Day Trip to Vienna From the UK, Palaces and Markets
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A day trip to Vienna from Stansted on Thursday 26 November 2026 is £100.00 return with Ryanair and £156.30 for the whole day, with about 9.2 hours in the city.
A day trip to Vienna from the UK works out at £156.30 all in from Stansted on Thursday 26 November, with over nine hours in the city. From Manchester on Saturday 28 November it's £147.30.
Vienna isn't one of the cheap ones. But it's one of the most impressive cities you can do as one of our extreme day trips, and in late November the whole place is lit up for Christmas.
What are the best days for a Vienna day trip?
Stansted, Thursday 26 November. Ryanair out at 06:05, landing at 09:15. Home at 21:15, back at Stansted at 22:35. £100.00 return and £156.30 all in. You're in the city from about 09:50 to 19:00, a proper long day. See the day trip to Vienna from Stansted
Manchester, Saturday 28 November. Ryanair out at 08:25, landing at 11:50. Home at 21:50, back at 23:25. £91.00 return, the cheapest flight, and £147.30 all in. It's a later start, so you get about 7.2 hours, but it's a Saturday, so no day off needed. See Vienna from Manchester
Stansted or Manchester?
It depends what you want from the day. Stansted gives you the most time, over nine hours, but it's a Thursday and a 06:05 flight, so you're booking a day off and setting a very early alarm.
Manchester is the cheaper flight and it's a Saturday, but the 08:25 departure means you don't land till nearly midday. You'll have to choose between a palace and a museum, you won't fit both in properly.
Either way the ground cost is the same £56.30, so the difference is just the flight and the hours.
How do you get from Vienna airport to the centre?
Take the Railjet to Hauptbahnhof. It's 15 minutes and €5.50.
Don't get caught out by the S7. Until the end of October 2027 it stops at St. Marx, short of the centre, and the CAT is running as a bus. The Railjet is the easy one.
How much does a day in Vienna cost?
The trip page has the ground cost at £56.30 per person.
- Railjet in and back, £10.00
- Getting around town, £8.00
- Lunch, £12.80
- Dinner, £25.50
Dinner is the big one. If you want to keep it down, eat your main meal at lunch and grab something at a market stall in the evening.
What should you see in a day?
Pick one palace and one museum, and walk the rest.
Free. The Ringstrasse walk takes you past most of the big buildings. Schönbrunn's park and grounds are free, so are the Belvedere gardens, the Stadtpark and the Danube Canal. Naschmarkt is great on a Thursday, but it's closed on Sundays.
Paid. Schönbrunn Palace is €42, which is steep for a day trip. The Upper Belvedere is €23, the Kunsthistorisches Museum €22, and the Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments €20. On a day trip, one paid ticket is plenty.
What would a day look like?
On the Stansted day, you're in the centre by about 09:50. Go straight out to Schönbrunn while it's quiet and walk the grounds, then back into town for lunch near Naschmarkt. Afternoon on the Ringstrasse, with one museum if you've got the legs. Then Rathausplatz after dark, dinner, and the Railjet back.
Are the Christmas markets open in late November?
Yes. The Christkindlmarkt on Rathausplatz opens on 13 November, and so do Am Hof, Spittelberg and Art Advent on Karlsplatz. The Altwiener market on the Freyung opens on the 14th, and the one at Schönbrunn has been going since 6 November. Both days above are right in the middle of it. See our Vienna Christmas markets page for the full list.
Sunset is around 16:05, so do Schönbrunn and the walking in daylight, then go to Rathausplatz when the lights come on.
Day trip or weekend?
A day is enough for a taste. If you want the markets and the museums without rushing, we wrote up a Vienna Christmas market weekend too.
For the 26 November day, leave the city by 19:00. The last Railjet isn't the issue, the airport time is. Or browse all our day trips from Stansted.
Fares and times were checked on 1 November and they move daily, so check the trip page for today's.
Founders get every Vienna date priced six months ahead, which is how you find the £91.00 days. It's £19.00 a year. Become a founder
Day trips in this article
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