Two days in Vienna is never enough. But if it has to be two, take this route: central, short distances, no rushing.
Day 1: Old town, Hofburg, coffee house
Breakfast at Cafe Central or Cafe Sperl. Show up before eight and there’s no line. From there walk to St. Stephen’s Cathedral, through Graben and Kärntner Straße. If you like heights: 343 steps up the south tower.
By noon, walk through the Hofburg, peek into the Spanish Riding School (even without a show, the morning training is worth a look), then Albertina, because the world’s most important print room hangs there and it’s rarely crowded.
Dinner around Spittelberg in the 7th district: little lanes, restaurants with courtyards, the right dose of Viennese cosiness.
Day 2: Naschmarkt, Belvedere, Heuriger
Saturday or Sunday? Doesn’t matter, the Naschmarkt always works. Falafel, sushi, sheep’s cheese, Wiener Schnitzel: all within 500 metres. If you’re lucky and it’s Saturday, you walk straight into the flea market.
Tram to Belvedere. Klimt’s “Kiss” hangs in the Upper Belvedere, the gardens are free. Plan around 90 minutes.
Late afternoon: tram 38 to Grinzing (tip: catch it at Schottentor). Heuriger atmosphere, a sliced platter, a quarter litre of Grüner Veltliner. If you still have energy: 30 minutes uphill to the Kahlenberg, and from there you see the whole city laid out beneath you.
What to skip
Skip the Schönbrunn tour on a weekend. 90 minutes there and back plus wait time and you don’t have three hours left for the centre. Schönbrunn deserves its own trip.