Nancy G.

When in Vienna, this cathedral is a must-see. We started with the tower, which you need to pay for. You enter a narrow, spiral stone staircase that takes you up, and up, and up. 343 steps, to be exact. It doesn't seem like that much, but you're inside what is basically a stone tube with steps made for feet from the 16 and 1700's! By the time you get to the top, you're winded and have had a good workout, but the views are incredible! You can see across the city in every direction, and you get an up close look of the gorgeous cathedral roof. We stayed up there for at least 20 to 30 minutes, just taking everything in (and cooling off). The descent was much easier. We then looked around the outside of the church, taking in all the architectural details. There is a model on the right side of the building as you are facing it, and it gives you a pretty good idea of the layout. Finally, we made our way to the main entrance and entered. St. Stephan's is extremely Gothic in design and it shows, literally everywhere. Pictures will never do it justice. There are just soooo many carvings, frescoes, paintings, and stained glass windows to look at that it can be difficult to take it all in. Of all the churches in Vienna, this is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna. THIS is the church not to miss. 66/2025

Jim W.

We visited St. Stephen's Cathedral on our last morning in Vienna (a Monday). It is, unsurprisingly, located at the St. Stephansplatz subway station. This is also the closest public restroom, as they do not have one available in the church itself. The church opened at 9 a.m. and we were a few minutes early. We circled around the outside and took some photos. My wife had downloaded Rick Steves audio tour of the church (covering both the interior and exterior) and was fairly interesting. It lasted about 35 minutes. While it is free to enter the church, there are 3 areas where you have to pay: the 2 towers and the main aisle / altar. You can see most of the interior from the free side-aisle, but depending on how up-close you want to get, you may want to pay. I think each area cost about 7 Euros per person, but you could get a combo ticket for 20 Euros. We just did the towers, though. For the smaller north tower, there is an elevator. It only takes 5 people plus the operator so there may be a line (up and down). There are a couple of different platforms at the top along with good views of the church's tiled roof and the surrounding area. I thought it was worth it. No one else was interested in climbing the taller south tower with me. There is no elevator there, and it was 343 steps to get up to a small, enclosed gift shop about 2/3 of the way up the structure. You are still higher than you were on the other side, though. It took about 12 minutes for the climb. As this is enclosed, the views are more restricted here. There are some nice views, though. I'm not sure this is really worth it, but I'd skipped the bell tower in Bruges last year due to what I thought was price-gouging, so I felt due for a tower climb. The cathedral is one of the signature spots in Vienna, so it is definitely worth a visit. I don't think it was quit in the same league as Notre Dame in Paris or St. Peter's, but it was certainly a place I'd recommend.

Sigrid W.

Wow... this cathedral is impressive, even by European standards. You can see it from a large distance already and as you come nearer you can see the expanse of this building. The interior as well as the exterior are well maintained. There are just so many details to look at, you could spend hours in here. The grandeur of the past is almost overwhelming. The super high ceilings may make you feel somewhat insignificant. Definitely a must see if you're in the city.

Bonnie G.

Gorgeous roof on the outside of this church that blasts choral music inside, which I actually love and made the atmosphere celebratory. Turns out Mozart got married here (and I can see why!) Tall stained glass windows. 5 stars!!!

Jo W.

The area around St Stephens Cathedral is very touristy, so I felt safe walking around and taking photos of the cathedral late at night. It is an awe-inspiring, gorgeous, gothic behemoth of a building. The female vocals from Rammstein's "Sonne" plays in my head upon tilting my eyes heavenward so that I can absorb St Stephen Cathedral's majesty and take many, many photos capturing the details of its gothic architecture.

Sabrina S.

Gorgeous cathedral that can be seen above the city limits. Stephansplatz square surrounds the cathedral with shops, restaurants, and entertainment. Horse drawn carriages ready to guide you around were on one side of the church. After taking quite a few pics, we headed inside and mass was in session. Limited access once inside unless you were attending mass, but the beautiful organ was playing and the interior of the church was absolutely amazing to look at. The cathedral has a north and south tower you can go up. We went for the south tower which has amazing views of the entire city. Cost was 6.5 euros each and you'll take 343 steep spiral stairs to get to the top. No easy feat, I felt a little dizzy afterwards....but worth it. Once at top, windows open up views to all of Vienna. A small bench area to rest and gift shop are there as well. After our way down, the harvest festival had started on Stephansplatz with a local band playing that were guided by police through the streets. Happy Sunday!

Sara G.

St. Stephen's Cathedral is a Gothic masterpiece. Construction began in the 12th century, and over the centuries, it evolved with various architectural styles. Mozart was married here, and Haydn's funeral was held here. Beautiful and a must see.

Warren D.

Date of visit: June 6, 2024 We purchased All Inclusive Tickets online as we did not have much in the way of Euros and when on site, only cash is accepted for the various "tours." See my separate review of the Dom Museum Wien, too. Here are reviews of the various elements of the cathedral. Catacombs (Katakombenfuhrung) - You gather inside the church and the guide will narrate in English and German. Our guide did not pause long for questions so if you have any, ask 'em quick! No pictures during the catacombs tour--understandable but a bit disappointing as it's difficult to explain what it is that you are seeing! Many parts are quite dark so I did use my phone camera to illuminate some areas a little better. North Tower (Nordturm) - This is where you can "see" the Pummerin, the largest church bell in Austria. The real view here is that of Vienna as the bell is enclosed behind dirty windows. The elevator is small so suck in your guy before and during the ride! The guides are fun and play great music and it's a 20 second ride so it could certainly be far worse. South Tower (Sudturm) - You would think that after climbing over 300 narrow stairs you would be greeted with wonderful sights and people. And you would be wrong; there is a small gift shop and the views are only through small windows. The cashier here looked like he drowns kittens for fun in his spare time, so if you are wary of the stairs, you could definitely skip this one. All in all a mixed bag here. If you want to do just some of these things and skip others to same some time and money, that is definitely the way to go. And the cathedral itself is free to wander through. We could have done the audio tour of the cathedral but we were a bit audioguided out by this point.

Cathy C.

Yelp Review 2023 #13: An Austrian landmark not to be missed. It's a beautiful Catholic Church. Even if you're not Catholic, you'd find this church remarkable from the outside and inside. Sadly, a lot of tourists I've witnessed and encountered here do not have etiquette. Be respectful of church-goers as you would your own place of worship - May it be a mosque, temple or synagogue. You wouldn't want to be praying and wanting some peace and tourists snapping pictures and being loud, right? Take your crying and screaming children out of the church until they've calmed down. This church has been around for centuries. Since the 12th century to be exact. It has not escaped the devastation caused by World War II. The day I visited was the day after Christmas which was also St. Stephen's feast day which means more people came. There's a lot of remarkable features of this church including catacombs that were accidentally discovered only in 2000. (Refer to my catacombs review). The altar is pretty high. The roof is also beautiful. They also have a Christmas market outside the church from November to December.

Arshad H.

St. Stephen's Cathedral founded in the 12th century is one of the must see highlights when visiting Vienna. Situated in Vienna's historic center at Stephanplatz, this Romanesque church with Gothic additions is quite the site to see. It's listed in the top 10 tallest churches in the world. Admission to the church is FREE, although there are several tours available inside to admire the beauty of this church. One of the unique features of this church are the colorful mosaic roof tiles. A great way to get a closer look at them is to take an elevator (6 euros) up the north tower. You'll also be treated to gorgeous views of Vienna from up there. One can also go up the south tower (343 stairs to the top and no elevator). Overall I enjoyed my visit here and it's one of the must see sites in Vienna. Just a few hundred feet away is another beautiful church worth visiting, St. Peter's (Baroque style).

Mark B.

There is something about these old European churches that really reignites the religious flame within. I wish we had anything like this in the United States, but unfortunately, we do not. Saint Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, while maybe not as gorgeous other cathedrals throughout Europe, is nonetheless fantastic display of beauty and religious expression. When you first enter, you are struck with the sheer magnitude of the interior, as well as the architectural beauty of the building. Admission was free, you could choose to pay for tours if you wanted. highly recommend!

Mary A.

An absolute must see in Vienna. No entrance fee to walk in. The architecture is breathtaking - inside and outside. The stain glass windows are incredible. The tile roof is beautiful as well. I imagine it's gorgeous from an aerial view as well.

John F.

I saw.A LOT of churches on my trip up the beautiful Danube River (back when Americans could go to Europe!). And this one was my favorite. It was as beautiful on the outside as it was from within. There was so much to see and learn about this religious symbol's 700 history. Vienna is an awesome city and this church is located not far from an outdoor mall and many coffee and bakery shops, so you can spend a whole afternoon visiting this site if you would like. What I loved about this church was is ominous gothic appearance. Very dark, yet inspiring if that makes any sense! There much to see and do in Vienna... but be sure to add a stop at this landmark on your visit to this historic city.