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Vienna Attractions

Hofburg Palace, Vienna © Austrian Tourist Board

Hofburg

The Hofburg Palace, or Imperial Palace, was the home of the Austrian Hapsburgs for 600 years. The first fortifications were erected by King Ottakar Premyst in the 13th century and were added to by every generation until it became the monumental structure it is today. As well as housing the president's offices, the palace now encompasses 22 separate museums, the National Library, a 14th-century Augustinian church, the famous Spanish Riding School and the Royal Chapel, where every Sunday the Vienna Boy's Choir sing Mass (they have performed for the Royal Court since 1498). It will be impossible to even catch a glimpse of everything on display at the Hofburg, so visitors should be selective. The most popular of the museums is the Kaiserappartements, which takes visitors on a tour of the Kaiser's imperial apartments, the Sisi Museum, and the Imperial Silver Collection.

Address: Innerer Burghof 1, Kaisertor; E-mail: info@hofburg-wien.at; Website: www.hofburg-wien.at; Telephone: (0)1 533 7570; Transport: U-Bahn to Herrengasse; tram D, J, 1 or 2 to Burgring; bus 2A or 3A to Hofburg; Opening time: Imperial Apartments, Sisi Museum, Silver Collection: daily 9am to 5pm (until 5.30pm in July and August); Admission: Imperial Apartments, Sisi Museum, Silver Collection: €9.90 (adults), €4.90 (children 6-18); other concessions available

Spanish Riding School © Austrian Tourist Board

Spanish Riding School

The Spanish Riding School of Vienna is the oldest and last riding school in the world where classic dressage is still practised in its purest form. This Institute was founded in 1572 and named for the Lipizzaner horses, which are of Spanish origin. The Imperial Court Stud was originally situated near the village of Lipizza (hence the name of the horses) but since the collapse of the Danube Monarchy in 1920 they have been bred at the Federal Stud in Styria. The horses perform their tricks in the Winter Riding School, which was commissioned by Emperor Karl VI. Performances take place between February and June, September and December but are in high demand and booked up months in advance (details on their website). The easiest way to see the horses is during their training sessions. Tickets are only available at the door, and cannot be booked in advance. Situated in the stables is the Lipizzaner Museum, which displays the history of the school.

Address: Michaelerplatz 1; Website: www.spanische-reitschule.com; Telephone: (0)1 533 9031-0; Transport: U-Bahn to Herrengasse, or tram D, J, 1 or 2 to Burgring; Opening time: Museum: daily 9am to 6pm; training sessions: Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 12pm; Admission: €5 (museum); €12 (training sessions); concessions available. Performances range from €18 (standing room) to €165

Karlskirche © www.karlskirche.at

Karlskirche

Karlskirche is the most outstanding Baroque church in the city and its 236-foot (72m) high dome flanked by two columns forms a dramatic landmark on the Viennese skyline. The church was commissioned by Emperor Charles VI after the Black Plague that swept Vienna in 1713 and is dedicated to the patron saint Charles Borromeo who was revered as a healer for plague sufferers. The lavishly decorated interior includes frescoes and visitors can get a closer look by taking the elevator to the roof.

Address: Kreuzherrengasse 1; Opening time: Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm, Sunday 12pm to 5.45pm; Admission: €6 (adults), concessions available

Schonbrunn, Vienna © Vienna Tourist Board

Schönbrunn Palace

The magnificent Schönbrunn Palace was used as the summer residence of the Hapsburgs from the 18th century onwards. Set amongst superb gardens this vast, symmetrical structure is everything you would imagine an imperial palace to be. A tour of the palace offers visitors the chance to view the superb assortment of Baroque and Rococo State Rooms and to admire the famous ceiling frescoes of the Great Gallery and the Hall of Mirrors where Mozart once played. The vast gardens are popular with locals and tourists alike, and include a zoo, a maze and labyrinth, the Privy garden, and the Gloriette with viewing terrace. Also within the grounds, the Orangery plays host to classical concerts during the summer season.

Address: Schönbrunner Schloss Strasse 13; Website: www.schoenbrunn.at; Telephone: (0)1 8111 3239; Transport: U4 to Schönbrunn station, trams 10 or 58, bus 10A; Opening time: Palace: daily 8.30am to 5pm (April to June, September, October); 8.30am to 6pm (July, August); 8.30am to 4.30pm (November to March). Park: daily at 6am (6.30am from November to March), closing times vary according to the season, between 5.30pm and 9pm; Admission: Grand Tour: €12.90 (adults), €6.90 (children 6-18). Various other tour options available. Maze and Labyrinth: €2.90 (adults), €1.70 (children)

Giant Wheel

Giant Wheel

One of Vienna's most recognisable attractions, the Giant Wheel is located in a large wooded park and playground known as the Prater. It was built in 1897 by an English engineering firm and is the only one of its era still standing (the ferris wheels in Chicago, London, Blackpool and Paris have long since been destroyed). The wheel with its 15 gondolas takes twenty minutes to manoeuvre around and offers magnificent panoramic views of the city.

Address: Prater 90; E-mail: info@wienerriesenrad.com; Website: www.wienerriesenrad.com; Telephone: (0)1 729 5430; Opening time: Daily 9am to midnight (May to September); daily 10am to 10pm (March, April and October); daily 10am to 8pm (November to February); Admission: €8 (adults), €3.20 (children 3-14), concessions available

Belvedere Palace

Belvedere

The Belvedere consists of two splendid rococo mansions, designed in the early 18th century, which face each other across formal, sloping grounds offering excellent views over the city. From the outside it is Vienna's finest palace complex, built by Prince Eugène of Savoy (1680-1735), the famous general who saved Vienna from the advance of the Ottoman Empire. The museums in the two palaces house some of Vienna's most renowned art galleries, offering excellent examples of Austrian art from the middle ages to present day. Their displays include an unrivalled collection of paintings by Klimt as well as famous works by Schiele and Kokoschka, Renoir and Monet. The Medieval and Baroque works are presented in the Lower Palace where many rooms have been preserved in their original state.

Address: 27 Prinz Eugen Street; Website: www.belvedere.at; Telephone: (0)1 795 570, or (0)1 79 557 134; Transport: Upper Belvedere: Tram D to Schloss Belvedere or Trams 18 or 0 to Südbahnhof; bus 13A or 69A to Südbahnhof; Opening time: Daily 10am to 6pm; Admission: €12.50; includes entry into both parts of the Belvedere. Upper Belvedere: €9.50; Lower Belvedere: €7.50. Concessions available

Vienna State Opera

Vienna State Opera

The Vienna State Opera performs a repertoire of near-one hundred operas, operettas and ballets every day from September to June. The opera house was founded in the early 18th century (it was rebuilt in 1955 after being all but destroyed in 1945) and makes for a romantic and regal setting in which to enjoy the performances. As seating tickets are not easily available, an alternative is to buy standing-room tickets, which are well priced and can be purchased on the same day (but expect long queues). The State Opera collaborates closely with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and their famous New Year concert requires advance bookings of up to one year.

Address: Opernring 2; Website: www.wiener-staatsoper.at; Telephone: (0)1 51444 2250; Transport: Take the U-Bahn lines U1, U2, U4 or the 59A bus to Karlsplatz or Oper stations; Opening time: Guided tours are offered Tuesday to Sunday; check dates and times online or via telephone; Admission: Guided tour: €5 (adults), €2 (children). Opera tour and Opera museum combination ticket: €6.50 (adults), €3.50 (children). Other combinations and concessions available

St Stephan's Cathedral

St Stephen’s Cathedral

The Cathedral is one of the city's most recognisable symbols and the massive south tower standing at 445 feet (136m) tall is a dominant feature on the Vienna skyline. The 343 steps can be climbed for a fantastic view over the city. St Stephan's Cathedral is the most important religious building in the city and is one of the greatest Gothic structures in Europe, and has been in a state of continual preservation and repair since its original construction in the 12th century due to fire, city sieges and bombardment. The cathedral is built of limestone and has an ornately patterned and richly coloured roof covered by glazed tiles. The interior is rich in wood carvings, sculptures and paintings and has numerous chapels and altars, as well as the catacombs, which can be visited on a guided tour. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was married here, had children baptised here, and his funeral was held in the Chapel of the Cross.

Address: Stephansplatz; Website: www.stephanskirche.at/index.jsp?langid=2&menuekeyvalue=2; Telephone: Guided tours: (0)1 5155 23526; Transport: U-Bahn to Stephansplatz; Opening time: Daily 6am to 10pm (from 7am on Sundays). Various guided tours take place daily. Cathedral Tour: daily English tour at 3.45pm (April to October), otherwise Monday to Saturday 10.30am and 3pm, Sunday 3pm; Admission: Free admission to the cathedral. Cathedral Tour: €4.50 (adults), €1.50 (children); Tower Climb: €3.50 (adults), €1 (children 6-14)

The Albertina © Albertina/Alexander Ch. Wulz

The Albertina

The former Hofburg residence today houses one of the largest and greatest graphic art collections in the world with drawings, old master prints and modern graphic works. The museum explores the development of graphic arts since the 14th century and there are over 60,000 works on show, including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Manet, Picasso and Cezanne. The Albertina is also one of the most beautiful examples of classical architecture in the world.

Address: Albertinaplatz 1; Website: www.albertina.at; Telephone: (0)1 53483; Opening time: Daily 10am to 6pm (until 9pm on Wednesdays); Admission: € 9.50 (adults), concessions available

Imperial Crown © www.khm.at

Imperial Treasury

The Schatzkammer, located in the Hofburg Palace, houses the greatest treasury in the world spanning 1,000 years of treasures such as relics and vestments from the Austrian Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. Included in the collection are the crown jewels, particularly the priceless imperial crown, which dates from 962, and is studded with precious stones, as well as the Holy Lance was thought to be the lance that pierced Jesus' side while on the cross. Also housed is the Burgundian Treasure, and treasures connected to the Order of the Golden Fleece.

Address: Schweizer Hof; Website: www.khm.at/homeE107.html; Telephone: (0)1 52524; Opening time: Wednesday to Monday 10am to 6pm; Admission: €10 (adults), €7.50 (concessions)

Fine Arts Museum © www.khm.at

Museum of Fine Arts (Kunsthistorisches Museum)

The Fine Arts Museum across from the Hofburg Palace houses many of the art collections gathered by the Habsburgs and is one of the foremost museums of fine arts and decorative arts in the world. The magnificent building is crowned with a 197-foot (60m) high dome, while the inside is sumptuously decorated with marble, gold leaf and stucco ornaments, a fitting home to the formidable artistic treasures collected over the centuries. The collections range from Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman relics to medieval art, and Renaissance and Baroque paintings. The museum faces the Natural History Museum across the Maria-Theresian Platz, which has an identical exterior.

Address: Maria-Theresian Platz; Website: www.khm.at; Telephone: (0)1 52524; Opening time: Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm (until 9pm on Thursdays); Admission: €10 (adults), €7.50 (concessions)

Virtual Conductor © www.hdm.at

Haus der Musik

The House of Music is an interactive, high-tech discovery museum devoted to music and is located in the former Palais of Archduke Charles. Four floors take visitors past the music and memorabilia of the great composers who lived in Vienna, such as Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Schubert; discover the top musicians of today; and explore the future of music on computers. Conduct an orchestra, listen to what an unborn child hears in the womb or paint a musical picture. The museum was awarded top prize for its innovative design and allows visitors to experience music using the senses of sight, sound, touch and hearing.

Address: Seilerstätte 30; Website: www.hdm.at; Telephone: (0)1 51648; Transport: Underground to Karlsplatz or Stephansplatz; Opening time: Daily 10am to 10pm; Admission: €10 (adults), €5.50 (children 3-12); other concessions available

National Library © ANTO/Wiesenhofer

Austrian National Library

Situated in the Hofburg Palace, the royal library of the Habsburgs dates from the 14th century and is among the oldest and finest libraries in the world. The six million items stored in the library include papyri, manuscripts, ancient and rare books, maps, globes, portraits, music, photographs and graphics. The Grand Hall is a palatial room topped by a dome, designed in the Baroque style, and is decorated with statues and exquisite frescoes and is regarded as one of the most beautiful library rooms in the world.

Address: Josefplatz 1; Telephone: (0)1 53410; Admission: €1.45

Natural History Museum © ANTO/Diejun

Natural History Museum

The impressive Natural History Museum is sited within a neo-Renaissance building that is identical from the outside to the Fine Arts Museum opposite. It is the third largest natural history museum in the world and has some of the oldest exhibits, including early Stone Age artefacts. Visitors can travel through the planet's history ranging from the diversity of nature to the origins of culture.

Address: Maria-Theresien Platz; Website: www.nhm-wien.ac.at; Telephone: (0)1 521770; Opening time: Thursday to Monday 9am to 6.30pm, Wednesday 9am to 9am; Admission: €8 (adults), €3.50 (children 5-14)