As soon as the New Year’s Eve rockets have faded, the Danube metropolis goes into a kind of hibernation . Like the rest of Austria, it begins with a real public holiday. For visitors from outside Europe, the closed stores, restaurants, cafés and sometimes even museums and other tourist attractions often come as a surprise. Nevertheless, there are plenty of things to do in Vienna on January 1. Here are the best tips from the Chill Report editorial team:
New Year’s brunch in Vienna 2026
No alcohol and less food are definitely not part of your New Year’s resolutions? Then there’s nothing to stop you from treating yourself to a sumptuous New Year’s brunch in Vienna. More and more hotels and restaurants are offering special breakfast experiences on January 1st. At the Pastamara at The Ritz-Carlton, for example, you can enjoy typical Sicilian classics created by 2-star chef Ciccio Sultano and Chef Francesco Milicia. For € 185 per person, they serve a glass of Prosecco and highlights such as panettone, burrata and pasta. At the Imperial Riding School, the Elstar restaurant will be hosting a New Year’s brunch from 1 pm. Show stations with Ikarimi salmon, rib eye, roast pork on forked cabbage and excellent desserts await guests. Top: At € 79 per person, the New Year’s brunch is super-affordable, as all drinks are already included and the champagne upgrade costs € 40. If you want typical Viennese flair for breakfast, head to the Café Hummel. There you can enjoy smoked salmon rolls and goulash with a live broadcast of the New Year’s concert.
Open museums in Vienna on January 1
Not every museum is closed on New Year’s Day. The ALBERTINA, the Architecture Center, the Upper Belvedere, the Ernst Fuchs Museum, the House of Music and the House of the Sea are open, as are the Hofburg, the Jewish Museum, the Imperial Crypt and the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The Mozart House, MAK, National Library and Treasury are also open to visitors. Most of them open a little later on this day. It is therefore worth taking a look at the website. Visitors to the museum on New Year’s Day not only start 2026 with education, but can also look forward to fewer crowds than during the rest of the Christmas vacations. The Wien Museum, the Technical Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Picture Gallery and the Museum of Military History are closed.
To the thermal baths on January 1
With the Therme Wien, the city has one of the largest urban thermal spa landscapes in the whole of Europe. From Stephansplatz, you can reach the thermal baths in just 15 minutes (Oberlaa station). It is open from 9 am to 10 pm on public holidays. On an area of around 75,000 square meters, 4,000 square meters of water are available to water lovers of all ages. You can sweat out the toxins from the day before in the huge sauna world. Or you can start implementing your good intentions for 2026 right away by heading to the fitness area. Whether you come with the whole family or are looking for peace and quiet: You’ll find what you’re looking for at Therme Wien.
Beautiful winter walks in Vienna
People who feel drawn to the outdoors have an extremely wide choice of city hiking trails and excursions into nature in Vienna. Even in the colder months. Walks with a view (and with a bit of luck also with sunshine) lead, for example, to the Wilhelminenberg, through the Steinhofgründe, to the Nussberg, Kahlenberg or Schafberg. The official city hiking trails are popular and well-known among locals. Visitors, on the other hand, are often unaware that Vienna has more to offer than the 1st district. Following one of the city hiking trails is a good opportunity to get to know the city away from Ringstrasse and Rathausplatz.
