Try These 9 Unusual Things to Do in Vienna, Austria

Vienna is a city with a lot of classic attractions. Tourists often know exactly which highlights to hit during their visit, from Schönbrunn Palace to Stephansdom Cathedral. But there are lots of unusual things to do in Vienna too.

I’ve accumulated a lot of time exploring Vienna over the years. And while there are still some famous buildings in Vienna I haven’t been inside (Karlskirche for one), I’ve stumbled onto plenty of smaller attractions in my time. So, if you’re returning to Vienna and want to mix things up, or just like getting away from the crowds, these are some less common and non-touristy things to do in Vienna.

Tour the Austrian Parliament

It’s interesting to me that the Austrian Parliament often fades into the background for many visitors.

I mean, not only is it a major national institution, but it’s a beautiful one at that. The building’s grand neoclassical architecture and the statue of Athena are hard to miss when exploring the inner city and taking the tram around Ringstrasse.

But what about inside?

Far fewer tourists know or try seeing inside this magnificent building and if you don’t you’re missing out.

Guided tours of the Parliament Building allow you to see it’s equally grand on the inside. The Former House of Representatives Chamber is the highlight with its statues, woodwork, and enormous glass ceiling, but the Colonnaded Hall is also impressive.

Visit the Roman Museum

People associate Vienna with a lot of things, from its Imperial history to classical music and coffee house culture.

Few realise, though, that Vienna also has a very clear ancient Roman history. Which is where the Roman Museum comes in handy.

Located on Hohermarkt in the city centre, this is not one of Vienna’s busiest museums. But if you’re a history buff, it’s not to be missed. Inside you learn how you can see clear signs of the early Roman fortifications in the layout of the inner city and even how Graben got its name.

Down in the basement, you’ll understand why the museum is located where it is when you see ancient Roman ruins just sitting there.

The Roman Museum doesn’t compare to a trip out to Carnuntum, but it serves as a good alternative that’s quick and easy to visit.

See the Spitellau Incinerator

Of all the unusual things to do in Vienna, asking you to find an industrial incinerator may seem like the strangest.

But there’s a method in the madness.

Vienna is famous for the architecture of Friedensreich Hundertwasser, a local architect whose modernist designs pushed boundaries. Tourists flock to see the Hundertwasserhaus and the Kunst Haus Wien, two buildings that bear his colourful, patchwork designs.

There is another.

And it just so happens to be the Spitellau Incinerator, found just across from Wien Spittelau Bahnhof. The story behind it is interesting, but otherwise, it’s just another quirky Vienna sight to see.

Find the Vergilius Chapel

Did you know that you’ve probably walked over a hidden medieval chapel in the heart of Vienna and not even known it?

The Vergilius Chapel is a 13th-century Gothic chapel sitting roughly 12 metres under Stephansplatz. It was only discovered in the 70s as they were building the underground metro through the area.

Access to this subterranean treasure is equally secluded. You need to head into the Stephansplatz U-Bahn station and find the entrance within the station.

It won’t take long to see this small attraction and its small museum, but the ambience of the Vergilius Chapel is special.

Best of all, you’ll always remember it’s beneath your feet every time you’re in Stephansplatz from then on.

You can find other hidden gems near Stephansplatz with this walking tour.

Paddle on the Alte Donau

Most visitors know that the Danube River flows past Vienna.

However, many get understandably confused when they’re also introduced to the Danube Canal, the New Danube, and the Old Danube (Alte Donau).

What’s interesting about the Alte Donau is that it isn’t a river or a canal. It’s an oxbow lake that split off from the river. And it’s beautifully serene.

At the Alte Donau, you’ll find swimming pools, beaches, and docks where you can easily access the water to swim or paddle about. You can rent boats (or one of these) to explore the lake near the Alte Donau U-Bahn station (here) or go on a kayaking tour.

The Alte Donau is also just one of my favourite places in Vienna to walk and where you can watch the fireworks in summer during Lichterfest.

Visit the Globe Museum

Globenmuseum der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek © Österreichische Nationalbibliothek/Pichler

I don’t think visitors to Vienna realise just how many museums the city has.

For every big museum like the popular Art History Museum, there are countless smaller niche museums, such as the Globe Museum.

There’s no mystery surrounding what you’ll find at the Globe Museum – globes. But a lot of them. The museum holds over 250 historical globes, showing the gradual mapping of the known world by cartographers.

But it doesn’t just have globes of the usual maps you’re used to seeing. There are also detailed celestial globes of the night sky and globes of the moon and other planets. The exhibits have instruments used to chart these maps too.

If you’re like me and find maps fascinating, this is worth the €5 ticket, which also provides entry to the Esperanto Museum.

Walk at Lainzer Tiergarten

Vienna has no shortage of parks and areas of nature where you can escape it all.

Many of these spaces hug the outskirts of Vienna, with the forests around Kahlenberg probably the most popular. But one that many tourists miss is the Lainzer Tiergarten.

Like the Prater, this area was once a royal hunting ground. But the Lainzer Tiergarten is huge, covering hills and woodland across the southwest of Vienna. If you want a long walk in the woods, this is the place to go.

The reserve has attractions too of course. Near the Lainzertor, there’s a playground and a short walk away, the Hermes Villa – a beautiful manor home with a cafe. My highlight though is the city viewpoint, where you get broad views across Vienna.

Admire the Arsenal

The Belvedere Palace in Vienna’s 3rd District is one of the best places to visit in Vienna.

Across the road from the palace, you have the Schweizergarten, a seemingly ordinary park. But at the back of the park, lies a building unlike any other in the city, the Arsenal.

This former military complex bears a mix of “Italian-medieval and Byzantine-Islamic” architectural styles that immediately stood out to me. For others, what’s inside is more important – Vienna’s Museum of Military History.

Now, while I think going here is an unusual thing to do in Vienna, the internet seems to disagree. This museum is very well-rated, so obviously I didn’t get the memo.

But I haven’t seen this attraction on many Vienna itineraries, so I’m saying it’s an unusual thing to do in Vienna and sticking with it.

Try some Kaiserschmarrn

Cake, schnitzel, and strudel are probably the three first foods people associate with Vienna.

I’m all for getting coffee and cake while in Vienna, trying the Sacher Torte and then finding other cakes you actually like more.

But there’s more depth to Vienna’s food scene than this. Glance at a restaurant menu and dishes like backhendl, tafelspitz, and spätzle are regularly there and well worth trying.

But to me the dish I wish more people tried in Vienna is Kaiserschmarrn.

The best way to describe Kaiserschmarrn is chopped-up pancakes, served with fruit and jam. Sweet, decadent, and filling – I love it. Go to Heindl’s Schmarren & Palatschinkenkuchl a 5-minute walk from Stephansplatz. Or learn to make it yourself!

I think you’ll thank me.