If you want the short answer: the best way to eat your way through Vienna is a guided food tour through the Naschmarkt, the city’s most famous food market, followed by an evening street food and wine tasting tour through the old town’s traditional taverns and stalls. Between the two, you will have tried Austrian […]
If you want the short answer: the best way to eat your way through Vienna is a guided food tour through the Naschmarkt, the city’s most famous food market, followed by an evening street food and wine tasting tour through the old town’s traditional taverns and stalls. Between the two, you will have tried Austrian wine, a proper Wiener Schnitzel, Käsekrainer from a sausage stand, and the market produce that Viennese cooks have shopped from for over 150 years. If you only have time for one, start at the Naschmarkt: it is the single best introduction to how Vienna actually eats.
We are Prime Tours, an owner-run, local team based in Vienna since 2016 and the local operator behind SANDEMAN’s New Europe tours in the city. Food has always been part of how we show people Vienna, not an afterthought, and the guides who run our food tours grew up eating at these same stalls and taverns. This guide covers every one of our food and drink experiences, what to expect from each, who they suit, and what to eat and drink in Vienna even if you explore on your own.
A good food tour in Vienna is not a restaurant crawl. It moves through markets, sausage stands, wine taverns and family-run shops, tasting as you go, with a local guide explaining what you are eating and why it matters here. Expect walking between stops, small tastings rather than full meals at every stop, and a guide who can answer the questions a menu cannot, such as why a Melange is not just a cappuccino, or why the Naschmarkt still matters to Viennese households that could just as easily shop at a supermarket.
The Naschmarkt Tour Vienna walks the city’s most famous market with a local guide, tasting spices, cheeses, olives and produce as you go and hearing the stories behind the stalls and the traders who run them. This is the tour we recommend first, because the Naschmarkt is where Vienna’s food culture is most visible and most alive.
Who it suits: first-time visitors, food lovers who want context rather than just a snack, and anyone who prefers markets to restaurants.
The Small Group Street Food & Wine Tasting Tour Vienna threads together the dishes that define the city, from a proper Wiener Schnitzel to a sausage-stand Käsekrainer, paired with Austrian wine along the way. It is the closest thing to a moveable feast that Vienna offers, and it covers more ground and more dishes than a single market visit.
Who it suits: groups, couples and anyone who wants a fuller evening out built entirely around eating and drinking.
Vienna is the only world capital with commercial vineyards inside the city limits, so a wine tasting here is a genuinely local experience, no trip out of town required. Wine Tasting Vienna introduces Austrian wines such as Grüner Veltliner in the centre of the city, and for a fully private version, our Private Wine Tasting Vienna tailors the tasting to your group.
Who it suits: wine lovers, couples and anyone who wants to sit down rather than keep walking.
Austria’s beer culture rarely gets the credit it deserves. Craft Beer Tasting Vienna introduces the city’s independent breweries and beer styles, a good alternative or add-on for travellers who prefer hops to grapes.
Who it suits: beer enthusiasts and travellers looking for something other than the standard wine tasting.
If you have a full day to spare, the Wachau Valley wine tour with downhill biking and tasting or the Wachau bike tour trades the city for terraced vineyards, riverside villages and tastings along the Danube, easily the most scenic way to combine food, wine and countryside near Vienna.
Who it suits: wine lovers and active travellers with a full day, and anyone who wants their food tour to double as a countryside escape.
In winter, our Vienna Christmas Market Tour with Tastings and the Private Christmas Market Tour combine the season’s markets with tastings of Punsch, Maroni and Lebkuchen. See our full Vienna Christmas markets guide for more on the markets themselves.
Who it suits: visitors in Vienna between late November and 23 December.
A guided tour is worth it if you want the stories, the introductions to traders and tavern owners, and the confidence of not guessing what to order. If you would rather explore independently, our own editorial guides make excellent self-guided routes: the Naschmarkt and 4th District foodie guide, our piece on what a Heuriger really is, the Viennese Würstelstand guide, and our Top 14 Restaurants in Vienna roundup. Travelling with dietary needs? Our Vegan Vienna guide covers plant-based options across the city.
If you only remember a handful of dishes, remember these. Wiener Schnitzel, a breaded and fried veal or pork cutlet, is the dish most visitors come looking for. Tafelspitz, boiled beef served with its broth and horseradish, is the quieter classic that locals order more often. Käsekrainer, a cheese-filled sausage from a Würstelstand, is the best late-night or on-the-go bite. Sachertorte and apple strudel are the sweet finish, best enjoyed slowly in a traditional coffee house with a Melange. At the Naschmarkt, look for fresh produce, olives, spices and sit-down bites from across the world, a reminder that Vienna’s food culture is not only Austrian.
Vienna is the only world capital with vineyards inside its city limits, so Grüner Veltliner and other Austrian whites are worth seeking out in the centre, not just on a Wachau day trip. A Heuriger, a traditional wine tavern, is where locals actually drink their own wine, usually a little further out in neighbourhoods like Grinzing or Neustift am Walde. Beer culture is strong too, with a growing independent craft scene. For something warm and seasonal, Punsch and Glühwein define the Christmas market months.
Markets like the Naschmarkt are busiest and most fun in the late morning, so a morning market tour is the better choice if you want energy and variety. Street food and wine tours work best in the early evening, when stalls and taverns are settling into their evening rhythm. Christmas market food tours naturally run from the second weekend of November to 23 December, when the markets are open.
| If you want to… | Best option | Explore |
|---|---|---|
| The essential market experience | Guided Naschmarkt walk with tastings | Naschmarkt Tour Vienna |
| A full evening of tasting and walking | Street food across several stops, with wine | Small Group Street Food & Wine Tasting Tour |
| A sit-down wine experience | Austrian wines in the city centre | Wine Tasting Vienna · Private option |
| Beer over wine | Independent Austrian craft breweries | Craft Beer Tasting Vienna |
| Food and wine as a day trip | Vineyards, river views and tastings | Wachau Valley Wine Tour |
| A winter market food crawl | Punsch, Maroni and Lebkuchen with a guide | Christmas Market Tour with Tastings |
| To explore food on your own | Editorial neighbourhood and dish guides | Naschmarkt & 4th District guide |
For most visitors, the best food tour in Vienna is our guided walk through the Naschmarkt, the city’s most famous market, because it gives you the widest introduction to how Viennese people actually eat. For a fuller evening covering more dishes, from Wiener Schnitzel to Käsekrainer with wine along the way, our Small Group Street Food & Wine Tasting Tour is the better choice.
Pricing varies by tour and group size, so check each tour page for current prices before booking. As a general rule, small-group tastings are the better-value option, while private tours cost more but tailor the pace and stops to your group.
Yes. You can walk the Naschmarkt on your own for free, but a guide points you to the stalls worth stopping at, includes tastings you would otherwise have to buy piecemeal, and explains the history and the traders behind the market, which is easy to miss walking through alone.
Classic Viennese dishes include Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz (boiled beef), Käsekrainer from a sausage stand, and Sachertorte or apple strudel to finish. The Naschmarkt is the best single place to try a wide range of these and international bites in one visit.
Our food and market tours include vegetarian-friendly tastings, and you can flag dietary needs to your guide before the tour starts. For a fully plant-based self-guided route, see our Vegan Vienna guide, which covers dedicated vegan spots across the city.
A Heuriger is a traditional Viennese wine tavern where local winemakers serve their own wine, usually with simple buffet-style food, often in neighbourhoods like Grinzing slightly outside the centre. It is not included in our central food tours but makes an excellent half-day add-on; see our full guide to Heuriger culture for how to visit one.
Yes, they offer different things. A central wine tasting is quick, convenient and focused on Austrian wine styles without leaving the city. The Wachau Valley day trip adds the vineyard landscape itself, a bike ride and a full day out, so it suits visitors with more time rather than replacing a quick city tasting.
Morning is best for the Naschmarkt, when the market is busiest and freshest. Early evening suits street food and wine tours, when stalls and taverns are in full swing. Christmas market food tours run only within the market season, from the second weekend of November to 23 December.
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