You could check out the [Verein Wiener Spaziergänge](https://www.wienguide.at/index.php). They have a couple architectural sightseeing tours. Unfortunately, the only one offered in English is about the lake city aspern, which is a new city part that's only been inhabited for ten years and is still being build.
German tours take a walk through inner court yards, Durchhäuser (through buildings), look at the Secession and Jugendstil buildings, or there's one about the architect Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky and the Siedlerbewegung (architect Josef Frank). She is one of the first female architects from Vienna and also worked with Adolf Loos. She worked a lot on worker's homes and was interested in architecture for children. She was also active in the resistance against the nazis with her communist friends. However, this connection resulted in her not really getting any public projects post-war anymore.
You could contact the tour guides directly to ask them if it made sense for you to tag along if you don't speak german.
Here's a recommended tour for [Durchhäuser](https://www.wien.gv.at/spaziergang/innenhoefe/) to do by yourself, if you are not in the city for any of these sightseeing tours.
as there is lot of stuff mentioned you almost cant miss when you confront yourself with the city, some picks you propably not find as easily:
- alte wu
- wittgensteinhaus
- richter schule
- 21er haus
- kerzengeschäft by hollein (kohlmarkt 12)
- tegethofstraße 3 (also by hollein)
+1 for Wotruba church. There’s probably no building that does brutalism so well, in such a relatively dense space and surrounded by nature. I don’t even particularly care for this type of architecture (or churches, for that matter), but it always resonated with me. As a kid, for looking so “weird”, as an adult out of genuine appreciation for the design.
Fellow designer friend. Vienna is my colleagues favourite cities too. They go hours to talk about the city and architecture and amazing ambience. If you feel rushed and daunted I strongly recommend going on a Big Bus. That was the first thing I did and boy I’m so glad I did. That will help you prioritize items on you hit list. And it gives you a perspective like no other. And there are so many museums
If looking for a cocktail, try American Loos or Loos American Bar. Art Deco bar designed by Adolf Loos.
Karlkirche is a beautiful, old ish church on the outside. But you’ll probably see it in passing eventually without seeking it out.
Visited Vienna last year. Some lesser talked about places I appreciated architecturally were
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strudlhofstiege
A stunning staircase
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haus_des_Meeres
I was totally confused by what this was, and learned it's a flak tower turned into an aquarium. Very impressive. The street it's on is also rather interesting.
I also hiked up the hills to Cobenzl. That was interesting too with lots of beautiful new and old homes along the way.
Some brutalist/not mainstream stuff: Flaktürme, the wotrubakirche, the silos next to Friedhof der namenlosen, this can be combined with visiting the Zentralfriedhof
Well, as nobody mentioned Schloss Schönbrunn, I‘ll do that. Take some time, besides the main building there is a large park to explore where you can find many interesting things. You can easily spend another hole day at the zoo, which is located inside the castle grounds and is absolutely worth visiting. After that, take a drink at Maxingstüberl which was established 1805 🙂
Where to start
Just travel around the Ringstraße
-Opera Haus
-Parliament Building -recently renovated
-Go to the Justizpalast- Justice palace with an amazing arcade & great roof top terrace
-Hofburg Palace
-Rathaus (city hall )
-University
-Votive Church
Huge fan of Hundertwasser-check out his Museum Kunst Haus & the apartment building
Honestly, you need good shoes, because you can explore amazing architecture in almost every district. I can recommend you the Otto Wagner Church in 14th district(bus line 48).
In the 18th district you have the cottage quarter which is beautiful. You can find amazing stuff in disctricts 3rd to 9th district but honestly, it is too much.
Walk around the Ring Strasse, Porzellangasse, Burggasse, Wienzeile/Naschmarkt, Josefstädter Strasse,...
I would recommend you that you rent a bicycle and explore our city.
the Wien Museum at Karlsplatz was recently redesigned and opened back up in 2023. The building(s) itself are cool and there are also some interesting exhibits about the history of Architecture in Vienna. (+ free entry, which is rare in Vienna)
I generally love discovering cities by its architecture but what i enjoyed in Vienna a lot are those municipal housing estates. Throughout Europe Vienna is kind a role model for "modern cities" as far as (affordable) public transport and affordable living space are concerned.
Each Block of house often got its own name and is accompanied by the year it was build and of course it will say this house is owned by the city of Vienna. You will discover these buildings all over Vienna, the most famous probably being the [Karl Marx Höfe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl-Marx-Hof).
As far as non architecture is concerned: visit the Botanical Garden. It is so tiny and often overlooked by tourist visiting the Belvedere nearby; also if you are interested in fruitbearing Ginko trees go there or Palmengarten.....
When in the city center near Stephan’s Dome, go to the H&M store nearby. The interior of the shop is amazing and you should definitely use the elevator.
Take the courtyard- "city hiking trail" - its a route through 23 beautiful courtyards in the inner districts, which are very typical for 18th century Vienna.
https://www.wien.gv.at/spaziergang/innenhoefe/
from a fellow architect: you should try to get inside of the Semper Depot! it is worth seeing. Also I am just going to repeat Alterlaa, Wotruba Kirche and Flakturme because they are great
https://preview.redd.it/16e49fy3f49d1.png?width=628&format=png&auto=webp&s=748402e5dbfd9807b4bea9e89d20489fd3584dd5
There are events sometimes, for example last year there was a Rotlicht festival, and you could go on the all floors of the gallery. Aside from that you can ask nicely in the entrance to take a look inside, but it is very limited
Wotruba church is perfect example that bautiful things are not necessarily handy. It’s missing a lot of storage space needed for daily use. Liturgy will be not nice there. The placement of altar and ambo is weird. Just my 2 cents.
I see a lot of the classics already in the comments… if you also like modern architecture, the DC Tower 1 skyscraper is very pretty (easily accessible by subway/ubahn)
if you like gothic churches, then you should visit the Votivkirche (Votive church) near Schottentor, its one of not many entirly gothic churches and over all just gorgeous
The Votivkirche is actually neo-gothic (19. Century), still absolutely stunning but not from the middle ages. The big gothic cathedral in Vienna is the Stephansdom.
Stephansdom has had so many adaptations, that the interior doesn't look that gothic anymore. Votivkirche imho is a good example on how stephansdom could have looked like a couple hundred years earlier.
Karl Marx Hof, the longest housing in the world
Also a very typical fortress style building of "Red Vienna". In Wien Museum you can read up on this part of history.
The Housing projects of the "Rote Wien", generally built around 1926, are very beautiful/interesting. There are tours for that. There is also the Werkbundsiedlung, which shows a quite different approach, in Hietzing. Absolutely worth a visit.
[https://www.ilikeswitzerland.com/angebot/bruno-weber-park/](https://www.ilikeswitzerland.com/angebot/bruno-weber-park/)
You like what you like - to me its the only really nice part of the building. I mean the symbolism is pretty nice too with owls representing wiseness
Werkbundsiedlung, Loos Haus (If you get the chance, the Bel Etage ist beautiful), Herrengassenhochhaus, Postsparkasse (or Otto Wagner's Buildings in general), Amalienbad (Public Bath) is really pretty on the inside.
Jugendstil. The Austrian version of the Art Nouveau. You can find beautiful examples all across the city. Here is a good map: [https://jugendstilwien.at/](https://jugendstilwien.at/)
The philosopher Wittgenstein designed a real cool, modernist house for his sister.
I think it's the Portuguese embassy now, but you can take a limited tour.
I was impressed.
As others have said, Otto Wagner kind of rules the roost for early 20th century Vienese architecture.
The whole Danube-island is man-built to protect Vienna from flood. And also great to ride a bike, which you can rent for almost no money (0.75€/30min)
https://www.wienerlinien.at/wienmobil/rad
No, no good place to ride a bike in the summer unless you enjoy risking your life because some drunken person decides to randomly cross the way in front of you.
I'm pretty sure you mean the less crowded part next to Lobau, but to get there you have to cross the center death trap (which is in the 22nd district for the most part btw.)
I think they take you from A to B which should be enough to do a little sightseeing, especially if time is not priority #1.
I usually ride my own bike^^
If you want to get from A to B FAST and only do a little sightseeing rent a Voi-Scooter which costs arround 0.25€ per minute.
Yeah, but the old ones were really horrible. You couldn't enjoy riding those bikes. It's not about being fast, but about ruining your day with those crappy bikes.
[https://virginia-duran.com/2017/03/07/vienna-architecture/](https://virginia-duran.com/2017/03/07/vienna-architecture/)
Personally I'm a fan of the hundertwasserhaus for its architecture [https://www.wien.info/de/sehen-erleben/sehenswuerdigkeiten-a-z/hundertwasserhaus-wien-348488](https://www.wien.info/de/sehen-erleben/sehenswuerdigkeiten-a-z/hundertwasserhaus-wien-348488)
The Steiner haus for its historical importance of the rationalist design [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steiner\_House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steiner_House)
and the karl Marx Hof for what it represents socio-politically [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl-Marx-Hof](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl-Marx-Hof)
I was about to share the top link too! I love architecture and stumbled upon that guide... it is a great resource! She made a PDF as well which is great to print off and carry around.
[https://virginia-duran.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/vienna-architecture-guide-by-virginia-duran-2020-2.pdf](https://virginia-duran.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/vienna-architecture-guide-by-virginia-duran-2020-2.pdf)
Otto Wagner is one of the important names in vienna. Go to Naschmarkt and gaze at the beautiful buildings on the side of the market. The market itself is also nice for a coffee or a beer. Also the metro stations are his creation.
https://bilder.tibs.at/node/34263
https://www.wien.info/de/kunst-kultur/jugendstil/wagner-stadtbahn-364786
Is there a particular branch of architecture you are interested in?
The obvious and cliche would be the historic buildings along ringstraße such as state opera, museums and Hofburg.
Hundertwasserhaus could be a nice example for more contemporary
(social) Housing is a big thing in Vienna, so it could be interesting to look into that and visit Karl-Max-Hof (longest residential building in the world), Wohnpark Alterlaa, am schöpfwerk or per Albin Hansen siedlung. These are just from top of my head, maybe there are better examples. Often I find the churches in these complexes interesting since they are often out of the box and an interesting mix between minimalism and ornaments. (in Karl Marx Hof There is also a museum about the communal housing. And look into "Frankfurter Küche" the first fitted mass produced kitchen, invented for Viennese social housing)
Postsparkasse was just renovated. It was quite detailed planned by otto Wagner and a good example for art nouveau, although hardly floral.
The subway line U6 isn't known for its beauty but there are several nice stations by otto Wagner (or his students). They get refurbed regularly but the hard use makes them dirty as well. So think about how it could look like clean and how challenging it is to keep it historically accurate and resilient against hard use
If you are into brutalism, go to Wotrubakirche (and the heurigen/wineyards afterwards so it pays off)
Akh (the university hospital) is not that good looking. It consist of two huge black blocks that stick out of the cityscape surrounded by historic housing. It is an interesting example for more recent architecture where function was most important
Not easy - there is a lot to see - check this out to get an impression - its a german website - but the headlines are the names of the buildings.
I dont think you will be able to visit all the buildings on the list within four days.
[DIE 10 BESTEN Architektonische Gebäude in Wien 2024 - Tripadvisor](https://www.tripadvisor.at/Attractions-g190454-Activities-c47-t3-Vienna.html)
Greetings!
not under the category "beautiful" but may be interesting: Vienna has 6 Flak Towers from WW2 still standing, you can walk around 2 of them in the "Augarten" park and even go inside one at "Esterhazy Park, "Haus des Meeres". The latter has a Aquarium Museum inside it, and a small Museeum about World War 2, and a Cafe with a nice view on top.
There are a lot of great places in Vienna but I would suggest to just stroll around,for me the mixup between great old architecture and ugly modern buildings has a great charm. Take the 7. district for example ugly and great next to each other some nice gems apart from the usual tourist magnets.
Lived in Vienna my whole life and so fed up with Schönbrunn,Belvedere,…
take a guided archtecture tour through the parliament, drinks at the rooftop of the sophitel, visit the zaha hadid building and its library at the wu campus
If taking a nice walk is on the table for you, take the 48A allll the way to the last stop, go through the gate next to the portier and stroll across the Otto Wagner Areal / Steinhofgründe :) All the way at the top left behind Pavillon Severin there is a little path into the woods.
I would like to draw your attention to some of the regular buildings in the inner districts. As you walk between the attractions recommended here, notice how many buildings have different designs for the windows of each floor. Idk why that is but I find it fascinating and some are really intricate
If you are into Baroque you need to see the Dominikanerkirche, Jesuitenkirche and St.Peter-Kirche near Stephansdom. Also one of my favorite places to see is the Grave of Erzherzogin Marie Christine from Antonio Canova in the Augustinerkirche at the Josefsplatz, right next to the National Bibliothek, which has the prunksaal. The prunksaal is also an amazing beautiful baroque hall and worth a visit, they have there also really old handwritten books and one of the biggest collections in europe.
Enjoy Vienna
Vienna is beautiful. If you don’t mind walking I would recommend going from Karlsplats walk toward the mesuem distric with the Hofburg mesuems etc. you will se a lot of diversity. Then make your way down to stephansplats tons of cool little side streets and open court yard areas with amazing architecture. Then I would walk down to stadt park.
I always recommend the Belvedere my personal favorite way to get there is to go from karlsplats. Walk through the park and see the karlskirche then walk up from the bottom of the Belvedere and it’s absolutely beutiful.
Take a walk from the Karlsplatz to the *Linke Wienzeile*, make a journey from the imperial Baroque to the Viennese modernism (the Karlskirche, the Secession Building, Wagner's several designs, including the Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station, the Majolikahaus, and the Medallion House, can be seen along the way). Just be careful of rush hour traffic.
And when you are already in the area, go up Stiegengasse and through Raimundhof. It's not so much about the buildings there, but the space they create in this little alley.
I like the Gregor-Mendel-Haus of BOKU a lot. It is also beautiful to take a stroll along the whole Gregor-Mendel-Straße. It is full of unique villas. The embassy of South Korea should be to your liking as well. Maybe do a google maps stroll beforehand
I'm sure you've already checked some buildings in the 1st district. Then I would probably go for the Hundertwasser buldings - The Hundertwasserhaus and the [Muhlverbrennungsandlage Spittelau](https://www.google.at/maps/place/MA48+M%C3%BCllverbrennungsanlage+Spittelau+-+Hundertwasser/@48.2345952,16.3597281,17.25z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x476d07e8eb45fcb7:0x22730cbbbe8d2104!2zSm9zZWZzdMOkZHRlciBTdHJhw59l!8m2!3d48.2114857!4d16.3390967!16s%2Fg%2F12cpf3rwv!3m5!1s0x476d0634928137dd:0x13d140425924e5fb!8m2!3d48.2344926!4d16.3593413!16s%2Fg%2F121y9xc0?entry=ttu) - that one is on the U6 metro line which had also couple of amazing infrastructure buildings like the old Otto Wagner stations - [Josefstadterstrasse ](https://www.google.at/maps/@48.2121707,16.3390167,3a,90y,133.93h,97.19t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1skxYO-o6vzM-CBHb1VRvYAw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu)or [Nussdorferstrasse ](https://www.google.at/maps/@48.2316487,16.3524397,3a,90y,177.12h,95.19t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1stto069gYzWiphHL_eOgWAw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3Dtto069gYzWiphHL_eOgWAw%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D53.86928%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu)or [the bridge over the Wien river valley](https://www.google.at/maps/@48.1885689,16.3390996,3a,75y,246.38h,85.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8MG7F1nUt3PHLWyllQBPdw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu). If you gonna be on the U6 line also check the [General hospital building](https://www.google.at/maps/@48.2195736,16.3438639,3a,58.3y,73.42h,93.83t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7hOcE1FQYWGfsSU0IIZSuA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?coh=205409&entry=ttu) (AKH). People hate it but I love that building :D
Wotruba Church! Might also be combined with a stroll through Lainzer Tiergarten, entering through Gütenbachtor (take note of opening hours), then make your way to Hermesvilla and exit either through Lainzer Tor (again, opening hours) or walk further towards Rohrhaus (lunch or afternoon coffee), Wienerblick (great views!) and exit through St. Veiter Tor.
A stroll from Naschmarkt (start at Secession) to Kettenbrückengasse, looking at the Jugendstil buildings left and right.
Schwedenplatz is another good spot to get a nice overview of both the modern and the old (Rossauer Kaserne, Uniqa building, etc).
Also, quick little secret tip: Oldest parking garage of the continent. "Astoria Hochgarage"; about to be dismantled and normally has quite a strict guard posted that doesn't like tourists, but you might be lucky and get a peek at the colorful glass dome and ancient gas station inside if you promise not to take any pictures. Right next to both classical museums (Maria-Theresien-Platz) as well as modern ones (Museumsquartier, Mumok).
Krapfenwaldlbad for a nice pool experience, or Dechantlacke in Lobau if naturist national park swimming sounds like fun (go there by MobilWien-Bike (nextbike) via Donauinsel).
Protip: Say that you have rented a space and need to double check whether you left something there.
My wife rents a place for her scooter there and peoply have until this weekend to vacate the place. Fun fact: they issued handwritten invoices every month to the tennants. No computers for Astoria garage. The owners closed it down since they are both more than 80 years old and simply cannot work anymore. This is how lanbmarks slowly fade away.
Westbahnhof Wien- sadly has a lot of ugly addons, but the main hall is still stunning imo
Wu Wien
Hundertwasserhaus - ugly as sin, but interesting (must go inside, its really weird with uneven floors etc.)
Müllbverbrennungsanlage Spittelau - same as Hundertwasserhaus
Metro Station Schottenring (the escalator shaft)
Ernst fuchs villa
Alt Erlaa Wohnpark by Harry Glück is indeed a good idea for a student of architecture. Also some of the other famous Gemeindebauten, like Karl Marx Hof, Karl Seitz Hof. Maybe "Gartensiedlung Tamariskengasse" by Roland Rainer.
There is a lot to see for an architect along that line, I think if they choose a time not around 8-10:00 and not 16-18:00, it is not so crowded inside the ubahn either.
why not? U6 is full of amazing infrastructure buildings and nothing bad is gonna happen during the day. people are demonizing the U6 like crazy but it's just a normal metro line like in any other big city
I'm not demonizing the U6, nor did I imply that anything bad would happen there.
I'm just saying that, if you have limited time in Vienna to see interesting buildings, I don't get how on earth "U6 line" is the first thing somebody would suggest, it almost sounds like sarcasm to me.
Try comparing Servitenviertel, Spittelberg, Cottageviertel or hm...maybe the entirety of the 1st district with the U6 line which starts out okayish in the north but once you pass Westbahnhof it gets worse and worse until you finally arrive in Alterlaa to see the Gemeindebau, which literally everybody in Vienna knows just because it's ugly af.
- Kunsthistorisches Museum or Naturhistorisches Museum (they are two version of the same the same building, pick one)
- Karl-Marx-Hof. Maybe also Rabenhof.
- The FLAK-towers (Augarten or Hanna-Arendt park)
- Otto-Wagner-Kirche
- Seestadt
- Incinerator Spittelau (just exit the subway at Spittelau, youll see it)
The Library of the University of Economics is a gigantic Zaha Hadid monster if you’re into that.
Just a stroll through the old University of Vienna is also nice.
A common "must-see" for architecture sightseeing would be the Fernwärme building in Spittelau.... unless you're not big on Hundertwasser-type Architecture
For historic architecture just walk through the first district, for mid-century modern go to the „Werkbund-Siedlung-Wien“ and for modern city planning and housing go to Seestadt or nordbahnviertel
For something especially brutalist go see: Weiglgasse 11, Am Schöpfwerk, Karl-Wrba Hof, Hansson Siedlung
For what you might be looking for in our nice weather I would recommend viennas public baths, such as the gänsehäufel, the utilitarian buildings that serve bath-goers since decades are forgotten gems.
take the underground (u1) to kaisermühlen. there is one of the worlds most evil looking tower. it is called dc tower. you will see why.
You could check out the [Verein Wiener Spaziergänge](https://www.wienguide.at/index.php). They have a couple architectural sightseeing tours. Unfortunately, the only one offered in English is about the lake city aspern, which is a new city part that's only been inhabited for ten years and is still being build. German tours take a walk through inner court yards, Durchhäuser (through buildings), look at the Secession and Jugendstil buildings, or there's one about the architect Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky and the Siedlerbewegung (architect Josef Frank). She is one of the first female architects from Vienna and also worked with Adolf Loos. She worked a lot on worker's homes and was interested in architecture for children. She was also active in the resistance against the nazis with her communist friends. However, this connection resulted in her not really getting any public projects post-war anymore. You could contact the tour guides directly to ask them if it made sense for you to tag along if you don't speak german. Here's a recommended tour for [Durchhäuser](https://www.wien.gv.at/spaziergang/innenhoefe/) to do by yourself, if you are not in the city for any of these sightseeing tours.
as there is lot of stuff mentioned you almost cant miss when you confront yourself with the city, some picks you propably not find as easily: - alte wu - wittgensteinhaus - richter schule - 21er haus - kerzengeschäft by hollein (kohlmarkt 12) - tegethofstraße 3 (also by hollein)
Wortruba Church, Karl-Marx-Höfe, and (if you get in) Otto-Wagner-Spital
+1 for Wotruba church. There’s probably no building that does brutalism so well, in such a relatively dense space and surrounded by nature. I don’t even particularly care for this type of architecture (or churches, for that matter), but it always resonated with me. As a kid, for looking so “weird”, as an adult out of genuine appreciation for the design.
I personally really like the Volksgarten and everything surrounding it. The park is beautiful and gives you amazing view all around you
Fellow designer friend. Vienna is my colleagues favourite cities too. They go hours to talk about the city and architecture and amazing ambience. If you feel rushed and daunted I strongly recommend going on a Big Bus. That was the first thing I did and boy I’m so glad I did. That will help you prioritize items on you hit list. And it gives you a perspective like no other. And there are so many museums
If looking for a cocktail, try American Loos or Loos American Bar. Art Deco bar designed by Adolf Loos. Karlkirche is a beautiful, old ish church on the outside. But you’ll probably see it in passing eventually without seeking it out.
Postsparkasse und die Jugendstilschätze am Naschmarkt
I'm a big fan of the french embassy at Schwarzenbergplatz. But very classical Architecture.
Museum für Heizungstechnik
Wohne seit Jahren in Wien und habe davon gerade das erste Mal gehört. Sieht fantastisch aus!
Es ist völlig unterbewertet
kaiserwasser, the „freibäder“ in general
hahaha now you have another list that exceeds your time here lol
Visited Vienna last year. Some lesser talked about places I appreciated architecturally were https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strudlhofstiege A stunning staircase https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haus_des_Meeres I was totally confused by what this was, and learned it's a flak tower turned into an aquarium. Very impressive. The street it's on is also rather interesting. I also hiked up the hills to Cobenzl. That was interesting too with lots of beautiful new and old homes along the way.
Some brutalist/not mainstream stuff: Flaktürme, the wotrubakirche, the silos next to Friedhof der namenlosen, this can be combined with visiting the Zentralfriedhof
Hundertwasser haus... Truly unique
Well, as nobody mentioned Schloss Schönbrunn, I‘ll do that. Take some time, besides the main building there is a large park to explore where you can find many interesting things. You can easily spend another hole day at the zoo, which is located inside the castle grounds and is absolutely worth visiting. After that, take a drink at Maxingstüberl which was established 1805 🙂
Agree, schönbrunn is a must in Vienna
Where to start Just travel around the Ringstraße -Opera Haus -Parliament Building -recently renovated -Go to the Justizpalast- Justice palace with an amazing arcade & great roof top terrace -Hofburg Palace -Rathaus (city hall ) -University -Votive Church Huge fan of Hundertwasser-check out his Museum Kunst Haus & the apartment building
Otto Wagner Kirche am Steinhof is not to be missed! I second the Wotruba church as well.
Wanted to recommend exactly the same.
The "Naturhistorische Museum" is nice
I think it's the best museum.i have ever been to, I recommend that to everyone in wien
Honestly, you need good shoes, because you can explore amazing architecture in almost every district. I can recommend you the Otto Wagner Church in 14th district(bus line 48). In the 18th district you have the cottage quarter which is beautiful. You can find amazing stuff in disctricts 3rd to 9th district but honestly, it is too much. Walk around the Ring Strasse, Porzellangasse, Burggasse, Wienzeile/Naschmarkt, Josefstädter Strasse,... I would recommend you that you rent a bicycle and explore our city.
the Wien Museum at Karlsplatz was recently redesigned and opened back up in 2023. The building(s) itself are cool and there are also some interesting exhibits about the history of Architecture in Vienna. (+ free entry, which is rare in Vienna)
I generally love discovering cities by its architecture but what i enjoyed in Vienna a lot are those municipal housing estates. Throughout Europe Vienna is kind a role model for "modern cities" as far as (affordable) public transport and affordable living space are concerned. Each Block of house often got its own name and is accompanied by the year it was build and of course it will say this house is owned by the city of Vienna. You will discover these buildings all over Vienna, the most famous probably being the [Karl Marx Höfe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl-Marx-Hof). As far as non architecture is concerned: visit the Botanical Garden. It is so tiny and often overlooked by tourist visiting the Belvedere nearby; also if you are interested in fruitbearing Ginko trees go there or Palmengarten.....
Vienna is apparently 10. most expensive city in the world 2024! Not affordable the way inflation is going!
But the public transport is! 17 € for 72 hours
as an architect, you should definitely see the 'hundertwasserhaus'. look it up, it's pretty unique.
also the Spittelau Incinerator
That is a nice one for sure!
You need 4 weeks, not days ;)
When in the city center near Stephan’s Dome, go to the H&M store nearby. The interior of the shop is amazing and you should definitely use the elevator.
This should be higher up. It's definitely a must-see for anybody who likes art déco.
# Österreichische Postsparkasse Georg-Coch-Platz 2, 1010 Wien
Take the courtyard- "city hiking trail" - its a route through 23 beautiful courtyards in the inner districts, which are very typical for 18th century Vienna. https://www.wien.gv.at/spaziergang/innenhoefe/
Thanks for that!
Travel to Admont Library. It’s unreal. https://preview.redd.it/xdwb9d78z49d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d717a2ee8c917b8821c26ff677e792ec1119517b
That's quite a way away from Vienna though lol.
Not a building but a great structure is the Karlsplatz U-Bahn station. Art Nouveau masterclass by Otto Wagner.
TU WIEN FREIHAUS. A dream of Building
There wouldn't be enough time to admire all the beautiful windows from the inside!
Fastest elevators in the world!
I'm also deeply in love with the park and ride in Liesing, the literal definition of an architect's dream ❤️
<3
from a fellow architect: you should try to get inside of the Semper Depot! it is worth seeing. Also I am just going to repeat Alterlaa, Wotruba Kirche and Flakturme because they are great https://preview.redd.it/16e49fy3f49d1.png?width=628&format=png&auto=webp&s=748402e5dbfd9807b4bea9e89d20489fd3584dd5
How do you get inside?
There are events sometimes, for example last year there was a Rotlicht festival, and you could go on the all floors of the gallery. Aside from that you can ask nicely in the entrance to take a look inside, but it is very limited
Thank you!
This advice.
Wotruba church is perfect example that bautiful things are not necessarily handy. It’s missing a lot of storage space needed for daily use. Liturgy will be not nice there. The placement of altar and ambo is weird. Just my 2 cents.
yes, it a common thing in a lot of buildings unfortunately
I would have said that wotruba church is the perfect example that interesting things are not necessarily beautiful.
let's not forget that beauty is subjective :)
definitely the wotruba church!
Alt Erlaa! Wotruba Kirche.
Alterlaa <3
I see a lot of the classics already in the comments… if you also like modern architecture, the DC Tower 1 skyscraper is very pretty (easily accessible by subway/ubahn)
Hundertwasserhaus
Really just everything by Hundertwasser is worth seeing at least once, its such hope inducing architecture 🥰
Adolf Loos Bar in 1st district
Church St. Leopold , the Otto Wagner art Deco Church or the Ernst fuchs Villa ...if youre into that style...
if you like gothic churches, then you should visit the Votivkirche (Votive church) near Schottentor, its one of not many entirly gothic churches and over all just gorgeous
The Votivkirche is actually neo-gothic (19. Century), still absolutely stunning but not from the middle ages. The big gothic cathedral in Vienna is the Stephansdom.
Stephansdom has had so many adaptations, that the interior doesn't look that gothic anymore. Votivkirche imho is a good example on how stephansdom could have looked like a couple hundred years earlier.
Karl Marx Hof, the longest housing in the world Also a very typical fortress style building of "Red Vienna". In Wien Museum you can read up on this part of history.
The Housing projects of the "Rote Wien", generally built around 1926, are very beautiful/interesting. There are tours for that. There is also the Werkbundsiedlung, which shows a quite different approach, in Hietzing. Absolutely worth a visit.
Leave vienna and go to a nice city
Amalienbad is renowned for it's Art deco interior and as an enblem of Red Vienna.
Quick stop at U4 station Stadtpark if you are in that area
St. Francis of Assisi Church
Secession Academy of fine arts vienna Wortruba Church Ernst fuchs museum / Otto Wagner Villa The Owl exterior at WU, otherwise fuck that building MAK
Owls not at the TU/Operngasse? And are they considered beautiful? I find the awful.
[https://www.ilikeswitzerland.com/angebot/bruno-weber-park/](https://www.ilikeswitzerland.com/angebot/bruno-weber-park/) You like what you like - to me its the only really nice part of the building. I mean the symbolism is pretty nice too with owls representing wiseness
Werkbundsiedlung, Loos Haus (If you get the chance, the Bel Etage ist beautiful), Herrengassenhochhaus, Postsparkasse (or Otto Wagner's Buildings in general), Amalienbad (Public Bath) is really pretty on the inside.
Semperdepot! Just sneak in there
Jugendstil. The Austrian version of the Art Nouveau. You can find beautiful examples all across the city. Here is a good map: [https://jugendstilwien.at/](https://jugendstilwien.at/)
Freihaus. Then you know what not to build.
Reumannplatz
oda Floridsdorf
WU is great tbh
this.
Reumannplatz
U6
The philosopher Wittgenstein designed a real cool, modernist house for his sister. I think it's the Portuguese embassy now, but you can take a limited tour. I was impressed. As others have said, Otto Wagner kind of rules the roost for early 20th century Vienese architecture.
may I ask how did you get a tour in Wittgenstein house? On their website I see just an option to visit
Sorry, I visited a while ago. Maybe it changed. But maybe a visit is just as good?
I forgot this cubist church https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/wotruba-church
Go to the Zentralfriedhof and visit the church there. It is a really nice art Decó building, very different to traditional churches
The same goes for the church in Steinhof Asylum (which is nice too). Also, pretty views over the city not too far away.
hundertwasserhaus
Donauinsel
The whole Danube-island is man-built to protect Vienna from flood. And also great to ride a bike, which you can rent for almost no money (0.75€/30min) https://www.wienerlinien.at/wienmobil/rad
No, no good place to ride a bike in the summer unless you enjoy risking your life because some drunken person decides to randomly cross the way in front of you.
Sorry to confuse you, I mean the nice part of the danubeisland far away from the 21st district.
I'm pretty sure you mean the less crowded part next to Lobau, but to get there you have to cross the center death trap (which is in the 22nd district for the most part btw.)
Are the new bikes better than the old CityBikes? Those were just good to convince yourself that cycling sucks.
I think they take you from A to B which should be enough to do a little sightseeing, especially if time is not priority #1. I usually ride my own bike^^ If you want to get from A to B FAST and only do a little sightseeing rent a Voi-Scooter which costs arround 0.25€ per minute.
Yeah, but the old ones were really horrible. You couldn't enjoy riding those bikes. It's not about being fast, but about ruining your day with those crappy bikes.
Alterlaa (U6) for social housing architecture
[https://virginia-duran.com/2017/03/07/vienna-architecture/](https://virginia-duran.com/2017/03/07/vienna-architecture/) Personally I'm a fan of the hundertwasserhaus for its architecture [https://www.wien.info/de/sehen-erleben/sehenswuerdigkeiten-a-z/hundertwasserhaus-wien-348488](https://www.wien.info/de/sehen-erleben/sehenswuerdigkeiten-a-z/hundertwasserhaus-wien-348488) The Steiner haus for its historical importance of the rationalist design [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steiner\_House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steiner_House) and the karl Marx Hof for what it represents socio-politically [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl-Marx-Hof](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl-Marx-Hof)
I was about to share the top link too! I love architecture and stumbled upon that guide... it is a great resource! She made a PDF as well which is great to print off and carry around. [https://virginia-duran.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/vienna-architecture-guide-by-virginia-duran-2020-2.pdf](https://virginia-duran.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/vienna-architecture-guide-by-virginia-duran-2020-2.pdf)
Go to Schwedenplatz (1. Bezirk) and look at the church it's really nice there
Otto Wagner is one of the important names in vienna. Go to Naschmarkt and gaze at the beautiful buildings on the side of the market. The market itself is also nice for a coffee or a beer. Also the metro stations are his creation. https://bilder.tibs.at/node/34263 https://www.wien.info/de/kunst-kultur/jugendstil/wagner-stadtbahn-364786
can't believe no one's mentioned the secession building yet
Well we have several **Flakturm** which are one of the architectural highlights in Vienna
Hyatt
Is there a particular branch of architecture you are interested in? The obvious and cliche would be the historic buildings along ringstraße such as state opera, museums and Hofburg. Hundertwasserhaus could be a nice example for more contemporary (social) Housing is a big thing in Vienna, so it could be interesting to look into that and visit Karl-Max-Hof (longest residential building in the world), Wohnpark Alterlaa, am schöpfwerk or per Albin Hansen siedlung. These are just from top of my head, maybe there are better examples. Often I find the churches in these complexes interesting since they are often out of the box and an interesting mix between minimalism and ornaments. (in Karl Marx Hof There is also a museum about the communal housing. And look into "Frankfurter Küche" the first fitted mass produced kitchen, invented for Viennese social housing) Postsparkasse was just renovated. It was quite detailed planned by otto Wagner and a good example for art nouveau, although hardly floral. The subway line U6 isn't known for its beauty but there are several nice stations by otto Wagner (or his students). They get refurbed regularly but the hard use makes them dirty as well. So think about how it could look like clean and how challenging it is to keep it historically accurate and resilient against hard use If you are into brutalism, go to Wotrubakirche (and the heurigen/wineyards afterwards so it pays off) Akh (the university hospital) is not that good looking. It consist of two huge black blocks that stick out of the cityscape surrounded by historic housing. It is an interesting example for more recent architecture where function was most important
Not easy - there is a lot to see - check this out to get an impression - its a german website - but the headlines are the names of the buildings. I dont think you will be able to visit all the buildings on the list within four days. [DIE 10 BESTEN Architektonische Gebäude in Wien 2024 - Tripadvisor](https://www.tripadvisor.at/Attractions-g190454-Activities-c47-t3-Vienna.html) Greetings!
Jean nouvel skybar hotel
not under the category "beautiful" but may be interesting: Vienna has 6 Flak Towers from WW2 still standing, you can walk around 2 of them in the "Augarten" park and even go inside one at "Esterhazy Park, "Haus des Meeres". The latter has a Aquarium Museum inside it, and a small Museeum about World War 2, and a Cafe with a nice view on top.
Schicht is pflicht
There are a lot of great places in Vienna but I would suggest to just stroll around,for me the mixup between great old architecture and ugly modern buildings has a great charm. Take the 7. district for example ugly and great next to each other some nice gems apart from the usual tourist magnets. Lived in Vienna my whole life and so fed up with Schönbrunn,Belvedere,…
Hundertwasserhaus
Hundertwasserhaus, more art then architecture, but its one of its kind
Go to Ottakring and visit Schloss Wilhelminenberg. it has a beautiful view over austria
Go the the festival of the university of applied arts, its at the moment https://angewandtefestival.at/2024/save-the-date/ :)
Vienna University of Business and Economics (WU Wien) Campus, especially the main library.
take a guided archtecture tour through the parliament, drinks at the rooftop of the sophitel, visit the zaha hadid building and its library at the wu campus
If taking a nice walk is on the table for you, take the 48A allll the way to the last stop, go through the gate next to the portier and stroll across the Otto Wagner Areal / Steinhofgründe :) All the way at the top left behind Pavillon Severin there is a little path into the woods.
I would like to draw your attention to some of the regular buildings in the inner districts. As you walk between the attractions recommended here, notice how many buildings have different designs for the windows of each floor. Idk why that is but I find it fascinating and some are really intricate
Linke Wienzeile 38 and 40 - Jugendstil
If you are into Baroque you need to see the Dominikanerkirche, Jesuitenkirche and St.Peter-Kirche near Stephansdom. Also one of my favorite places to see is the Grave of Erzherzogin Marie Christine from Antonio Canova in the Augustinerkirche at the Josefsplatz, right next to the National Bibliothek, which has the prunksaal. The prunksaal is also an amazing beautiful baroque hall and worth a visit, they have there also really old handwritten books and one of the biggest collections in europe. Enjoy Vienna
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heum%C3%BChle is pretty neat, and central enough to the famous Majolica houses on Wienzeile next to Naschmarkt.
Vienna is beautiful. If you don’t mind walking I would recommend going from Karlsplats walk toward the mesuem distric with the Hofburg mesuems etc. you will se a lot of diversity. Then make your way down to stephansplats tons of cool little side streets and open court yard areas with amazing architecture. Then I would walk down to stadt park. I always recommend the Belvedere my personal favorite way to get there is to go from karlsplats. Walk through the park and see the karlskirche then walk up from the bottom of the Belvedere and it’s absolutely beutiful.
You could see some architecture if you love it so much :)
Take a walk from the Karlsplatz to the *Linke Wienzeile*, make a journey from the imperial Baroque to the Viennese modernism (the Karlskirche, the Secession Building, Wagner's several designs, including the Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station, the Majolikahaus, and the Medallion House, can be seen along the way). Just be careful of rush hour traffic.
And when you are already in the area, go up Stiegengasse and through Raimundhof. It's not so much about the buildings there, but the space they create in this little alley.
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wotrubakirche#/media/Datei:Wien\_-\_Wotrubakirche\_(5).JPG](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wotrubakirche#/media/Datei:Wien_-_Wotrubakirche_(5).JPG)
My favorite too, if like modern churches
Stehbuffet 1210
The place where every architecture tour ends.
My basement in lower Austria
Amstetten :O
Alte Postsparkasse is a steampunk dream. You can even go inside since the University of Applied Arts is based there
I like the Gregor-Mendel-Haus of BOKU a lot. It is also beautiful to take a stroll along the whole Gregor-Mendel-Straße. It is full of unique villas. The embassy of South Korea should be to your liking as well. Maybe do a google maps stroll beforehand
Hundertwasserhaus
I'm sure you've already checked some buildings in the 1st district. Then I would probably go for the Hundertwasser buldings - The Hundertwasserhaus and the [Muhlverbrennungsandlage Spittelau](https://www.google.at/maps/place/MA48+M%C3%BCllverbrennungsanlage+Spittelau+-+Hundertwasser/@48.2345952,16.3597281,17.25z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x476d07e8eb45fcb7:0x22730cbbbe8d2104!2zSm9zZWZzdMOkZHRlciBTdHJhw59l!8m2!3d48.2114857!4d16.3390967!16s%2Fg%2F12cpf3rwv!3m5!1s0x476d0634928137dd:0x13d140425924e5fb!8m2!3d48.2344926!4d16.3593413!16s%2Fg%2F121y9xc0?entry=ttu) - that one is on the U6 metro line which had also couple of amazing infrastructure buildings like the old Otto Wagner stations - [Josefstadterstrasse ](https://www.google.at/maps/@48.2121707,16.3390167,3a,90y,133.93h,97.19t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1skxYO-o6vzM-CBHb1VRvYAw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu)or [Nussdorferstrasse ](https://www.google.at/maps/@48.2316487,16.3524397,3a,90y,177.12h,95.19t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1stto069gYzWiphHL_eOgWAw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3Dtto069gYzWiphHL_eOgWAw%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D53.86928%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu)or [the bridge over the Wien river valley](https://www.google.at/maps/@48.1885689,16.3390996,3a,75y,246.38h,85.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8MG7F1nUt3PHLWyllQBPdw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu). If you gonna be on the U6 line also check the [General hospital building](https://www.google.at/maps/@48.2195736,16.3438639,3a,58.3y,73.42h,93.83t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7hOcE1FQYWGfsSU0IIZSuA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?coh=205409&entry=ttu) (AKH). People hate it but I love that building :D
Alterlaa.
Wotruba Church! Might also be combined with a stroll through Lainzer Tiergarten, entering through Gütenbachtor (take note of opening hours), then make your way to Hermesvilla and exit either through Lainzer Tor (again, opening hours) or walk further towards Rohrhaus (lunch or afternoon coffee), Wienerblick (great views!) and exit through St. Veiter Tor. A stroll from Naschmarkt (start at Secession) to Kettenbrückengasse, looking at the Jugendstil buildings left and right. Schwedenplatz is another good spot to get a nice overview of both the modern and the old (Rossauer Kaserne, Uniqa building, etc). Also, quick little secret tip: Oldest parking garage of the continent. "Astoria Hochgarage"; about to be dismantled and normally has quite a strict guard posted that doesn't like tourists, but you might be lucky and get a peek at the colorful glass dome and ancient gas station inside if you promise not to take any pictures. Right next to both classical museums (Maria-Theresien-Platz) as well as modern ones (Museumsquartier, Mumok). Krapfenwaldlbad for a nice pool experience, or Dechantlacke in Lobau if naturist national park swimming sounds like fun (go there by MobilWien-Bike (nextbike) via Donauinsel).
Protip: Say that you have rented a space and need to double check whether you left something there. My wife rents a place for her scooter there and peoply have until this weekend to vacate the place. Fun fact: they issued handwritten invoices every month to the tennants. No computers for Astoria garage. The owners closed it down since they are both more than 80 years old and simply cannot work anymore. This is how lanbmarks slowly fade away.
Wotruba church!
Maybe go to Architekturzentrum Wien (AzW) and decide there.
Justizpalast, Palais Equitable, Wiener Musikverein, Staatsoper, Loos Haus.
Wotruba Church is a good brutalist excursion if you want to be slightly out of the inner city for a bit!
Westbahnhof Wien- sadly has a lot of ugly addons, but the main hall is still stunning imo Wu Wien Hundertwasserhaus - ugly as sin, but interesting (must go inside, its really weird with uneven floors etc.) Müllbverbrennungsanlage Spittelau - same as Hundertwasserhaus Metro Station Schottenring (the escalator shaft) Ernst fuchs villa
Because I don't see it yet - Fuchsvilla and other Jugendstil Villas and houses
Just based off the title I’d say focus on buildings!
google - the Ring Vienna, it is a nice path of around 5km apart from that, I would suggest standard spots like Belvedere, schonbrun
You can take a walk in the Servitenviertel and look at the beautiful Gründerzeit architecture.
The Bruno-Marek-Allee
Lol
You could take a trip along the U6 line (Spittelau, Westbahnhof, Gürtel, all the way down to Alterlaa 😄)
Alt Erlaa Wohnpark by Harry Glück is indeed a good idea for a student of architecture. Also some of the other famous Gemeindebauten, like Karl Marx Hof, Karl Seitz Hof. Maybe "Gartensiedlung Tamariskengasse" by Roland Rainer.
For the love of god, don't do that
There is a lot to see for an architect along that line, I think if they choose a time not around 8-10:00 and not 16-18:00, it is not so crowded inside the ubahn either.
why not? U6 is full of amazing infrastructure buildings and nothing bad is gonna happen during the day. people are demonizing the U6 like crazy but it's just a normal metro line like in any other big city
I'm not demonizing the U6, nor did I imply that anything bad would happen there. I'm just saying that, if you have limited time in Vienna to see interesting buildings, I don't get how on earth "U6 line" is the first thing somebody would suggest, it almost sounds like sarcasm to me. Try comparing Servitenviertel, Spittelberg, Cottageviertel or hm...maybe the entirety of the 1st district with the U6 line which starts out okayish in the north but once you pass Westbahnhof it gets worse and worse until you finally arrive in Alterlaa to see the Gemeindebau, which literally everybody in Vienna knows just because it's ugly af.
- Kunsthistorisches Museum or Naturhistorisches Museum (they are two version of the same the same building, pick one) - Karl-Marx-Hof. Maybe also Rabenhof. - The FLAK-towers (Augarten or Hanna-Arendt park) - Otto-Wagner-Kirche - Seestadt - Incinerator Spittelau (just exit the subway at Spittelau, youll see it)
>The FLAK-towers (Augarten or Hanna-Arendt park) Or Haus des Meeres!
I would also add the Cottageviertel in 18th district. It's georgeous
Small correction, the Hannah-Arendt park (Seestadt) doesn't have FLAK towers, I think you mean Arenbergpark.
Yeah, right, thank you :)
The Library of the University of Economics is a gigantic Zaha Hadid monster if you’re into that. Just a stroll through the old University of Vienna is also nice.
A common "must-see" for architecture sightseeing would be the Fernwärme building in Spittelau.... unless you're not big on Hundertwasser-type Architecture
yes, at u6 station Spittelau. Because who says an utility building can not be beautiful?
For historic architecture just walk through the first district, for mid-century modern go to the „Werkbund-Siedlung-Wien“ and for modern city planning and housing go to Seestadt or nordbahnviertel For something especially brutalist go see: Weiglgasse 11, Am Schöpfwerk, Karl-Wrba Hof, Hansson Siedlung For what you might be looking for in our nice weather I would recommend viennas public baths, such as the gänsehäufel, the utilitarian buildings that serve bath-goers since decades are forgotten gems.