Vienna
+58%€95median tour
€38middle half of tours€169
- 35% under €50
- #46 cheapest of 50
Europe · 3 cities
Things to Do in Austria
Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck in one place: which concert you are actually buying a ticket to, how far apart the three cities really are, and what a day out costs in one of Europe’s pricier capitals.
1,773 tours listed by Viator 3 cities we cover Median tour €95–€95 Free cancellation
Where to go
Cities of Austria
In the order Viator’s own catalogue puts them — most-booked first, not alphabetical.
What it costs
What tours cost in Austria
From our own price index — 2,400 tours across 50 cities, collected August 2026. Medians, not averages: a couple of multi-day packages drag an average into fiction.
Vertical line is the global median, €60. Full table for all 50 cities in the Tour Price Index.
Photography
Guided shoots at the right hour, and photographers for hire.
ExploreDay trips
Out of the city and back the same day.
ExploreFood & drink
Street food, markets and tasting walks with a local guide.
ExploreWalking tours
Small groups, old streets, two hours on foot.
ExploreBoats & cruises
Harbour cruises, catamarans, kayaks and sunset sailings.
ExploreWine & breweries
Vineyards, cellars, breweries and distilleries.
ExplorePractical info
Know before you book
The things that change a decision — not a retelling of the guidebook.
Vienna has two completely different concert markets
One is the Mozart-in-a-wig concert sold on the street to visitors; the other is the Musikverein and the Staatsoper, which are among the best halls in the world. The opera releases standing-room tickets about eighty minutes before curtain for a few euros. Both are worth doing — just know which one you booked.
The three cities are further apart than they look
Vienna to Salzburg is two and a half hours by train, which makes a long but real day trip. Innsbruck is over four hours from Vienna and closer to Munich than to its own capital. Austria is a long thin country and the map flatters it.
The Sound of Music is a Salzburg industry
The bus tours go to the real filming locations and are genuinely well run. Most Austrians have never seen the film and it is not part of local culture — which surprises people who expect the town to be about it.
The Alps have two seasons and two closures
Cable cars and mountain huts shut between seasons: roughly April to late May and late October to early December. An Innsbruck trip in November can find most of the mountain inaccessible. Check the specific lift.
A coffee house sells you the table
Sitting for two hours over one coffee with a newspaper is the intended use, not an imposition, and no waiter will hurry you. The Viennese coffee house is on the UNESCO intangible heritage list for exactly this.
Winter has three separate high seasons
Christmas markets from mid-November to Christmas, the ball season through January and February, and the ski season alongside both. Vienna in late January is busy for reasons that have nothing to do with skiing.
When to visit
Austria through the seasons
What is open, how busy it gets, and when to book ahead.
Spring
Apr–May
- Best for
- Vienna’s gardens, Salzburg without coaches, comfortable city walking.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Mountain lifts are largely shut for maintenance — this is a city season, not an Alpine one.
Summer
Jun–Aug
- Best for
- Alpine hiking, the lakes of the Salzkammergut, open-air music everywhere.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- The Salzburg Festival in July and August fills the town and doubles hotel prices.
Autumn
Sep–Oct
- Best for
- Clear mountain air, wine taverns outside Vienna, the museums back to normal.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- September is the best all-round month here — mountains open, cities calm.
Winter
Nov–Mar
- Best for
- Christmas markets, skiing, balls, and the opera season at full strength.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Markets close on Christmas Eve; the ski season runs well past them into April.
Frequently asked
Austria: common questions
How many days do you need in Austria?
Three days for Vienna, which has more first-rank museums than most countries. Add two for Salzburg and the lakes. Innsbruck and the Tyrol are really a separate trip, best combined with Bavaria rather than with Vienna.
What does a tour in Austria cost?
Vienna sits at a median of €95 in our index of 50 cities, against a global median of €60 — fifth-highest in the study. Concert and palace tickets are what lift it; the city itself, the Ring, the parks and the coffee houses, costs very little.
Can you visit Salzburg as a day trip from Vienna?
Yes — two and a half hours each way by train, leaving a full afternoon in the town. It works, but Salzburg with a night in it is a much better experience, because the old town empties in the evening and the mountains behind it are worth a morning.
When is the best time to visit?
May, June and September for the cities and the lakes; December for the markets; January to March for snow. April and November are the two windows when the mountains are between seasons and least rewarding.
Are tours run in English?
Routinely in all three cities. Vienna and Salzburg have large, established English-guided markets; Innsbruck is smaller and worth confirming for anything beyond the main sights.
