On the bank of the River Danube, the Austrian capital Vienna is often described as the world’s music capital thanks to its opera and links to classical composers like Beethoven and Mozart.

But this beautiful city is equally renowned for its wonderful art nouveau and baroque buildings, its imperial palaces, museums and art galleries, the centuries-old glamour of its historic ballrooms and Viennese waltz as well as the many excellent coffee houses – not to mention its patisserie. Beloved by locals as well as visitors, its most famous sweet treat is the Sacher-Torte created in Vienna for Prince Metternich in 1832 and still crafted using Franz Sacher's original recipe.

Whether you're visiting Vienna for business or leisure, you'll find Avis rental stations across the city with the top Avis rental locations in Vienna at Vienna Railway Station, Votiv Park in Vienna’s central 9th District, and Vienna International Airport Schwechat.

With an Avis Car Rental, you can easily and conveniently explore Vienna and the surrounding area and experience all it has to offer. The former capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire has played a hugely significant part in the history and culture of the region from its position at the crossroads of Europe.

Today, it’s a modern city which showcases its remarkable history in style across its 23 distinctive districts. These are easy to navigate as they are named as well as numbered spiralling out from the central area, Innere Stadt or 1st district.

As well as exploring this most magical city by car, there is plenty to see within an easy drive from central Vienna, with fairytale villages, lush valleys, vineyards and walking trails.

The sheer size and scale of the grand architecture in Vienna is mind blowing and top of the list as one of Vienna’s most popular attractions is the chance to get some insight into the life of the Hapsburgs at their famous summer retreat on the edge of city, the Schönbrunn Palace.  Located in Heitzing on the southwestern perimeter of the city, the magnificent palace and grounds can easily occupy at least half a day.

To see the city up close, the central district is walkable and fun to explore. Don’t miss the Opera House and Stephansdom (St Stephan’s Cathedral).   

To soak up the music and dancing that are so associated with Vienna head to a Johann Strauss Concert in the Lanner Hall of the Kursalon Wien.  An afternoon here offers the opportunity to experience the Viennese Waltz at an historic venue.

After so much walking and dancing, you’ll deserve some refreshment and what better than a coffee and patisserie in one of the city’s grand Kaffehaus eateries? Wherever you are in Vienna, you’ve not far to go to find a great coffee house as there is at least one in all 23 districts.

Vienna is within easy reach of some of Austria and central Europe’s most popular destinations. Being close to the border with Hungary and Slovakia. Bratislava, capital of Slovakia is an hour’s drive away, while you can reach Budapest, capital of Hungary in just 2.5hr.

One of the best day trips by car from Vienna is a scenic drive along the Danube Valley west of the city to Wachau and Melk a trip of around 115km which will take around 2hr with stops. As you travel southwest, you enter stunning countryside with steep wooded hillsides rising above the Danube. You can plan the route to cross the river at a variety of points and drive either north or south of the river. Stop off along the way at some of the small towns and villages along the Danube or detour north to the Jauerling-Wachau Nature Park to enjoy some hiking in spectacular countryside.

The top tip for driving around Vienna is to plan your route before you travel and use GPS to navigate. It’s worth noting the city’s speed limits which range between 30km/hr and 50km/hr. This is something to be wary of especially if you have experienced driving on the autobahns across the border in Germany.

When driving in the city, if you encounter an ‘Einbahn’, this is a “one-way street,” – be aware that sometimes Einbahns have cycle lanes going in both directions.

The Austrian motorway and dual carriageway network also operates a corridor free from traffic (a Rettungsgasse) in the event of an accident or to allow emergency vehicles to pass.

It’s worth checking the driving rules in Austria before you travel and pick up your hire car. In Vienna, like the rest of mainland Europe, you will be driving on the right-hand side of the road. When you are in the city, you may be fined for using your horn.

Car parking is plentiful in Vienna ranging from on-street to public car parks while many hotels have their own parking facilities.

While there is good public transport in and around Vienna and the centre of the city is easy to get around on foot, it is worth hiring a car to travel across and outside the city. Renting a car in Vienna gives you the chance to explore further afield opening opportunities to plan a road trip around Central Europe. Hiring a car is also ideal if you are travelling to Vienna International Airport and heading for one of the many ski and winter sports resorts within reach of the city.

If you're feeling inspired, why not plan a road trip across Austria with an itinerary compiled by our experts?