Best Time to Visit Vienna

Spring and early summer: April to June

April is one of Vienna's best months. It's mild, with about six hours of sun a day, and the parks are turning green. The Prater and the Stadtpark are lovely for a long walk. Pack a light rain jacket, but you won't need it often.

May and June are wetter. Rain falls on around 15 days each month, though it often comes as a short shower. Cafés and terraces fill up fast, and the Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) brings theatre and music from mid-May into June. Wet afternoons are a good excuse to head into the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Summer and early autumn: July to October

July and August are the warmest months, with highs around 27°C. They're tied for hottest. They also tie for sunniest hours in the evening, so the Danube Island and the Donaukanal bars stay busy late. Many locals leave town in August, and a few smaller restaurants close for a week or two. The Vienna State Opera also pauses for most of the summer. The big sights, like Schönbrunn Palace, still get plenty of visitors.

September and October are the sweet spot if you like walking in comfort. Days are mild, rain is lower, and the crowds ease. You can visit a heuriger, one of the wine taverns in Grinzing or Nussdorf, and drink the young wine called Sturm in early autumn. October gets greyer, so use the sunny days for the Vienna Woods.

Winter: November to March

Winter is cold and grey. January and December get under two hours of sun a day, and the damp makes it feel colder than the numbers say. So why go? Christmas markets. From mid-November, the stalls in front of the Rathaus and at Schönbrunn sell hot punch (Glühwein) and roasted chestnuts. Expect crowds, especially on weekends in December.

Ball season runs from January to Fasching, the pre-Lent carnival, and the Opera Ball is the best known. If you love concerts and coffeehouses, deep winter can be great. Sitting with a Melange (milky coffee) and Sachertorte at Café Central is much better when it's cold outside. Prices for hotels dip in January and February, outside the New Year rush.

March is still chilly, with highs around 10°C, but it's a quiet, cheaper month before the spring crowds arrive.