Best Time to Visit Vienna

April to June, September to October

Months to avoid: July to August, peak tourist season, 30C+ heat in a city not built for it, queues double at major sights

Recommended stay: 3-5 days

Plan Vienna for April to June, September to October. Give it 3-5 days. The window to avoid is July to August, peak tourist season, 30C+ heat in a city not built for it, queues double at major sights.

What the season gets you

• The Kunsthistorisches Museum holds one of the greatest collections of European art outside the Louvre. Vermeer, Bruegel, Velázquez, in a building as ornate as anything it contains
• A standing ticket at the Vienna State Opera costs €4 (about $4.40), arrive 80 minutes early, line up, and hear world-class opera in a gilded 19th-century hall
• The Naschmarkt on a Saturday morning is the real city: Viennese arguing over cheese prices, Turkish vendors, Vietnamese food stalls, and a flea market section that stretches for a block