A Music Lover's Day in Vienna: Concerts, Composers & the Opera
Vienna is the only city where Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and both Strausses all lived and worked — and you can still hear them played nightly in the halls they knew. Here is how to build a full day around music in Vienna, from an interactive sound museum to a waltz concert at the Kursalon, with the best-rated concert tickets to book.
At a glance
- 1Haus der Musik
- 2Mozarthaus & House of Strauss
- 3Kursalon or Musikverein concert
- 4Dinner & concert at Schönbrunn
Morning: Haus der Musik
Start at the Haus der Musik on Seilerstätte, a five-floor sound museum two minutes from the State Opera. You can step onto a virtual podium and conduct the Vienna Philharmonic — the orchestra protests if you rush the tempo — and walk through rooms dedicated to Mozart, Beethoven and Mahler. It opens at 10am and rarely queues, so it is an easy, unhurried first stop before the musical evening ahead.
Afternoon: in the composers' footsteps
After lunch, follow the composers themselves. Mozarthaus on Domgasse 5, behind St. Stephen's, is the only surviving Mozart apartment in Vienna — he wrote The Marriage of Figaro here. Chamber concerts are held in the building on select evenings if you prefer an intimate setting. Waltz fans can detour to the House of Strauss, where the story of the waltz dynasty is told in an original 1837 ballroom.
Evening: Mozart and Strauss in a grand hall
Vienna's nightly concert scene is the main event. The Kursalon in the Stadtpark — where Johann Strauss II himself conducted — stages Mozart-and-Strauss programmes with singers and dancers, while the Musikverein's Golden Hall is the room you know from the New Year's Concert. Church concerts at St. Peter's or the Karlskirche start from around €30; grand-hall seats run €50–90. Book several days ahead in summer and December.
Night: dinner and an encore at Schönbrunn
For a full imperial evening, combine music with dinner. The Schönbrunn Palace package pairs a three-course meal in the former palace café with a concert in the Orangery, where Mozart once performed — expect around €110 and up depending on seating category. Prefer opera? The State Opera releases inexpensive standing-room tickets shortly before curtain, a Viennese tradition worth queuing for.
Book the experiences in this itinerary
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