Vienna in three days: an itinerary along the U1

Why the U1 works as a spine

The U1 is the red line on the network map and, with 24 stations between Oberlaa and Leopoldau, the longest U-Bahn line in the city. Heading towards Leopoldau from Keplerplatz, the stops a visitor needs come in quick succession: Südtiroler Platz–Hauptbahnhof after one station, Karlsplatz after three, Stephansplatz after four, Schwedenplatz after five, Praterstern after seven and Donauinsel after nine.

Keplerplatz is the starting point because Domenig House is there, in the stainless-steel-fronted building that Günther Domenig put up between 1975 and 1979 in the Favoritenstraße pedestrian zone. If you are staying elsewhere on the line, simply recount the stops. Ticket types and the route in from the airport are covered in Getting around Vienna.

Day 1: the old town, from Stephansplatz to Karlsplatz

Four stations bring you to Stephansplatz, where the exit comes up directly on the square in front of St Stephen’s Cathedral. The old town is best explored on foot from here: along Graben and Kohlmarkt to Michaelerplatz, where the Hofburg begins, once the winter residence of the Habsburgs. Heldenplatz and the Ringstraße lie on the far side of the complex.

Give the afternoon to Karlsplatz. At the northern end of the underground passages are the State Opera and the start of Kärntner Straße; at the southern end, Resselpark and the Karlskirche, built between 1716 and 1737. Around them you will find the Wien Museum, reopened in 2023 after a rebuild, the Musikverein, Joseph Maria Olbrich’s Secession building and the Naschmarkt. Otto Wagner’s Stadtbahn pavilions still stand on the square too. It is three stations back to Keplerplatz.

Day 2: Belvedere in the morning, Prater in the afternoon

The Upper Belvedere is a single U1 stop from Keplerplatz: ride to Südtiroler Platz–Hauptbahnhof, then walk or take tram 18 or O to the “Quartier Belvedere” stop. Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt built the palace between 1717 and 1723 for Prince Eugene of Savoy; today it is where Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” hangs, among much else. The Baroque garden slopes down to the Lower Belvedere. Check current opening times before you go.

After lunch the U1 continues to Praterstern, six stations on from Hauptbahnhof. The Wurstelprater amusement park starts right beside it, with the Giant Ferris Wheel, erected in 1897 for the fiftieth jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph. For something quieter, the Hauptallee runs dead straight from Praterstern to the Lusthaus, roughly four and a half kilometres. The former hunting ground has been open to everyone since 1766, when Joseph II released it. Rides keep shorter hours depending on the season, but the walk is worthwhile at any time of year.

Day 3: Schönbrunn and the Danube

Schönbrunn is the one change of line on this route: U1 to Karlsplatz, then U4 towards Hütteldorf, and Schönbrunn station is six stops on. The palace was the Habsburgs’ summer residence, begun in 1695 under Leopold I to designs by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and completed under Maria Theresa. If time is short, walk up through the park to the Gloriette.

In the afternoon the U1 carries you across the Reichsbrücke to the far bank of the Danube. Donauinsel is the only U-Bahn station directly on the Danube Island, a strip some 21 kilometres long that was created between 1972 and 1988 as part of the city’s flood defences. One stop further, at Kaisermühlen-VIC, are the United Nations buildings and the Donaupark with the Danube Tower, opened in 1964 for the Vienna International Garden Show. One stop beyond that comes the Alte Donau, with its lidos and, in summer, boats on the water. More vantage points are collected in Vienna from above.

In between: Favoriten on the doorstep

Not every hour has to be spent in the centre. The Viktor-Adler-Markt, officially founded in 1877, is next to Keplerplatz station; there is more on it in the piece about Vienna’s markets. The pedestrianised Favoritenstraße ends at Reumannplatz, one U1 stop south, where the Amalienbad public baths opened in 1926 with an Art Deco interior. At the Oberlaa terminus, six stops from Keplerplatz, are the Therme Wien spa and the Kurpark Oberlaa. The Favoriten guide looks at the district in more detail.

Swapping the days around

The three days are interchangeable. In bad weather, bring the Belvedere and the Wien Museum forward and keep the Prater and the Danube for the driest day. On Friday and Saturday nights and on nights before public holidays the U-Bahn runs right through, so a late evening in town still ends with a direct ride back.