Austria Walking Tours: 15 Guides Who Know the Back Streets

1.Guided Walking Tour of City Center Highlights

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 4,989 reviews · 2 hours · from $25Our pick

Walk Vienna’s historic center with an English or German-speaking guide such as Alex, Sandra, Wolfgang, or Stephan. You’ll see the Hofburg exterior, Spanish Riding School, famous coffee houses, Blutgasse, and St. Stephen’s Cathedral while hearing stories about Habsburg Vienna, local customs, and cathedral legends. Private groups and optional hotel pickup on foot are available.

“Verena is the best guide I have met in years! Top professional, artistic , in love with history of Vienna. Tour takes you to places both known and which you would not find yourself, highly recommended”

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2.Vienna Central Cemetery Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 3,307 reviews · 2 hours

Spend two hours walking Vienna Central Cemetery with an English or German guide. You’ll see honor graves, soldiers’ memorials, religious sections, famous names such as Falco and Udo Jürgens, and the impressive Luegerkirche. The private group option suits families and friends, while guide Johann is known for clear explanations, humor, and a lively pace.

“Imposant zu sehen! Sehr interessant gestaltet von unserem Guide Johann, der sein grosses Wissen mit Humor Preis gab!”

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3.Guided Walking Tour of City Highlights & Hidden Gems

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 2,180 reviews · 2 hours · from $27

See Vienna’s major sights on foot with a local guide, including the Minoritenkirche mosaic, Hofburg, Heldenplatz, Spanish Riding School, Opera, and St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The tour stays outside museums and palaces, but guides such as Michael, Celine, Max, and Petra bring the city’s imperial past to life. Expect a brisk two-hour walk, helpful recommendations, and earpieces in larger groups.

“Very good! Marlene is so nice and shared a lot of fun facts and history facts about Vienna. I highly recommend to enjoy a walk in Vienna while learning about its history.”

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4.Viennese Underworld Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,865 reviews · 1 - 2 hours · from $37

Step below central Vienna with a German-speaking guide such as Bella, choosing a 1, 1.5, or 2-hour route through private cellars. Depending on your option, you may see World War II relics, former air raid shelters, a pharmacy laboratory, medicine storage, and refuge spaces. English audio is available by phone.

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5.World War II Historical Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,772 reviews · 2h 30m · from $31

Walk from the Albertina Museum through Vienna’s wartime past with an English-speaking guide such as Dieter, Stefan, or Siggi. Learn about Hitler’s Vienna years, the annexation, Nazi persecution, bombing, liberation, and postwar occupation. Expect about 4 kilometers of walking, outdoor stops, headsets for larger groups, and no attraction admissions.

“The tour guide was very informative and posed very thought provoking questions!”

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6.Vienna Historic Center Small Group Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,746 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $72Top rated

Walk central Vienna for about 2.5 hours with a certified English-speaking guide and no more than 15 people. The route links Maria-Theresien-Platz, the Ringstrasse, Hofburg Palace, Rathaus, Graben, and St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Guides such as Dace, Giselle, Gabriela, Beatrice, and Annelie add history, humor, café advice, and practical tips. Expect a brisk outdoor tour with no museum entry.

“Dress warm! You will learn a lot and walk a lot. Gabriela was jovial and passionate and made the tour!!”

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7.Private Walking Tour with a Local

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,446 reviews · 2 - 6 hours · from $56

Meet a Lokafyer for a private Vienna walk built around your interests. Guides such as Anna, Aida, Ernst, Felix, and Yenny have led history-rich city walks, local food stops, Christmas-market visits, and public transport orientations. Choose two to six hours, request a meeting point near the center, and set the pace yourself.

“My guide Aida was amazing! I was traveling solo and did not want to join a group tour with random strangers. Aida was like having a good friend show me around the city she loves. She made sure to customize what I wanted to see and do, and at the pace I wanted as well. Aida is extremely knowledgeable in the history and culture of Vienna. I learned so much. I booked a 5 hour tour, and Aida covered a lot, which was exactly what I wanted. She also help teach me how to navigate the public transit system for the rest of the days I was staying in Vienna.…”

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8.1.5-Hour Underground Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,146 reviews · 1h 40m · from $32

This 100-minute German-language tour begins at Michaelerplatz and enters Vienna’s Roman remains, old city wall, cellars, and St. Michael’s Church crypt. Guides such as Christopher and Bridgett have led engaging outings, with occasional English help possible but not guaranteed. Expect cool, dim spaces and a walking route unsuitable for wheelchairs.

“We joined the tour even though it was in German as we wanted to see the underground areas of the city but there isn't an English tour available. The guide was accommodating and spoke to us in English for a few facts but we mainly used Google translate voice function. Even though we only understood 60% of the tour (Google voice translation only works with data and a few parts we were too deep underground), it was still worth it as these areas u won't be able to go yourself and won't even know where to find most of them. Hopefully with more interest, there will be an English tour…”

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9.Ghosts and Legends Guided Nighttime Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 1,088 reviews · 2 hours · from $20

Join Astrid Stangl or another English or German-speaking guide for a two-hour night walk through central Vienna. Hear documented crimes, Habsburg-era tales, vampire legends, and stories linked to Dracula while seeing Hofburg Palace, the Augustinian Church, Neuer Markt, Blutgasse, and St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

“the guide was very nice, she talked very clearly. loved the stories and the legends!”

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10.Vienna for Food Lovers: Cafés, Markets & Austrian Cuisine

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,063 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $159

Spend six hours tasting Vienna with a small English-speaking group and guides such as Christoph, Maria, Patrick, or MaryAnn. You’ll visit cafés, markets, a bakery, restaurant, and Würstelstand while learning to use the city’s transit system. Expect coffee, pastry, Austrian lunch, wine or beer, street food, and enough food to skip dinner.

“I can’t say enough about the food and guide from this tour. Maria was outstanding and provided information about the city, food and culture. The interaction with each member on the tour is personal and caring. The knowledge of the city and the food is conveyed passionately and the food vendors have been uniquely “hand picked” to provide a brilliant combination of flavours and variety.”

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11.Salzburg 2.5-Hour Walking Tour: Mozart, Old Town & More

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 987 reviews · 2h 30m · from $53

Start at Mirabell Palace and cross the Makartsteg into Salzburg’s Old Town. Your English or German guide leads you past Mozart’s Residence, Getreidegasse, churches, historic squares, and medieval buildings. Guides such as Junko and June are known for lively storytelling and occasional singing in a church. An optional 30 minutes and Mönchsberg view round out the tour.

“June, our tour guide, was excellent and very knowledgeable. She also treated us to a vocal performance, as she is a beautiful singer. It was a great experience.”

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12.Private Walking Tour with a Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 962 reviews · 2 - 8 hours · from $55

Take a private, flexible walk through Vienna with a local guide such as Guram, Hande, Ernst, or Fouad Augusto. Set the pace and focus on palaces, churches, music, architecture, cafés, or lesser-known corners. Hotel pickup is available in central Vienna, and your guide can help plan museum visits, transport, restaurants, and the rest of your stay.

“Hande was a great tour guide and really personalised the tour to what we were interested in. A thoroughly enjoyable experience and highly recommended.”

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13.Historical Hitler Walking Tour of Vienna

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 887 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $32

This 2.5-hour English walking tour links Hitler’s Vienna with the State Opera, the art academy that rejected him, Heldenplatz, Jewish memorials, and the former Gestapo headquarters. Guides such as Dieter, Wolfgang, Stephan, and Charles use stories, maps, and images to explain how Vienna shaped and suffered under National Socialism.

“Our guide was wonderful, very knowledgable and really gave a great overview of such a horrific time in history. We all learned so much about Hitler and how antisemitism grew in Germany and Austria.”

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14.Essential History Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 633 reviews · 2 hours · from $34

Spend two hours walking Vienna’s historic center with a live English or German guide, often Herbert or Wolfgang. You’ll connect Roman Vienna, the Habsburg court, wartime damage, royal weddings, and the Imperial Crypt, while seeing the Hofburg, Heldenplatz, Albertina, State Opera, and St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Entrance fees are extra.

“The guide was very interesting. Had vast historical knowledge of the places observed and a good sense of humour. Definitely recommend.”

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15.Small Group Guided Walking Tour of City Highlights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 540 reviews · from $40

Join Maria Tours Live for a two-hour English walking tour of central Vienna. With no more than 14 people, you’ll see Hofburg Palace, the Opera, Spanish Riding School, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and lesser-known corners while learning about the Habsburgs, Sisi, Mozart, and Viennese coffeehouse life.

“Very friendly, knowledgeable and overall a great tour!! Highly recommend!”

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