Locations and activities with a roof make an obvious choice, but which ones involve as little rain as possible to get to?
- Book a classical concert experience* for your trip
- See also:
Jump to:
- General tips
- Next to subway stations (coffee houses, museums, venues, shopping, cinemas etc.)
Activities for rainy days
(The Johann Strauss Museum is close to a subway exit)
Rain might make walking around unpleasant, but (surprise!) Vienna offers many indoor attractions and activities to compensate. Two general tips to start you off…
General tips
First, you can still take in the sights from the comfort of a hop on hop off bus. Both of the main services have boarding locations close to tram stops and subway stations.
The Vienna Sightseeing buses, for example, leave from the front of the State Opera House, which is just a couple of steps from the Oper exit of Karlsplatz subway station (U1, U2 and U4 lines).
Second, if you’re just looking for indoor attractions in general, then browse my curated list of museums, as well as my overviews of sightseeing areas, activities, kid-friendly locations, and classical music venues.
All will direct you to numerous relevant attractions and things to do that avoid exposure to the weather.
Near subway stations
(The cathedral has a subway exit more or less outside the front door)
Most indoor locations lie near public transport stops, thanks to Vienna’s excellent bus, tram and subway network. But here some specific suggestions for those places with subway stations on their doorstep, so your exposure to the rain is as short as possible.
Stephansdom cathedral
The main entrance to this gothic giant is a few paces from the exit marked Stephansplatz at the subway station of the same name on the U3 and U1 lines. Only access to the south tower would then require a little bit of walking.
Traditional coffee houses
Most of my list of recommendations are close to public transport. However, Café Prückel (opposite Stubentor station on the U3) and Café Museum (take the Operngasse exit from Karlsplatz station on the U1, U2 and U4) are probably closest.
Museums & attractions
The same general rule applies here, but…
- The MAK applied arts and design museum is diagonally opposite Stubentor (making the Prückel-MAK duo particularly attractive for rainy days)
- The Albertina Modern art museum practically has its own exit from Karlsplatz (sorry, can’t remember the name of the exit, but I think it’s Künstlerhaus). This puts you not far from the Wien Museum, either
(The MuseumsQuartier has subway stations at either end)
- The Secession art venue (and home to Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze) also has its own named exit from Karlsplatz, and the Johann Strauss Museum is just the other side of the road
- The MuseumsQuartier complex has a same-named station on the U2 line and an adjoining exit from the Volkstheater station (U2 and U3 lines). Once inside, stick to walls and connecting passageways to stay relatively dry as you visit the modern and contemporary art museums within
- The IKONO experience is a hop, skip and jump from the Neubaugasse station on the U3
- Hundertwasser’s astonishing municipal incinerator can actually be seen quite close up from the entrance to Spittelau station (U4 and U6 lines), though you need to walk a bit to see its full grandeur. And clouds and rain might dull its colours for photos, of course
Music & concerts
(The Staatsoper has its own subway exit)
Again, most concert halls & venues are served well by public transport, but those notably close to stations are:
Opera
- The Oper exit from Karlsplatz gets you to those hop on hop off buses mentioned above, but also the Staatsoper itself of course. Either for a performance (which can be relatively inexpensive) or for a tour (which I recommend)
- Another opera house has its own subway station: the U6 station Währinger Straße-Volksoper gives you close access to the Volksoper
Classical music
- Stephansdom (see above) hosts concerts on many evenings. I enjoyed the organ recital, for example
- Schönbrunn palace itself requires a bit of walking without rain cover to reach it. However, the evening concerts there take place in the palace Orangerie, which is at the end of the complex closest to Schönbrunn U4 station
Shopping & cinema
(The Haydn cinema is handy for the U3 subway line)
- Vienna has several malls attached to subway stations. Check my main shopping article for details
- Of the English language cinemas, the Haydn Kino (all movies in English) is next to Neubaugasse U3 station. But check local listings, since some of the big chains in the malls may have English showings too.
Stay dry!