11 Things to Do in Vienna in the Fall

Autumn is one of the seasons that brings out the beauty of everything there is to see in a city like Vienna. The weather is generally cool and above all unpredictable. However, in the autumn months there is plenty to plan for every possible scenario.

There are many possibilities in Vienna in September, October and November and that is why in this post I have made a selection of my favourite things to do in Vienna in autumn. Read on to find out more.

In September, the arrival of autumn coincides with the start of the opera season in Vienna. As Vienna is considered to be the city of music, the city's opera is a symbol of the city and one of the best things to do in the capital.

The advantage of doing it at the beginning of the season is that there are discounts on tickets and more passes for the performances. It is a perfect plan especially on cold autumn days.

Another option is to take a guided tour of the opera building, where you will not only marvel at the architecture, but you will also be given a detailed explanation of the history and workings of the opera. At the beginning of the season it is also common for some of the operas to install a giant screen on the façade of the building so that you can watch them from the outside.

Useful information

• Address of the opera house: 2 Opernring Street.
• Approximate prices: from 10 euros.
• Other opera houses in Vienna: Volksoper (Vienna People's Opera), Musikverein, Konzerthaus.

Schoenbrunn Palace is a must-see at any time of the year. But it is in autumn when, in my opinion, it is particularly recommended. This is because the main charm of the palace lies in its gardens, which look spectacular in the reddish and yellow autumn colours.

The palace was declared a World Heritage Site and although you have to pay an entrance fee to enter the palace, the gardens are completely free to visit. You won't regret it, as Vienna has earned the nickname of the city of palaces for a reason.

If, in addition to its gardens, you want to see the interior, I recommend taking a tour of Schönbrunn Palace to kill two birds with one stone.

A visit to the Prater Park is also a must for the same reasons as before. Thanks to the colours of the trees in autumn, the park is transformed into a beautiful place to escape from the bustle of the city.

Itis the largest park in Vienna and its vast expanse includes an amusement park, sports fields, a football stadium and even a unique house that has been declared an independent republic.

If the weather is nice, it's a popular place for picnics, walks and sports. But my favourite part of the park is when you visit the giant Ferris wheel next to the amusement park, as from the top you have spectacular views of the park and the whole city.

It's inevitable that autumn will bring cold and rainy days. These days are the perfect time to opt for the indoor plans I suggest below.

Visit Vienna's museums

Some of the best museums to visit in Vienna are:

• Kunsthistorisches Museum: is Vienna's Museum of Art History and has the incredible collection of Habsburg art where there are works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Titian, Raphael and Velazquez, among others.
• Albertina Museum: contains drawings and engravings by artists such as Monet, Renoir, Degas, Chagall, Miró, Da Vinci, Magritte, Munch and Picasso.

Relax in one of the beautiful cafés

For more plans against cloudy days, just listen to the Viennese themselves. And the Viennese love to take refuge in cafés with a good cup of coffee and a few sweets.

Some of the best cafés in Vienna are:

• Café Central
• Frauenhuber Café
• Café Museum
• The café at the Sacher Hotel, where the famous cake originated, are.

Many places around Vienna take on a special colour in autumn. And the best thing is that you can visit them on an organised excursion to the area, or on your own if you prefer.

For me, there are two places that are particularly charming at this time of year, and I would like to recommend them to you below:

• Excursion to the Wachau from Vienna: this wine-growing region has beautiful valleys that take on spectacular colours in autumn. One of its villages, Dürnstein, is a World Heritage Site.
• Excursion to Hallstatt from Vienna: this is one of Vienna's most famous sites, known for its spectacular views of the Alps and its skywalk viewpoint.

Austria's National Day is celebrated on 26 October in the middle of autumn. It commemorates the day in 1955 when Austria gained full independence as a country.

Of course, most of the celebrations take place in the capital, Vienna, and it is a great day to be in the Austrian capital. The centrepiece of the holiday is a huge military parade through the streets of the city centre.

Although, as it is a bank holiday, it should be noted that many of the monuments are closed. However, on this day you are allowed to enter places such as the Parliament or the ministries, and museums such as the military history museum or the national library remain open with free admission.

The Kahlenberg hill is another of Vienna's little-known spots that is really worth a visit. Not for the place itself, but mainly for the views from the top of the hill at 484 metres.

The panoramic views of Vienna from this point are spectacular and I dare say some of the best in the entire capital.

The setting is also in a league of its own, as it is in the middle of the so-called Vienna Woods and surrounded by vineyards, which in autumn have reddish and yellowish colours that enhance the views considerably. From the top, where St. Josef's Church is located, there are plenty of perfect hiking trails.

Autumn is the time when most of Vienna's major festivals and holidays, such as All Saints' Day, Immaculate Conception Day and St. Martin's Day, come together. Each day has its own special celebrations, but I will highlight the things to do on these two dates:

• Visit Vienna's cemeteries: it's best to go one or two days before Saints' Day to avoid the crowds. In the city's cemeteries lie great figures such as Beethoven and Johann Strauss in the central cemetery, or Mozart, whose grave is in St Marx Cemetery.
• Celebrate Halloween at the Prater amusement park: the park is decorated with scary decorations and there are special attractions such as a house of terror.
• Go to the museum dedicated to torture: it is especially popular on 31 October.
• Taste the typical sweets: to sweeten up a terrifying day, many of the city's bakeries prepare Halloween-themed sweets.

In October, a very important cultural festival takes place in Vienna. The Contemporary Music Festival starts in October and runs until November with a series of performances of classical, jazz or rock music. All of them with a contemporary style.

The main stage of this festival is the well-known Wiener Konzerthaus. As you can see, autumn is a time of great cultural activity in Vienna.

The Setagayapark is not often mentioned in travel guides and is therefore considered one of Vienna's hidden gems. It is a Japanese-style park located in the northern part of the city, almost on the outskirts.

Although it is small and can be walked through in about 15 minutes, it is very beautiful, especially in autumn colours. From the city centre it can be reached by bus 1A or tram 37 in about half an hour. It's the perfect place to visit when you have time to spare and are looking for something different to see.

The park is only open from April to the end of October, so in autumn, when it's at its most beautiful, it's one of the last chances of the year to visit. The park is open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.

The Naschmarkt is Vienna's largest and best-known market. With more than 120 stalls, restaurants and cafés, it is a popular meeting and entertainment place for the Viennese.

There are two reasons to visit in autumn. The first is for the seasonal produce you'll find on the stalls:

• The typical chestnuts are in abundance.
• The first batches of wine arrive from the vintages near Vienna.
• The traditional Austrian apricot jam is left to ripen in the sun in summer and is consumed in autumn.

The second is that it tends to be crowded especially in spring and summer, making the autumn months less crowded and much more comfortable to visit.

The autumn weather in Vienna is mostly cool, but not excessively cold. Maximum temperatures gradually decrease from over 20 degrees Celsius in September to an average of 5 degrees Celsius in November.

Thesame happens with the minimum temperatures, which drop from 13 degrees Celsius to 0 degrees Celsius in late autumn. But in general these are very pleasant temperatures to see Vienna.

The most negative thing about autumn is its unpredictability, as the weather changes a lot and quickly goes from sunny to cloudy. However, the probability of rainfall is low and hardly exceeds 20% on average.

The great advantage of the autumn months is that the temperatures are very pleasant and the number of tourists is not very high. This makes it an ideal time to visit Vienna in this respect. From September onwards the number of visitors drops considerably and there is usually no problem finding accommodation or space in the monuments.

Prices also drop somewhat due to lower demand, although in general Vienna is an expensive city to visit. This is more than compensated for by its beauty. In summary, and as a personal assessment, autumn is an ideal season to visit the Austrian capital.

The weather will be the main factor when it comes to packing for a visit to Vienna in the autumn months. To help you with this arduous task, here is a list of the essentials that you should not miss in your suitcase. And as an extra help, here are some useful tips for your trip to Vienna.

• Dress warmly but don't overdo it. A jumper and a thin coat are enough.
• If you are travelling in November, the cold starts to become more intense, so a coat is more necessary at that time of year.
• Mackintoshes, umbrellas and waterproofs are a must.
• Comfortable shoes are a must as Vienna invites you to walk a lot.