cultural and architectural richness of Vienna invites you to enjoy every corner of the city, but its geographical location also allows excursions to different nearby cities. I summarize the best tours and excursions below.

It should not be forgotten that Austria and the surrounding countries were part of an unpleasant historical period characterized by the international rise of the Nazi movement. Austrian Jews, along with many others, were interned in different concentration camps scattered throughout Europe and one of them is Mauthausen, located two and a half hours from Vienna.

The visit to the Mauthausen concentration camp is a way to keep in mind the history of the Jewish people and all those who were affected by the Holocaust. The bus will depart from a meeting point in the center of Vienna and you will be accompanied throughout the day by an expert guide.

Details of interest

The price of about 140 euros includes transportation, the services of the guide, entrance to the concentration camp and the use of an audio guide in several languages with which you can take the tour of Mauthausen at your own pace.

• The best of this tour: the historical value of the visit and the delicacy with which the guide will explain this historical period and the experiences of the guests of this camp.

One of the best feelings when traveling is discovering wonderful places you didn't expect even closer than you thought. With the excursion to the Wachau Valley something similar will happen to you. Little importance is given to this World Heritage Site located two and a half hours from Vienna. There you will encounter a typical Austrian countryside landscape whose beauty will leave you unblinking.

Interesting details

This tour to Melk Abbey and the Danube Valley in particular is also one of the most complete round trip tours you can do in one day from Vienna. It is priced at $122 and is available in English, German and Spanish.

If you take this tour during the winter months, the boat ride will be replaced by an Austrian lunch at a local restaurant. If you have the choice, spring is the time to enjoy the splendor of the landscape to the fullest.

• The best thing about this tour: the contrast of the rural landscape with the streets of Vienna and the chance to see a different shade of Austria during your visit.

Do you know all the secrets of Vienna? You may have toured the capital of Austria several times and visited many of its museums and monuments, but this does not necessarily mean that you know all the information the city holds.

Interesting details

With this guided tour of Vienna in electric cars, you can learn the secrets of the city that you may have missed on a self-guided tour. The price of this experience is about $103 and you can book it online in advance.

I recommend this tour mainly because I think it is a great introduction to the city, especially if it is your first time. This way, you can do a "contact" tour before going deeper into the areas that catch your attention.

• The best thing about this tour: the respect for the environment that these vehicles have and the comfort when touring the most important points of Vienna.

If you have already visited in Vienna places like Schönbrunn Palace or the Hofburg Palace you will have important notions of the life of the Empress Sissi. Elisabeth was also Queen of Hungary and felt that homeland as much her own as Austria, so she loved to escape to this country whenever she could. After this tour to Budapest from Vienna you will find out why.

Interesting details

You can take this tour to Budapest in German, Spanish, English or Japanese. The cost is $150 and the travel time to the capital of Hungary is less than three hours. A fully equipped bus will pick you up at your hotel in Vienna and, accompanied by a local guide, will take you to Budapest.

In addition to the guided tour of these places, you will also have free time in Budapest to explore the city at your leisure; take advantage of it to taste the typical Hungarian food or to take as many photos as you want.

• The best thing about this tour: the opportunity to get to know in one day a city so different from Vienna in many ways and so similar in others.

If you are looking to see the main monuments and buildings of Vienna during your trip, this option fits your needs. The Vienna sightseeing bus tour not only allows you to save time and effort by moving between separate points of interest in the city; it also provides audio commentary about these places and panoramic views along the way. The price is $38

Details of interest

If you have never used a tourist bus, you should know what the concept of "free stops" means: you buy a pass for one or more days that entitles you to use the services of the tourist bus during that time without time limit or restrictions. This means that you can use the tourist bus both to complete the different routes and to move between the different points of the Austrian capital that you want to see during your trip.

• The best thing about this tour: the comfort and practicality of using a tourist bus in a big city like this. You have more information in this article on how to tour Vienna from the tourist bus.

To be honest, Prague is a city that deserves an exclusive trip and a thorough visit. The city of a hundred towers is one of the most appreciated jewels of Europe and its cultural and historical richness enchants all kinds of travelers. This excursion to Prague from Vienna is an appetizer of what the capital of the Czech Republic has to offer.

Details of interest

Available in French, English and Spanish, the bus ride from Vienna takes about four hours. The price includes pick-up from your hotel in Vienna and the services of an expert guide for a two-and-a-half hour guided tour of central Prague. Afterwards you will have free time before returning to Vienna to explore the city at your leisure.

• Highlights of this tour: includes a stop to see the Moravian countryside and the guided tour of central Prague is one of the most comprehensive.

Mozart's hometown has beautiful castles and palaces set amidst natural surroundings, but it also has the famous Mirabell Palace gardens that you will visit during this Salzburg excursion from Vienna. Add to this a stop at Lake Mondsee and a view of the Austrian Alps and you'll be left in little doubt why this tour is worth a visit.

Details of interest

This tour to Salzburg is available in English and Spanish and includes pick-up from your hotel in central Vienna, plus transportation to Salzburg and the services of a local guide for the entire day. The price is about 135 euros and the tour lasts about 3 hours; during the tour you will be able to contemplate the scenery from a fully equipped bus.

If you are a fan of the movie The Sound of Music, you will enjoy discovering some of the places where it was filmed during your visit to Salzburg.

• The best thing about this tour: although Salzburg has a lot to offer the traveler, the tour offered during this excursion is quite complete and is therefore ideal to get an overall picture of the city without getting that feeling of having seen it too quickly.

Winter is a tough time to visit the Austrian capital due to the low temperatures, but it is also a unique opportunity to see the snow fall and to get a different perspective of the city, empty of tourists. If you decide to visit Austria in winter, you can't miss this tour of Vienna's Christmas markets.

Interesting details

Christmas lovers will especially enjoy this visit to Vienna's Christmas market where you can taste punch and sweet snacks while enjoying the tour with an expert guide who will tell you stories about the city and its Christmas tradition.

• The best thing about this tour: the authenticity of the tour and the variety of styles of the markets it covers.

First of all, I want to be honest: if you have enough time during your trip, my recommendation will always be to take several days to get to know each of the cities you want to visit.

However, I am aware that this is not always possible and that an express visit is better than being left with the thorn of not having visited a place. In any case, the good thing about organized tours is that they have expert guides who show you the destination and that makes the visit much more worthwhile.

Advantages of organized tours

Most of the options you will find for an excursion from Vienna have departures almost every day: you can book your place online and you will receive an email with all the information you need to plan your tour.

Once you have done this you will not have to worry about anything, as both the excursions to the surroundings and the guided tours in Vienna are designed so that the traveler avoids planning and can enjoy the visit to the fullest.

Finally, I also have to tell you that you can rent a car and do any of these tours on your own, but the cost would be equal or higher and would not compensate you for time (not having the organization and guidance of an expert guide would take longer both to arrive and to tour the place in question) unless you spend the night outside Vienna.

Ana's Traveller Tip

Many of the day tours do not include lunch. You can eat at a local restaurant or take a picnic for the trip.

Making a list of everything you have at your disposal near the Austrian capital is a very difficult task. The country itself has hundreds of enchanting corners and any getaway to them can be quite a discovery.

However, if you have to make a list, you have to focus on some criteria and mine is the most popular visits. If you still have some time left over after the above experiences, here is a last note of other excursions you can do around Vienna during your visit.

Vienna Woods

Only half an hour away from the capital of Austria the landscape is completely transformed to give way to a succession of forests, rivers and lakes. If you want to enjoy nature and take all the time you need to do so, I recommend a trip to the Vienna Woods. Look for references to visit such as the Mayerling convent, the Seegrotte caves or the Baden spas; all of these enclaves are worth a visit.

Hallstat

If you are looking for a contrast with the city and want to visit the more rural Austria, a very good choice is this small village located on the shore of a lake next to the Austrian Alps. It can be reached by train from Vienna; it is a 4-hour trip, but the destination is worth it.

Bratislava

The city of Bratislava may go unnoticed compared to other cities like Budapest or Prague, but that does not mean that it is not worthwhile. For its size, Bratislava is an ideal city to see in one day. Walking through its cobblestone streets watching its roofs and colorful facades is like immersing yourself in a fairy tale.

You don't have to go far from the center of Vienna to enjoy a visit with a difference. If you are interested in the surroundings of the city, you can't miss Schoenbrunn Palace, located a short distance from the center. This 17th century complex is known for being the place of residence of Maria Theresa, Emperor Franz Joseph I or his wife Elisabeth, better known as Sissi.

Touring the interior of the Palace and its beautiful gardens will take you a morning and I assure you that it is something you cannot miss during your trip. If you want more information about this option, I recommend you this article on Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna Tickets and Tours.