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7 Most Instagrammable Spots in Vienna, Austria's Imperial Capital
From a tiled cathedral roof to a Habsburg summer palace, Vienna's imperial-era architecture gives it one of the more consistently photogenic skylines in Europe.
Sep 24, 2026 · BigTravel.in
Vienna built its skyline on imperial ambition, and much of what makes it so photogenic today, gilded palace facades, a cathedral roof tiled like a mosaic, Baroque domes stacked against wide boulevards, dates from a period when the Habsburg court was actively competing with the rest of Europe on spectacle. Here are seven spots worth building a Vienna visit around, each with a direct map link.
1. Schönbrunn Palace and the Gloriette
The Habsburgs' former summer residence, a vast yellow Baroque palace set in formal gardens that climb to the Gloriette, a colonnaded structure on the hill behind it offering one of the best overview shots of the palace and grounds together, especially in the soft light of early morning before the tour groups arrive.
2. Belvedere Palace
Two Baroque palaces set either side of a formal garden, built for Prince Eugene of Savoy in the early 18th century, the Belvedere's Upper Palace also holds Gustav Klimt's The Kiss, making the building itself and its most famous resident painting a two-for-one for anyone photographing Vienna's grander side.
3. St. Stephen's Cathedral
The Gothic cathedral at the centre of Vienna's old town is instantly recognisable for its patterned roof, more than 230,000 glazed tiles laid out in a zigzag design, best photographed from one of the surrounding rooftop cafes or bars looking directly down onto it.
4. Hundertwasserhaus
An apartment building with almost no straight lines or two matching windows, designed by the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser and completed in 1985, its uneven floors, rooftop trees and irregular, brightly coloured facade remain a deliberate rebuke to conventional architecture, and one of Vienna's most-photographed modern buildings.
5. Vienna State Opera
One of the world's leading opera houses, its Neo-Renaissance facade and gilded interior have hosted premieres since 1869, and the building is striking even without a ticket, particularly the grand staircase and facade lit up after dark.
6. Wiener Riesenrad, Prater
Vienna's giant Ferris wheel, built in 1897 and still turning in the Prater amusement park, offers both a classic silhouette shot from the park below and, from inside one of its wooden cabins, a slow-moving panorama over the city's rooftops.
7. Karlskirche
A Baroque church completed in 1737, Karlskirche's oval dome flanked by two towering columns modelled on Trajan's Column in Rome makes for one of Vienna's more unusual church facades, especially reflected in the shallow pool set in front of it.
Traveller tips
- Vienna's public transport network makes most of these sights reachable without a car; a multi-day transport pass is worth it for a trip covering several of them.
- Schönbrunn's gardens are free to enter even without a palace ticket, and open earlier than the interior rooms.
- St. Stephen's Cathedral's roof pattern is easiest to make out from a distance or above; up close, the tiles are harder to read as a design.
- Spring and early autumn bring milder weather for walking between the old town and the Belvedere or Prater, both a short distance from the centre.
Where this is
Vienna, Austria