Vienna & Prague — two imperial capitals by rail in 7 days

A wine village swallowed by the city but still working, on the vine slopes at the northern edge. Heuriger taverns serve their own new wine from a buffet counter, opening in irregular seasonal stretches rather than to fixed hours. An evening rather than a day, and worth pairing with the ridge walk above it.

1. 08:30
   Grinzing CemeteryHistoric site, 45m

   A working cemetery on the vine slopes above the village, and the resting place of Gustav Mahler — his grave carries only his name, cut into a plain stone block at his own request, in group 6, row 7. Quiet, wooded gravel paths make it as much a green pause as a sight. Free to enter; the hours are the longer April to September window, and shrink to roughly 08:00-17:00 in winter.

2. 09:30
   St Joseph's Church (Kahlenberg)Historic site, 30m

   The chapel where King Jan III Sobieski is remembered for breaking the 1683 Ottoman siege of Vienna, inside a church that has stood on this summit since the 1630s. It is currently under restoration, so only the Sobieski Chapel is open to the public — Saturdays 09:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:00, Sundays and holidays 14:00-18:00; other days are group visits by advance booking only. Free to enter, and a short walk from the Kahlenberg viewpoint and its bus 38A stop.

3. 10:15
   Kahlenberg ViewpointViewpoint, 1h

   The terrace at 484 metres with the whole city below and the Danube running through it — the view Vienna puts on postcards, and free. Bus 38A climbs here from Heiligenstadt. Bring a layer: it is reliably colder and windier than the city, and there is little shelter.

4. 11:30
   LeopoldsbergViewpoint, 1h

   The next hill along from Kahlenberg, with a ruined castle church and a quieter terrace looking straight down the Danube. The ridge walk between the two takes about forty minutes through the woods and is the reason to come up here rather than just for the view.

5. 13:00
   Lunch Mayer am Pfarrplatz1h

   A working Heuriger in the house Beethoven rented in 1817, where he worked on the Ninth Symphony — his rooms are still up the stairs from the terrace. Its own wine, served with a cold buffet you order at the counter. Opens daily from noon. Heuriger closing times move with the season and the crowd, so treat the evening end as approximate.

6. 14:00
   BrunnenmarktMarket, 1h

   The longest street market in Vienna and almost entirely a local one — Turkish and Balkan greengrocers, butchers and bakeries down a pedestrian street, at a fraction of Naschmarkt prices. Weekday mornings are the real thing. Closed Sundays like all Austrian retail.

7. 15:15
   Ottakringer BreweryLandmark, 1h 30m

   Vienna's last big independent brewery, still working in the district it is named after, with tours and a taproom. It is a working plant rather than a museum, so tour times are fixed and limited — book rather than turn up.

8. 17:30
   Dinner Feuerwehr Wagner1h 15m

   One of Grinzing's best-known Heuriger, with a shaded natural garden for 450 and a buffet that explicitly lists vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes next to the usual roasts — unusual for this style of place. Genuinely set up for children, with kids' portions, high chairs and a playground. Cash and card are both accepted. Hours follow the same ausg'steckt pattern as every Heuriger in Grinzing — irregular seasonal opening rather than a fixed calendar — so treat them as the general shape and check before a special trip.

The medieval core inside the Ring, built around the cathedral's tiled roof. Graben and Kohlmarkt for the grand shopfronts, narrow lanes behind them for the old coffee houses. Everything here is walkable and everything here is priced accordingly — eat a street back from the main squares.

1. 08:00
   Breakfast Demel30m

   The imperial court confectioner, still making cakes behind a glass kitchen you can watch from the room. Open daily 10:00–19:00. It closes earlier than most Viennese cafés, so it is an afternoon stop rather than an evening one, and the queue at the front counter moves faster than the seated room.

2. 09:00
   St Peter's ChurchChurch, 30m

   A domed baroque church tucked behind the Graben, dim and gilded inside and almost always emptier than the cathedral two minutes away. Free to enter, donations welcome, and there is a free organ concert daily at 15:00.

3. 09:45
   Anker ClockLandmark, 20m

   An Art Nouveau clock bridging two buildings, across which twelve figures from Vienna's history move one per hour. At noon all twelve parade in sequence with music — that is the thing to see, and it draws a crowd on the pavement below.

4. 10:20
   Mozarthaus ViennaMuseum, 1h

   The only one of Mozart's Vienna apartments still standing, where he wrote The Marriage of Figaro. Open daily 10:00–19:00. The flat itself is on the first floor and is smaller than the ticket price suggests; the two floors below set the city he worked in.

5. 12:00
   Lunch Trzesniewski1h

   Open sandwiches the size of a palm, twenty-odd spreads, eaten standing at a counter since 1902 — Kafka is said to have been a regular. Two or three plus a small beer is lunch for a few euros, and it is the fastest honest meal in the first district.

6. 13:00
   Haus der MusikMuseum, 1h 30m

   An interactive sound museum over five floors — you conduct the Vienna Philharmonic on a screen and it plays back your tempo. Open daily 10:00–22:00 with last entry at 21:00, which makes it one of the few museums in the city usable in the evening. €19 adult, €8 under 12.

7. 14:45
   St Stephen's CathedralChurch, 1h

   The cathedral is open from 06:00 to 22:00 for prayer, but sightseeing is confined to 09:00–11:30 and 13:00–16:30 on weekdays and Saturdays, and afternoons only on Sundays and holidays — services occupy the gaps. The nave is free to enter; the towers and catacombs are ticketed separately.

8. 16:00
   Imperial Crypt (Kaisergruft)Historic site, 45m

   The Habsburg burial vault beneath the Capuchin church — 150 members of the family in tin coffins that get steadily more elaborate as the dynasty goes on. Open daily 10:00–18:00 with last entry at 17:30; €15 adult, reduced with the Vienna City Card. Holiday hours differ.

9. 17:30
   Dinner Figlmüller (Wollzeile)1h 15m

   The schnitzel most visitors come for — pounded wider than the plate, breaded and fried in a lane off Stephansplatz since 1905. Open daily 11:00–22:30 but the kitchen stops at 21:30. It does not take reservations for small groups at busy times and the queue is part of the experience; go early or late.

The summer palace, its formal gardens climbing to the Gloriette, and the world's oldest surviving zoo in the same grounds. This is a full day on its own and should be planned as one — palace tickets are timed, the gardens are free, and the walk up to the Gloriette view is longer than it looks.

1. 08:00
   Breakfast Café Gloriette30m

   A café inside the Gloriette itself, at the top of the park with the palace and the whole city below the window. You are paying for the position and it is busy — but it is the reward at the end of the climb, and the terrace outside is the best seat in Schönbrunn.

2. 08:30
   Schönbrunn Gardens & GlorietteGarden, 1h 30m

   Formal parterres rising to the Gloriette on the ridge, with the best view back over the palace and the city behind it. The park opens at 06:30, long before the palace, which is the quietest hour to walk it. Several enclosures inside the park — the maze, the privy garden, the Gloriette terrace — are ticketed separately from the park itself. The garden is reached step-free by the ramp to the right of the palace as you face it — but the Gloriette viewing terrace, the maze platform and the Privy Garden are reachable only by stairs.

3. 10:15
   Imperial Carriage MuseumMuseum, 1h

   The Habsburg court's carriages, sleighs and the black funeral coach that carried emperors, in a hall beside the palace. Quieter than the state rooms and a good pairing with them — the imperial car park, essentially.

4. 11:30
   Schönbrunn ZooZoo, 3h

   The oldest zoo still operating anywhere, founded in 1752 inside the palace grounds, with the original baroque pavilion at its centre. Opens daily at 09:00; closing moves with the season, as late as 18:30 from April to September and as early as 16:30 in midwinter, with last entry half an hour before.

5. 14:45
   Schönbrunn PalaceHistoric site, 2h

   The Habsburgs' summer residence, 1,441 rooms of which about forty are shown. Open daily 08:30–18:00. Tickets are timed and the palace states they are sold online only — buy ahead rather than at the gate, both to get a slot and to avoid the counterfeit sellers it warns about. The State Apartments ticket is the short visit; the Grand Tour adds the older rooms. Every display room is step-free by ramp or lift, and wheelchairs are lent free at the turnstile against ID.

The long market strip and the streets either side of it, running down from Karlsplatz where the Secession's golden dome and Karlskirche sit almost opposite each other. This is where Vienna eats — market stalls, Levantine food, and the Saturday flea market at the far end.

1. 09:00
   Wien MuseumMuseum, 1h 30m

   The city's own museum, retelling Vienna from the first settlement to now — and the permanent exhibition is free, with no ticket needed. Closed Mondays. Thursdays it stays open to 21:00, one of the few late museum evenings in the city. Also closed 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.

2. 10:45
   KarlskircheChurch, 45m

   A domed baroque church with two Trajan-style columns, set behind a reflecting pool at the end of Karlsplatz. Ticketed visits run Monday to Saturday 09:00–18:00, and Sundays and holidays only from 11:45 after services. The lift up into the dome is the draw — it puts you level with the ceiling fresco.

3. 12:00
   Lunch NENI am Naschmarkt1h

   Open every day including Sunday, which is unusual for Vienna. Breakfast and mezze run into the late morning and the place gets busy, especially weekend mornings — worth booking ahead for a group. There is a market-facing terrace as well as the upstairs dining room; ask for whichever suits the weather.

4. 13:00
   Secession BuildingGallery, 1h

   The gilded dome the Viennese call the golden cabbage, built in 1898 as a manifesto against the academy. Klimt's Beethoven Frieze is in the basement and is the reason most people come. Closed Mondays — open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–18:00.

5. 14:15
   NaschmarktMarket, 1h 15m

   Vienna's long market strip — produce and spice stalls at the Karlsplatz end, sit-down places the further you walk. Stalls keep their own hours but the market follows Austrian retail law: roughly 06:00 to 19:30 on weekdays, closing earlier on Saturday, and shut on Sundays. The flea market at the far end runs Saturdays only.

6. 17:30
   Dinner Glacis Beisl1h 15m

   A garden Beisl tucked into the back of the MuseumsQuartier, on the old glacis where the city walls once stood — shaded tables and Austrian cooking a few minutes from the museums. Open daily from noon to midnight, but the kitchen stops at 22:30 and at 21:30 on Sundays.

Prague's most photographed square and its most crowded — the Astronomical Clock draws a scrum on the hour, every hour. Slip a block back from Staroměstské náměstí and the lanes empty out fast, leading north into Josefov's six synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery's tilted headstones, or toward Charles Bridge's Old Town tower. Eat a street away from the main square; the view comes free, the food beside it does not.

1. 07:45
   Check out of your stay
2. 08:05
   FlightVienna International Airport (VIE), Schwechat → Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG)2h 55m
3. 11:00
   Drop your bags at your stay
4. 11:30
   Old Jewish CemeteryHistoric site, 30m

   Roughly 12,000 visible tombstones packed onto uneven, centuries-layered ground, entered from Široká 3 — the oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe still in its original location, in use from the 15th century until 1787. Rabbi Loew's grave, the most visited, is often covered in small paper wishes tucked between the stones. One ticket (600 CZK) covers this plus five other Jewish Museum sites, but not the separately-ticketed Old-New Synagogue. Closed Saturdays and Jewish holidays; hours run to 16:30 in winter and later into the evening from spring to autumn. The uneven historic ground means it is not wheelchair accessible.

5. 12:15
   Lunch Grand Café Orient1h

   The only café in the world built entirely in the Cubist style, on the first floor of the House of the Black Madonna — climb the equally Cubist staircase past the small museum on the way up. Open from 09:00 on weekdays and 10:00 at weekends, until 21:00 daily, so it works for a mid-morning coffee break away from the Old Town Square crowds. There is no lift to the first floor.

6. 13:15
   Old Town Hall & Astronomical ClockLandmark, 45m

   The tower and its 15th-century astronomical clock anchor Old Town Square — every hour on the hour (09:00–21:00) the clock's Apostles parade past two small windows above the dial, watched by a dense crowd below; you don't need a ticket to see this from the square. Climbing the tower is ticketed separately and gets you a lift up plus the best rooftop view over the square. The tower itself is barrier-free by lift, but the older historical rooms inside the town hall are not. Hours run later (until 20:00) from April through December and shorten to 10:00–19:00 in January–March.

7. 14:15
   Botanicus (Ungelt)Shopping, 25m

   A Czech natural-cosmetics brand — soaps, oils and herbal teas made from its own farm — with a shop tucked into the Ungelt courtyard right behind Týn Church, a quieter pocket than the square out front. Open daily 10:00–19:00, making it an easy stop between the church and the Jewish Quarter.

8. 14:55
   Old-New SynagogueHistoric site, 30m

   The oldest active synagogue in Europe, still used for regular services, so it keeps synagogue hours rather than museum hours: open Sunday to Friday 09:00–17:00, closing an hour earlier on Fridays before Shabbat, and closed Saturdays and Jewish holidays. It is ticketed separately from the rest of the Jewish Museum's sites — its ticket does not combine with the Old Jewish Cemetery ticket, and vice versa. The building's medieval stepped entrance is not wheelchair accessible.

9. 15:40
   Old Town Bridge TowerViewpoint, 30m

   The Old Town end of Charles Bridge, and the better-value of the bridge's two towers to climb — a steep spiral stair leads to a small museum and then the gallery, with a view straight down the bridge to the castle. Charles Bridge itself is free and always open; only the tower is ticketed. Hours run 10:00–18:00 in the colder months and extend to 20:30 in June–September, last entry 30 minutes before closing. The tower has no lift and is not wheelchair accessible.

10. 16:25
    Kampa Island & ParkPark, 40m

    A flat, willow-shaded riverside park on the island the Vltava's Čertovka mill-stream carves off from the rest of Malá Strana — the classic photo spot for the water-wheels below Charles Bridge, and a genuinely quiet green break a five-minute walk from the bridge crowds. It's free and open around the clock; the wide lawn along the river (Na Kampě) is the spot to sit. No paid attractions here beyond Museum Kampa at its northern tip.

11. 17:20
    Charles Bridge (Malá Strana end)Landmark, 30m

    The view side of Charles Bridge — cross from Malá Strana's Mostecká street for the classic look back at Staré Město and the bridge's baroque saint statues. It's a free, unticketed, 24-hour pedestrian crossing; the flanking Malá Strana Bridge Towers can be climbed separately for a fee, on their own hours. Come at sunrise or after 22:00 for the bridge without the tour groups — by mid-morning it is one of the most crowded spots in the city.

12. 18:05
    Dinner U Zlatého Tygra (At the Golden Tiger)1h 15m

    A small, dark, unchanged pivnice off Karlova street, made famous by writer Bohumil Hrabal and once host to Václav Havel and Bill Clinton over a beer — but it is still a genuine locals' pub, not a stage set. Cash only; there's an ATM nearby if you arrive without koruna. It gets hopelessly full in the evenings, so a phone reservation is worth making if you want a table rather than standing room. The menu skews meaty; the fried jalapeños with blue cheese are the one clearly vegetarian dish.

Prague's leafiest residential quarter, and where locals actually eat and drink once the tourist-centre kitchens close. Náměstí Míru's neo-Gothic church anchors a street pattern of Art Nouveau apartment blocks, wine bars and a growing share of the city's better restaurants; Riegrovy sady's beer garden looks back at the castle skyline from the other side of the river. No single must-see — the point of a day here is the neighbourhood itself.

1. 08:00
   Breakfast Café Sladkovský30m

   A corner café-bistro toward the Vršovice edge of Vinohrady, serving sandwiches, burgers and pancakes with a late-night bar turn — open until midnight most nights, from 11:00 on Sundays. Cards, cash and even bitcoin are all accepted.

2. 08:30
   Havlíček Gardens (Grébovka)Garden, 1h

   A hillside park built over the spoil from digging the Vinohrady rail tunnel, now home to a working 1.7-hectare vineyard that still produces its own wine. Free to enter, open until midnight April to October and until 22:00 the rest of the year. The wooden vineyard gazebo hosts a wine-harvest festival every autumn.

3. 09:50
   Rieger GardensPark, 1h

   A big sloping park above Vinohrady with wide views back toward the castle skyline across the river — locals come for the grass, not a single sight. The beer garden inside runs seasonally, roughly April through October, opening from around 14:00 on weekdays and 11:00 on weekends; it's closed over winter.

4. 11:05
   Wenceslas SquareLandmark, 30m

   A half-kilometre pedestrian-and-tram boulevard running from the National Museum down to the Old Town gate — the site of the 1989 Velvet Revolution protests, now lined with cinemas, chain stores and, at night, stag-party bars. The “0% commission” currency-exchange booths along it quote a bad buy rate in small print; use a bank ATM instead and always decline any “convert to home currency” offer. Eat a street back rather than at the square-front cafés.

5. 12:00
   Lunch Grébovka Pavilion1h

   A garden café inside the Grébovka vineyard, built around a faithful replica of the park's 1870s bowling alley. Cash only — no cards accepted. A relaxed spot for a glass of the vineyard's own wine after the climb up.

6. 13:00
   National MuseumMuseum, 2h

   The neo-Renaissance building crowning Wenceslas Square, open daily 10:00–18:00 with no fixed weekly closure. Tickets are sold online, by app, at a self-service machine, or at the box office. The Historical Building is wheelchair accessible via the New Building entrance and lifts, with wheelchairs available to borrow at the cloakroom, though the dome and the Children's Museum's upper floors are not reachable.

7. 15:15
   Lucerna PassageLandmark, 30m

   An Art Nouveau covered passage linking Štěpánská and Vodičkova, free to walk through, with a cinema, a music bar, shops, a café and one of the city's working paternoster lifts inside. Look up in the main hall for David Černý's upside-down parody of the Wenceslas statue hanging from the ceiling — the horse's rider is dead, the horse very much alive.

8. 16:00
   Mucha MuseumMuseum, 1h

   Run by the Mucha Foundation at Savarin Palace since February 2025 — if an older guide points you to the previous Panská Street address, that location no longer holds the family-authorised collection. Open daily 10:00–18:00, closed only on 24 December; adult admission 300 CZK.

9. 17:20
   Dancing HouseLandmark, 20m

   Frank Gehry and Vlado Milunić's twisting glass-and-concrete tower on the New Town embankment, free to view and photograph from outside any time. The building itself is mostly offices and a hotel; the rooftop bar and restaurant inside are open to anyone dining there, but there's no separate public viewing deck.

10. 17:55
    Dinner Vinohradský Parlament1h 15m

    A grand, high-ceilinged corner restaurant right on náměstí Míru serving Czech regional cooking and dumplings from mid-morning to midnight most nights. There's a vegetarian option on the menu, though it's a short list — this is a meat-and-dumplings kitchen at heart. Cards accepted.

A fortress park on a river-bend cliff with a fraction of the castle's crowds. The Slavín cemetery holds Dvořák, Čapek and most of the country's other cultural names under one shared monument; the ramparts beyond it give the best open view of the Vltava's curve in the city. Half a day is enough, which makes it an easy pairing with a light morning or evening elsewhere.

1. 07:40
   Check out of your stay
2. 08:00
   Breakfast Café Savoy30m

   An 1893 grand café at the Újezd end of Malá Strana, on the walk up to the Petřín funicular — a busy all-day café with pastries and light meals, turning into a quieter, French-leaning restaurant for dinner. Open 08:00–22:00 on weekdays, from 09:00 on weekends and holidays. It keeps its own wine list, so this isn't a dry option. It's a step further from the Charles Bridge crowds than most Malá Strana cafés, which is exactly the point.

3. 08:30
   Vyšehrad RampartsHistoric site, 1h 15m

   The fortified park and ramparts are free to enter year-round and give the widest open view of the Vltava's bend in the city. The grounds themselves are stated barrier-free, though the approach up the hill and the historic cobbling need extra care. The Leopold Gate infocentre, where paid tours are booked, keeps shorter hours — roughly 10:00–12:00 and 13:00–18:00.

4. 10:00
   Slavín CemeteryHistoric site, 20m

   The shared national monument holding Dvořák, Smetana and most of the country's other cultural names, free to visit as part of the fortress grounds. It's an open-air memorial cloister, not a museum — quiet contemplation rather than a ticketed stop.

5. 10:35
   Vyšehrad CasematesHistoric site, 45m

   A 45-minute guided walk through the fortress's underground corridors to the Gorlice hall, where the original Baroque statues from Charles Bridge are kept out of the weather. Timed tours run through the day in Czech and English — book at the Leopold Gate infocentre or online rather than expecting to walk straight in.

6. 11:35
   St Martin's RotundaChurch, 15m

   Prague's oldest surviving rotunda, built in the late 11th century and still used for regular Mass. The exterior can be viewed anytime within the free grounds; going inside needs prior arrangement through the Vyšehrad Chapter rather than a walk-up ticket.

7. 12:05
   Lunch Manifesto Market (Anděl)1h

   An open-air, industrial-style street-food hall a short walk from Anděl metro, with a rotating roster of independent kitchens spanning Asian, Mexican, Italian, Indian, American and Czech food, plus a dedicated beer bar. Vendors change over time — check the current stall list rather than one you read before your trip.

8. 13:05
   Staropramen Brewery Visitor CentreMuseum, 1h 15m

   Closed Sundays and Mondays. The working Staropramen brewery, founded 1869, runs a roughly 50-minute guided multimedia tour ending with a beer tasting. Tours run in Czech and English through the day and need advance booking online — don't just show up expecting a slot.

9. 14:35
   Zlatý anděl (Golden Angel building)Landmark, 15m

   The curved glass office-and-retail building at Anděl junction, completed in 2000 by architect Jean Nouvel, with a large angel image serigraphed onto its corner facade — a nod to a 19th-century building of the same name that stood here until it was demolished in 1980 for the metro. It's a free exterior photo stop rather than a ticketed sight: the building itself is offices and shops, with no visitor program inside.

10. 15:05
    Hořejší nábřeží (Smíchov riverside walk)Viewpoint, 30m

    The Smíchov-side embankment where Kampa park's southern tip gives way to the Anděl district — a free, open riverside promenade with joggers, cyclists and views across the Vltava. It's the walk you'd take to reach the Dětský ostrov footbridge a little further north along the same bank.

11. 15:50
    Children's IslandPark, 1h

    A small, free, car-free island in the Vltava reached only by a footbridge from Janáčkovo nábřeží, on the Smíchov riverbank just south of Kampa. It's a genuine playground island — age-grouped play equipment, a football pitch, a basketball/volleyball court, and a restaurant on the southern end. Hours vary seasonally and aren't published consistently, so treat it as a daytime-into-evening stop rather than checking a fixed closing time.

12. 17:30
    Dinner Café Bistro Citadela1h 15m

    A café-bistro inside the fortress's Old Burgrave's Residence, open daily 10:00–22:00 (shorter in bad weather) with a garden terrace over the ramparts. Modern burgers, sandwiches and pancakes rather than traditional Czech food; vegetarian options include a Portobello burger, and both cash and card are accepted.