Do you love art, coffee, classical music, stunning museums, shopping and people watching? Then Vienna is the city for you. It’s classy, perfectly mixes old and new while providing you with lots of great things to do and see when you’re in town. Once you’ve decided where to stay in Vienna, you can get started exploring this gorgeous city. If you’ve only got a few days to visit Vienna, you’ll be hard pressed to fit everything in, so we’ve made a list of the top five things to do in Vienna so you can make the most of your time there.

1) Vienna’s Zoo

One of the best zoos in the world, Vienna’s zoo is packed with a variety of animals, including the very rare giant pandas. The gardens bordering the zoo are wonderful too. The zoo feels very traditional and has an open plan style to it, so you never feel like the animals are hidden behind barriers. The grounds themselves are quite large and there are a number of different enclosures, showcasing a variety of animals from around the world. This is a great place to visit for everyone, young and old, and will take the better part of the whole day to explore.

2) Drink Coffee and Eat Cake

There’s no better combination, really – and it’s a great way to feel like a local. Head down to Cafe Diglas on Fleischmarkt 16 and enjoy coffee and cake in a grand way. One of the greatest pastimes in Vienna is simply people watching – admiring their style and dress, while sipping on a delicious cup of kava.

3) Visit Naturhistorisches Museum

The Natural History museum in Vienna is one of the best in the world. Housed in a grand building (with a fine arts museum facing it on the opposite side) it’s the perfect way to spend a day, especially if the weather outside is less than desirable. This is another attraction that is great for the entire family, as it’s packed with lots of great artefacts and stuffed animals, as well as a lot of engaging exhibitions.

4) Schonbrunn Palace

This is the perfect place to admire Austria’s rich history. The palace itself is a beautiful and impressive building, which is housed on immaculate grounds. The gardens are free to visit, perfect for lounging in the sun with a book. The palace is quite large and if you choose to go through a tour you’ll get to see inside 20 of the most important rooms. If possible, visit on aMonday as the palace is always jam packed with visitors and Mondays tend to be the quietest days.

5) The Historic Centre of Vienna

Vienna is a pretty city – there’s no doubt about it. The buildings in the historic centre are grand and beautifully decorated. As Vienna was the centre of a very wealthy empire, it seems no expense was spared on making the city as grand as possible. Because there’s barely any traffic in the historic centre, it makes for a great place to walk around at a leisurely pace while enjoying the beautiful architecture. There are a few hop on hop off bus companies that operate if you’re short on time, but want to see the biggest highlights in the historic centre.

These are our top five things to do in Vienna. Did we miss anything important from the list?