Hofburg Imperial Palace

Vienna

DESTINATIONS austria vienna Do & See Hofburg Imperial Palace

Hofburg Imperial Palace

The Imperial Palace was the residence of the Habsburg emperor until 1918. From the 13th century until just before the end of the monarchy, the area was fitted out in imperial splendour within its present-day size. The original Gothic building around today’s Schweizerhof was extended on a continuous basis, resulting in an extensive building complex formed of different sections, which contributes an essential character to the appearance of Vienna's Old City. Europe’s largest imperial cultural complex today houses more than two dozen collections of international standing, including the Austrian National Library, the Imperial Treasury, the Imperial Apartments and the Sisi Museum, as well as the Spanish Riding School.

Useful Information

Address: Hofburg, Michaelerkuppe, District 1, Vienna
Email: info@hofburg-wien.at
Phone: +43 1 5337 570
More Info: www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/imperial/hofburg-vienna
Opening House: September–June: daily 9am–5:30pm. July–August: daily 9am–6pm
Address: Underground: U1, U3 (Stephansplatz), U3 (Herrengasse), U2, U3 (Volkstheater); Bus 48A (Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring), 57A (Burgring); Tram: D, 1, 2 (Burgring)
More Info: www.facebook.com/hofburg.wien

More Do & See

St Stephen’s Cathedral

The religious and geographical centre of Vienna is St Stephen's Cathedral. The most prominent Gothic masterpiece of the city, with its stunning tiled roof and stone interiors, actually retains many artworks from different periods: the Romanic towers, the Baroque altar and the Renaissance decorations. Book a complete tour of the cathedral, visit the deep catacombs…

Vienna State Opera

The Vienna State Opera is one of the most distinguished opera houses in the world. The magnificent building on Ringstrasse was constructed between 1861 and 1869 by August Siccardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll as Hofoperntheater (Court Opera). You can catch a glimpse of what goes on backstage and admire the architectural magnificence of this…

Vienna’s classical concert offering is dominated by the Musikverein — the home of the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra founded in 1842. Millions of music fans around the world consider the Musikverein to be one of the most traditional concert houses, paying host to artists of the very highest calibre. From its Golden Hall, the annual New…

Schönbrunn Zoo

Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna was established back in 1752 by the Habsburgs and now remains the oldest operating zoo in the world. The wide areas create a comfortable space for the animals and the staff of experts make sure they are very well attended. The administration of the zoo places significant focus on conservation and…

Madame Tussauds Vienna

Madame Tussauds is a world famous wax museum and tourist attraction. The Viennese branch is located inside the Wiener Prater amusement park. Get up-close to the biggest celebrities of past and present. Take a selfie with movie stars like Angelina Jolie, Daniel Craig and Robert Pattinson; meet old-time Hollywood idols like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey…

MuseumsQuartier

Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier (MQ) is one of the ten largest cultural districts in the world, combining exhibition spaces, cafes, restaurants and bars. At the edge of the Old City, in the former imperial stables, it unites facilities highlighting different fields of art with restaurants, coffeehouses and shops in an area of 90,000 square meters with a…

Belvedere Palace

With its magnificent gardens, this former residence of Prince Eugen von Savoyen is one of the most beautiful Baroque ensembles in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Upper Belvedere houses the world’s largest collection of paintings by Gustav Klimt, including the Art Nouveau icons The Kiss and Judith. It also contains masterpieces…

Hofburg Imperial Palace

The Imperial Palace was the residence of the Habsburg emperor until 1918. From the 13th century until just before the end of the monarchy, the area was fitted out in imperial splendour within its present-day size. The original Gothic building around today’s Schweizerhof was extended on a continuous basis, resulting in an extensive building complex…

The Prater & Giant Ferris Wheel

Vienna Prater is a large public park, a place of nostalgic dreams for some and an oasis of greenery for almost everyone — it is the home of the popular amusement park and the location of the Giant Ferris Wheel, one of Vienna’s most famous symbols. The Prater is open from March to October, but…

One of the focal points of cultural life is the Wiener Konzerthaus in the atmospheric Art Nouveau style. Its musical bandwidth encompasses not only the classical repertoire, but also ranges from the Middle Age, Renaissance and Baroque music to Jazz, World and the progressive tones of the present day. Check the programme on their official…

Schönbrunn Palace

A visit to Vienna’s most famous palace is a must for art lovers. The Baroque building structures have been preserved with “Viennese Charm" and host the 1,441 rooms that were once inhabited by the imperial family. You can still admire 40 of them on the guided tours today. Explore the architectural treasures of the Palace…

Mozarthaus Vienna

Mozarthaus Vienna is an apartment museum showcasing the life and work of the musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Visitors can explore the only Vienna apartment of Mozart that has been preserved and where he composed more music than anywhere else. Besides the flat, there is a comprehensive presentation of the times in which Mozart lived…

Church of the Most Holy Trinity (Wotruba Church)

The church is a fine example of classic brutalist and cubist architecture, designed by the architect Fritz Wotruba. 152 concrete blocks have been assembled to form this unique-looking structure, with windows have been built into the remaining spaces. As strikingly different as the facade might look, the inside resembles a familiar church interior.

Christmas Markets in Vienna

From mid-November until Christmas, a number of Markets in the city of Vienna spread Christmas cheer. Mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, music and handcrafted goods sold at the little stalls create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, despite the at times cold Austrian winters. Some of the most exciting Christmas Markets include the Viennese Dream Christmas Market…

Featuring a golden dome decorated with laurel leaves, this Art Nouveau exhibition building was constructed in 1897/98 by Joseph Maria Olbriach, a student of Otto Wagner, and is one of the most famous structures in Vienna. The Beethoven Frieze created by Gustav Klimt in 1902 is on permanent display on the lower level. Changing exhibitions…

The Danube Tower offers an unforgettable view of Vienna’s Danube landscape, the Old City and the Vienna Woods from a height of 170 meters. The two express elevators take visitors to the viewing terrace and the two revolving cafe/restaurants in just 35 seconds. The Danube Tower was built in 1964 for the Vienna International Garden…

St Charles Church

A striking sacred building with a large cupola and two giant twin columns standing at its sides, this church is the last great work of Baroque city architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. Karlskirche is a European Baroque masterpiece, with symbolic design and use of classical architectural elements. Take the elevator to the dome for…

Spanish Riding School

Founded in 1572, the Spanish Riding School has put on performances in the Baroque Winter Riding School since 1735. These shows represent the highest form of equestrian art: the Spanish Riding School in Vienna is the only institution in the world in which the classic equestrian art has been preserved and practised unchanged since the…

Kunst Haus Wien

Friedensreich Hundertwasser created the Kunst Haus Wien with colourful tiles, tilted walls, uneven floors and irregular shapes often overgrown with rampant green: this was how the artist not only added new momentum to Vienna’s architecture but also established an exhibition centre that shows Hundertwasser’s works along with changing exhibitions of exciting contemporary art. The ground…

With its 41 paintings and 188 works on paper, the Leopold Museum in Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier has the world’s largest and most significant collection of works by Egon Schiele. The comprehensive collection “Vienna 1900 and Art Nouveau” is another highlight of the Leopold Museum. The paintings by Schiele’s mentor and friend Gustav Klimt are especially noteworthy.…

Albertina, Habsburg’s enormous collection of graphic arts, houses works by Dürer and Rubens along with masterpieces by Schiele, Cézanne, Klimt, Kokoschka, Picasso and Rauschenberg. The show “Masterworks of Modernism: The Batliner Collection” illustrates the progression from Monet and Picasso to Gerhard Richter and Georg Baselitz and presents highlights from the last 130 years of art…

Mumok —Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation Vienna

The huge basalt stone building of Mumok houses art from the 20th century to the present day, with changing exhibits of everything from classic modern art to the essential artistic genres of the 1960s and 1970s, right up to contemporary artworks from the worlds of film, photography and video. Since 2011, a cinema designed by…

Museum of Natural History

Two twin museum buildings were erected during the construction of Vienna's Ringstrasse as monuments to the imperial collections: the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Natural History. Explore the breathtaking diversity of the natural world: from insects to precious stones and minerals to flying dinosaurs. You will get fascinating insights into the history…

MAK — Austrian Museum of Applied Arts

The MAK Austrian Museum of Applied Arts is unique in its ability to represent the history and significance of the Wiener Werkstätte — a productive association that pioneered modern design, and whose influence can be seen in later styles such as Bauhaus and Art Deco. The archive comprises, among others, about 16,000 design drawings and…

Kunsthalle displays international contemporary art. Located in the MuseumsQuartier, it presents exhibitions focused primarily on photography, video, film, installations and new media. Kunsthalle Wien calls itself the flexible and experimental outdoor exhibition site. There is also a cafe with a huge terrace, inviting visitors to stay a while after enjoying the art on display.

Museum of Fine Arts Vienna (KHM)

Emperor Franz Joseph constructed the Vienna Museum of Fine Arts for the imperial collections and with its treasures it now ranks as one of the most important museums in the world. Objects from five centuries – from ancient Egypt and ancient Greece to the end of the 18th century – are showcased here, beside an…

House of the Sea

Schools of yellow, red and blue fish, green mambas and sharks: over 10,000 animals from every continent live in the aquariums, terrariums and in the 20-meter-high tropical house with a waterfall, a suspension bridge and mangrove landscape. The tropical house and Krokipark (crocodile park) also include free-flying birds as well as monkeys and crocodiles roaming…

Imperial Treasury

The medieval part of the Imperial Palace, the Schweizerhof, contains the unique treasures of the Habsburgs, including the Austrian imperial crown and the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire. Further highlights include the treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece and the collections of the invaluable Burgundian treasures from the 15th century. Jewels…

The House of Music is a multi-media world of experience. Experimentation is called for here: visitors paint sounds with their fingers and direct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The acoustic journey ranges from pre-natal hearing experiences to the development of the human ear and the first musical instruments right through to the sounds of the Cosmos.…

Central Cemetery

The second largest cemetery in Europe is home to graves of numerous celebrated personas, including composers Beethoven, Strauss, Mozart and Salieri. The multidenominational cemetery represents a unique park landscape, hosting a Funeral Museum, monumental tombs of honour and an Art Nouveau cemetery church Lueger Kirche. More than 250 original objects and photographic material are on…

Vienna Boys' Choir

Vienna Boys' Choir is a world-famous choir of boy sopranos and altos. In Vienna, they regularly appear in the Chapel of the Imperial Palace and in their own new concert hall MuTh which was opened in 2012 and is located in the Augarten. The hall is used as a rehearsal and performance venue for the…

The Jewish Museum of the City of Vienna is a place of encounter, confrontation and understanding, which seeks to raise awareness of Jewish history, religion and culture. Children, students and adults can take part in public tours at both locations and in all temporary exhibitions. Booking the tour in advance is highly recommended.

As of 2019, Wien Museum is closed for fundamental renovation work. Until the building in Karlsplatz reopens, all exhibitions will be held in at Wien Museum MUSA at Felderstraße 6-8. This museum presents Vienna’s 2000-year history, from the Imperium Romanum to the residence of the Dukes of Babenberg and the 640 years of Habsburg rule…