Visiting Vienna’s Austrian Parliament: Free Tours, Tips & What to Expect

I’m going to share two posts today (one now, one later) about two free places we’ve visited in Vienna. (I debated combining them into a single post, but it was easier to sort through the photos from one day at a time.)

First up: one of the most visually striking buildings in the whole city is the Austrian Parliament.

The building was constructed about 150 years ago but sustained significant damage during WWII. Since then, it’s been carefully (and beautifully!) restored.

It’s free to enter, and you can join guided tours most days of the week. These tours do “sell out,” so it’s worth booking a few weeks in advance, even this time of year.

There are two tour options:

• A more in-depth ~55-minute “political” tour focused on Austria’s government structure.
• A shorter ~30-minute “photo tour” focused on architecture and design.

Honestly, the political tour probably would have made this feel more like a proper field trip, but I knew the kids wouldn’t be thrilled about a deep dive into parliamentary reforms!! The photo tour felt like the better fit, even if it meant moving quickly and not really stretching our brains too much (though the guide offered some interesting tidbits about the history of the building).

A few practical notes:

• You’ll need to pass through security and have a valid photo ID (I used my passport). Some sources say they hold onto your passport during your visit, but that wasn’t my experience—they scanned it and handed it right back.
• Kids 15+ are technically required to show ID, though enforcement seems to vary (in our case, I had Belle’s passport ready but the guard waved it away and said it wasn’t needed).
• Umbrellas have to be checked/held at security.
• No water bottles over 500 ml, no food, no tripods (and, I’m sure you’ll be shocked to learn, you aren’t able to bring fireworks!).
• I’d suggest getting there at least 20 minutes before the tour to allow plenty of time to get through security.

Once we were finished with security, we registered at the information desk (walk straight ahead once you get through the checkpoint) and we all got lanyards with colour-coded tickets to identify that we were part of the English-language photo tour. There’s also a free coat check in the information section; if you’re on a tour, this is mandatory.

The tour itself was fun, but definitely rushed. Thirty minutes goes by fast (and that included all the time spent walking between rooms). Our guide was happy to answer questions, but you could tell he was watching the clock and I would have appreciated at least a few more minutes at each stop.

The Hall of Columns

National Council Chamber

We visited the current parliamentary chamber—where Austrian laws are passed today—and were allowed to sit in the seats and stand at the front lectern.

It all felt… very official!

Assembly Hall

Across the building, we walked through the old senate chamber, one of the few areas that survived WWII bombing largely intact—including its stunning glass ceiling.

After the tour, we made our way up to the top floor, where there’s a little cafe and terrace. There’s not much to see, but it’s a nice spot to get fresh air.

Getting to the top involves quite a few stairs so Indy decided we should officially commemorate stair 6-7 (if you know, you know).

Naturally, I couldn’t leave without checking out the library.

The Austrian Parliament is a great free stop in Vienna, and I appreciated the fact there are lots of guided tour options.