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Sightseeing in Vienna is dominated by beautiful historic attractions and cultural treasures. With everything from palaces to 'flying horses', this splendid city has hundreds of interesting sites and attractions to explore. With lovely summers for sightseeing and snowy winters for skiing, Vienna's seasons are just as accommodating.

The Imperial Palace is home to the Schatzkammer, which is the greatest treasury in the world and holds treasure from as far back as the Holy Roman Empire. The Fine Arts Museum across from the palace houses many of the art collections gathered by the Habsburgs and is sumptuously decorated with marble, gold leaf and stucco ornaments. See the world famous Lipizzaner stallions, which appear to 'fly' in their superb performances. Another of Vienna's most recognisable attractions is the Giant Wheel, located in a large wooded park. And for those with song and dance in their hearts, the Vienna State Opera performs a vast repertoire of operas, operettas and ballets.

Vienna has been home to some of classical music's greatest composers, and visitors can easily spend a day touring the residences where Beethoven wrote his 5th Symphony, Haydn compsed The Creation, and Strauss wrote the Blue Danube Waltz; and no musical tour would be complete without seeing the Mozart Memorial.

Most of the city's attractions are encompassed by the Ringstrasse, which makes them easily accessible, especially on foot or by bike. The Vienna Card is handy for reduced fares when using public transport in the city, visit www.wienkarte.at. With such beautiful sites, cultural attractions and historic virtues, Vienna is definitely a city to spend some time in.

Hofburg

The Hofburg Palace, or Imperial Palace, was the home of the Austrian Hapsburgs for 600 years. The first fortifications were erected by King Ottakar Premyst in the 13th century and were added to by every generation until it became the monumental structure it is... see full details

Karlskirche

Karlskirche is the most outstanding Baroque church in the city and its 236-foot (72m) high dome flanked by two columns forms a dramatic landmark on the Viennese skyline. The church was commissioned by Emperor Charles VI after the Black Plague that swept Vienna in... see full details

Schönbrunn Palace

The magnificent Schönbrunn Palace was used as the summer residence of the Hapsburgs from the 18th century onwards. Set amongst superb gardens this vast, symmetrical structure is everything you would imagine an imperial palace to be. A tour of the palace offers visitors the... see full details

Giant Wheel

One of Vienna's most recognisable attractions, the Giant Wheel is located in a large wooded park and playground known as the Prater. It was built in 1897 by an English engineering firm and is the only one of its era still standing (the... see full details

Belvedere

The Belvedere consists of two splendid rococo mansions, designed in the early 18th century, which face each other across formal, sloping grounds offering excellent views over the city. From the outside it is Vienna's finest palace complex, built by Prince Eugène of Savoy (1680-1735),... see full details

Vienna State Opera

The Vienna State Opera performs a repertoire of near-one hundred operas, operettas and ballets every day from September to June. The opera house was founded in the early 18th century (it was rebuilt in 1955 after being all but destroyed in 1945) and... see full details

St Stephen’s Cathedral

The Cathedral is one of the city's most recognisable symbols and the massive south tower standing at 445 feet (136m) tall is a dominant feature on the Vienna skyline. The 343 steps can be climbed for a fantastic view over the city. St... see full details

The Albertina

The former Hofburg residence today houses one of the largest and greatest graphic art collections in the world with drawings, old master prints and modern graphic works. The museum explores the development of graphic arts since the 14th century and there are over 60,000... see full details

Museum of Fine Arts (Kunsthistorisches Museum)

The Fine Arts Museum across from the Hofburg Palace houses many of the art collections gathered by the Habsburgs and is one of the foremost museums of fine arts and decorative arts in the world. The magnificent building is crowned with a 197-foot... see full details

Austrian National Library

Situated in the Hofburg Palace, the royal library of the Habsburgs dates from the 14th century and is among the oldest and finest libraries in the world. The six million items stored in the library include papyri, manuscripts, ancient and rare books, maps, globes,... see full details

Natural History Museum

The impressive Natural History Museum is sited within a neo-Renaissance building that is identical from the outside to the Fine Arts Museum opposite. It is the third largest natural history museum in the world and has some of the oldest exhibits, including early Stone... see full details

Freud Museum

One of Vienna's most famous residents, Dr Sigmund Freud revolutionised the study of psychology with his ideas. Though many have been discredited, the term 'Freudian slip' and other ideas are still widely known and debated today. The Freud Museum in Vienna houses a number... see full details

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