When the weather doesn't cooperate in the stunning city of Vienna, there's no need to despair. We've got you covered with a curated list of 25 exciting activities to enjoy in the rain.
But that's not all – you can secure your plans in advance by grabbing tickets for these rain-friendly activities.
Whether you're exploring with kids, friends, or embarking on a solo journey, our handpicked selection of the top 25 things to do in the rain guarantees that boredom will be the last thing on your mind in Vienna.
Let's dive into the captivating world of Vienna's rainy day delights.
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1. Visit important Museums
Vienna is a museum city. Thanks to the top-class range of museums, you could easily spend a whole week just visiting museums. So take advantage of the bad weather to visit the museums.
The classics include the Leopold Museum, Albertina, the Art History Museum, and the Natural History Museum, to name just a few.
- Check out our list of 30 other museums in Vienna for more inspiration.
Popular Ticket Options:
- Tickets for the Albertina incl. temporary exhibition
- Entrance Ticket to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna
- Upper or Lower Belvedere Palace Entry Ticket
- Hofburg and Empress Sisi Museum Guided Tour
- Overview of the Best Ticket Options for the Imperial Treasury
- Leopold Museum Skip-the-Line Entry Ticket
- Ticket to the MAK Museum
2. Danube Tower
Get a little closer to the clouds and visit the 252 meter high Danube Tower in Danube Park. Enjoy Vienna with a coffee or a delicious dinner from a 360° perspective and watch the rain clouds slowly pass by.
Popular Ticket Options:
- Skip-the-Line Entrance Ticket to the Danube Tower (Most popular option)
- City Sightseeing Cruise on Danube with Optional Viennese Delicacies
- Flexipass for 2, 3, 4 or 5 top sights (Danube Tower selectable)
3. Experience Viennese Coffee House Culture
Viennese coffee houses are not just cafés. It is not for nothing that the tradition of the Viennese coffee house culture was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. Escape the rain and sit down in one of Vienna's cozily warm traditional coffee houses and experience for yourself how the Viennese coffee houses have turned coffee making into an art form.
- Our tip: Café Central, the world-famous Café Sacher, Café Imperial - known for the Imperial Torte - and Café Sperl with its delicious pastries. Here is a list of other real Viennese coffee houses.
Popular Ticket Options:
- 4.5-hour Market Discovery tour with food, coffee & English-speaking local (Most popular option)
- 3-Hour Guided Viennese Coffee House Tour with 3 specialty coffees, strudel and more
- Tradition of Viennese Coffee Experience with waiter in a local coffee house, Viennese coffee and sweets
- 2-hour Sweet Vienna Tour: Home of Cakes and Cafe Culture (without tastings)
- 2.5-Hour Viennese Coffee, Cake, and Chocolate Tour
4. Classical Concerts
Vienna is the capital of music. So what could be better on a rainy day than going to a classical concert? In the city, grandiose concerts are held at numerous historical locations, such as Schönbrunn Palace, St. Stephen's Cathedral, the traditional Wiener Musikverein concert hall, St. Charles Church (Karlskirche) and the Vienna Concert Hall.
Popular Ticket Options:
- St Peter’s Church Concert
- Wiener Musikverein: Mozart Orchestra Concert in Golden Hall
- Schönbrunn Palace: Mozart & Strauss Concert (Recommended)
- Schönbrunn Palace: Mozart & Strauss Concert, Tour & 3-Course Dinner (Exceptional)
- Tickets for Vivaldi's Four Seasons concert in Karlskirche
- Tickets for Mozart and Strauss concert by renowned salon orchestra Alt Wien
More Ticket Options:
- Tickets for classical concert at Mozarthaus
- Vienna Walking Tour with Mozarthaus Entry and Live Concert
- Tickets for Vivaldi's Four Seasons concert at Karlskirche - St. Charles' Church
- Tickets for Vienna Mozart Orchestra at the Musikverein
- Tickets for Kursalon Vienna: Strauss and Mozart Concert
- Tickets for St. Anne's Church Vienna: Classical Concert
5. Vienna's Imperial Heritage
Follow in the footsteps of the Habsburg dynasty and visit one of the 27 castles and more than 160 palaces in the former imperial city.
Although it is possible, we would advise against visiting Schönbrunn Palace and Belvedere, as you would miss the magnificent gardens of both palaces if it rains. The imposing Vienna Imperial Palace with its countless attractions is more suitable.
- Here is an overview with all exhibitions, museums and attractions in the Hofburg Imperial Palace.
Popular Ticket Options:
- Overview of the Best Ticket Options for the Imperial Treasury
- Hofburg and Empress Sisi Museum Guided Tour (Recommended)
- Hofburg, Sisi Museum & Imperial Apartments Tour
- Schönbrunn Palace & Gardens Guided Tour with Skip-the-Line Access (Recommended)
- Schönbrunn Palace & Gardens Skip-the-Line Guided Tour (Popular)
- Schönbrunn Palace: Mozart & Strauss Concert (Exceptional Vienna Experience)
- Vienna Spanish Riding School Training with Music Tickets
- Spanish Riding School morning training tickets
- Vienna Pass with free admission to the Hofburg (Imperial Apartments, Sisi Museum, Silver Chamber)
Best Ticket Options:
- Tickets for Vienna: Skip-the-Line Sisi Museum, Hofburg Palace and Gardens Tour
- Skip-the-Line Empress Sisi Museum, Hofburg & Gardens Tour
- Tickets for Sisi Museum Hofburg Vienna: Small-group Guided Tour with Priority Entrance
- Tickets for Imperial Treasury
- Tickets for Kunsthistorisches Museum & Imperial Treasury: Skip The Line
6. Shop, Shop, Shop
A shopping trip helps to quickly forget the cloudy, rainy weather. For example, visit the largest shopping center in Austria, Shopping City Süd, Donau Zentrum and Lugner City.
If you're not afraid of a little rain, you can hit the Mariahilferstraße, Vienna's largest shopping street, as well as Kärntnerstraße.
- For more good places to shop and tips, check out our ultimate Vienna Shopping Guide.
- Book Tickets for the Parndorf Outlets Shuttle Bus Transfer!
7. Enjoy Viennese Cuisine
A rainy day is the best opportunity to taste Viennese cuisine. Try classics like Wiener Schnitzel or Tafelspitz. They taste particularly good at Figlmüller and Gasthaus Pöschl .
Then reward yourself with a delicious dessert, such as the famous Sachertorte, the traditional Kaiserschmarrn or Viennese apple strudel.
- We reveal more delicious Austrian dishes in our list of traditional dishes in Vienna.
Popular Ticket Options:
- Schönbrunn Palace: Mozart & Strauss Concert, Tour & 3-Course Dinner
- Traditional Dinner Show at the Vienna Rathauskeller
- Culinary Experience at Restaurant Stefanie
- Naschmarkt Food Tasting Tour
- 4-hour Food Tour with tastings
8. Wellness Day
Leave the rain behind and enjoy a properly heated day at Therme Wien. The wellness and thermal spa landscape covers a total area of 75,000 m² and is one of the most modern city pools in Europe. Several pools, saunas, steam baths, diving towers, as well as salt water, grotto and jacuzzi pools invite you to relax.
9. Palm House & Butterfly House
Escape the rain to the tropical world of the Palm House. In the green oasis there are three pavilions where you can admire Mediterranean, tropical and subtropical plants. You can also visit the butterfly house here, where you can explore the colorful world of butterflies at a humidity of around 80% and a temperature of around 26 degrees. Surrounded by exotic plants, Café Palmenhaus is the perfect place for a coffee break.
10. Time Travel into Vienna's Past: Time Travel Vienna
Time Travel Vienna not only attracts many visitors on bad weather days! During a virtual journey through time of around 50 minutes, you can travel through Vienna's impressive history at eight different stations. Highlights include an original wartime air raid shelter, a 5D cinema and the Virtual Reality Music Ride in Walzer Hall. Time Travel Vienna is located in the historic vaults of Michaelerkloster in the center of Vienna and is a real highlight for the whole family.
Popular Ticket Options:
- Admission Ticket & "Sisi's Amazing Journey" Virtual Reality Experience
- Admission Ticket, Time Travel and Magic Vienna History Tour
11. Indoor Fun
What could be better than throwing yourself into games, fun and action under the gray rainy sky. Whether paintball, bowling, indoor mini golf, laser tag or karting, the Austrian capital offers numerous indoor halls with great activities in rainy weather.
12. Haus des Meeres - Aqua Terra Zoo
You don't have to do without nature, even in bad weather. An adventurous journey into foreign animal and plant worlds awaits you in the Haus des Meeres. About 10,000 tropical and native animals and plants are presented on more than 4000 square meters, spread over ten floors. Haus des Meeres is housed in an anti-aircraft tower from World War II.
13. Viennese Wine & Heurige
Rainy weather is the opportunity to try a real Viennese Heurigen. Make yourself comfortable in the cozy parlors and get to know an important part of Viennese eating and drinking culture. The Heurige is a Viennese institution. Young wine, Heurige, is served in a wine bar, or Heurige. In addition to local wines, regional dishes are also served.
Popular Ticket Options:
- Heurigen Cruise with Viennese Songs & Buffet (recommended)
- Wachau Valley Day Tour from Vienna with Wine Tasting
- Half-day Countryside Wine Tour with Meal
- Wine and Bike Tour in the Wachau Valley with Wine Tasting & Train Transfer from Vienna
- Hidden Wine Cellars Tasting Experience
- Guided Wine Tasting in a Private Wine Cellar
14. Have a Culture Day
Those interested in culture can quickly forget the bad weather with a performance in the theater, opera, musical or cabaret. In addition to the numerous theaters, including Burgtheater, Volkstheater and the Theater in der Josefstadt, the many cabaret stages are now also part of the cultural program in Vienna. The address for musicals is Ronacher, while the Vienna State Opera offers the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable opera experience.
- Here is a list of 15 theaters in Vienna.
15. Madame Tussauds Vienna
A visit to Madam Tussauds wax museum is fun for all ages on a rainy day. The Vienna branch is located in Vienna's famous amusement park, Prater. Marvel at lifelike wax figures of international stars, personalities from Austrian history such as Emperor Franz and Sisi or stars of the music industry such as Falko and Mozart. The highlight for many visitors is the interactive 5D experience "Sisi Uncovered 5D".
- Secure your Ticket to Madame Tussauds now and enjoy an unforgettable encounter with your favorite stars!
16. Go Rock Climbing
Vienna's climbing halls offer the opportunity to go climbing with the whole family or with friends in any weather and to really work out. Thanks to different levels of difficulty, there is something for everyone. After the work is done, you can sit down in the café to rest and reward yourself. The climbing hall in Vienna, which also offers courses and a huge bouldering landscape, is popular.
17. Visit Extraordinary Exhibitions
In addition to the museum classics, you can also use the rainy weather to visit Vienna's extraordinary exhibitions. How about, for example, the House of Music, where you can conduct the Vienna Philharmonic yourself, or the Museum of Illusions, which puts your brain to the test with optical illusions, illusions and holograms? A funeral museum, a forgery museum and a circus and clown museum are also part of the city's museum offerings.
- Here is our list of museums in Vienna for extra inspiration.
Popular Ticket Options:
- Admission Ticket to Haus der Musik
- Ticket to Mozarthaus Vienna (incl. audio guide)
- Admission Ticket to Museum of Illusions
- Admission Ticket to Sigmund Freud Museum
18. Swimming in Amalienbad
Gray, rainy weather is perfect for splashing around in the indoor pool. But Amalienbad in the 10th district is not just any indoor pool. It impresses with its magnificent Art Nouveau architecture and was once considered one of the largest bathing halls in Europe. Also worth seeing is the sauna, which particularly stands out with its impressive decoration. Rainy weather has never been so beautiful...
19. Therme Wien - Oberlaa
On rainy days, Therme Wien invites you to relax in the warm water, in the sauna landscape and in the wellness area. Easily accessible with the Oberlaa underground station, it is an option for everyone who longs for a little warmth in Vienna on rainy days, autumn and winter.
20. Watching the Starry Sky
Instead of looking at the dreary sky, visitors to the Zeiss Planetarium can admire the breathtaking starry sky. On an exciting foray into the world of astronomy, young and old visitors can look into the endless worlds of space.
21. Explore the Burial Ground of the Habsburgs
Another way to escape the bad weather is to take a tour of the crypt. The mortal remains of the rulers and relatives of the House of Habsburg rest in the imperial crypt of the Capuchin monastery.
As you walk, learn about the history, tragedies, and personalities who found their final resting place here. These include Empress Elisabeth (Sisi), Emperor Franz Joseph, Empress Maria Theresia and Emperor Leopold.
- Tip: After or before that, the Imperial Apartments with the Sisi Museum in the Imperial Palace are a guaranteed place to stay dry for a few hours.
22. Escape Room
Thrills and exciting puzzle adventures await you in an escape room. Dexterity, power of deduction and team spirit are required to free oneself from the realistically designed themed room. The perfect place to brave the rainy weather.
If you don't mind the rainy weather, you can of course also play an outdoor Escape Game and discover Vienna in a playful way.
- Get your ticket now for the adventure of the "Vienna Outdoor Escape Game: The Plague" and experience a unique combination of history, puzzles and city exploration with the help of your smartphone!
23. Indoor Playground Family Fun
This tip is worth its weight in gold for families: Vienna's largest indoor playground in the 22nd district is a small children's paradise and ideal when the weather is bad. A mix of amusement park, action area and delicious gastronomy awaits the little ones on a 7,500 m² play area.
In the huge indoor and outdoor adventure park, children up to the age of 12 can experience fun and action thanks to attractions such as trampolines, go-kart tracks, fun shooters, wave slides, bull riding, climbing walls, electric go-karts and much more.
24. Spanish Riding School
Immerse yourself in the magical world of the Spanish Riding School and marvel at the time-honored equestrian tradition embodied by the elegant white Lipizzan horses. This spectacular spectacle has been a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2015.
From guided tours of the stables to captivating performances, the Spanish Riding School offers the ideal sheltered activity for a rainy day. A special experience is the enchanting "morning training", where the Lipizzaner horses go through their daily training to the sounds of classical music.
Popular Ticket Options:
- Overview of all Spanish Riding School Tickets
- Vienna Spanish Riding School Training with Music Tickets
- Vienna Spanish Riding School Guided Tour
- Performance of The Lipizzans at Spanish Riding School
Best Ticket Options:
- Tickets for Horse Training at the Spanish Riding School
- Tickets for Guided Tour at the Spanish Riding School
- Tickets for Lipizzaner Performance at the Spanish Riding School
- Tickets for Architectural Tour at the Spanish Riding School
- Vienna FLEXI Pass: Save 30% on Your Choice of 2-5 Top Attractions including Spanish Riding School
25. Rain Walk
For all those who are not afraid of a little rain, we recommend a walk. A completely different view of the city opens up, which is now dominated by peace and quiet.
Overcrowded places are now deserted and nature in particular, such as the observatory park, can have a magical effect when it rains. Afterwards, you can warm yourself up again in a cozy café with a nice hot coffee.
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