Destination
Type of Activity
Editors Pick
Read More21er Haus
The modern glass-and-steel building known as the 21er Haus was in fact constructed in 1958 as the Austrian pavilion for the World Expo in Brussels. After the fair, the venue was painstakingly taken apart, transferred and rebuilt in Vienna on...
Read MoreAlbertina
Housed in a beautiful, meticulously restored palace that dates to the late 1600s, Vienna’s Albertina museum has one of the world’s largest graphic art collections, including drawings by Dürer, Michelangelo and Rembrandt. Most impressive are the palace’s Hapsburg staterooms, which...
Read MoreAugarten
The sprawling Augarten is a park in the residential second district and is home of the Vienna Choir Boys. Comprising some 128 acres, the park also holds Vienna’s oldest Baroque gardens, open to the public, as well as the Augarten Porcelain...
Read MoreAugustinerkirche
The Augustinerkirche, part of the Hofburg, has seen its share of famous weddings: Emperor Franz Joseph and Elisabeth (known as Sissi), in 1854; Crown Prince Rudolf and Princess Stéphanie, in 1881; and even French emperor Napoléon (in proxy) and Austrian...
Read MoreBäckerstrasse 4 Platform for Young Art
This excellent contemporary art gallery was founded and is run by the elegant intellectual Gabriele Schober. The three-story space shows works by up-and-coming artists like Helrl Häfliger, who works exclusively with toilet paper to create two- and three-dimensional sculptures. The...
Read MoreBelvedere
Built as a summer residence for Prince Eugene, this complex comprises two museums, the Lower and the Upper Belvedere, which are connected by a beautifully laid-out garden. The Upper Belvedere is famous for having Klimt’s The Kiss, but it also...
Read MoreBrotfabrik
The former factory for Anker, Austria’s largest bread-making company, Ankerbrotfabrik (Anker Bread Factory) is today one of Vienna’s most exciting contemporary art and social projects venues. Located in the 10th district to the southeast of the city center, the space...
Read MoreBurgtheater
The performances at the Burgtheater—known to serious theatergoers simply as “Die Burg,” and considered one of the most acclaimed stages in Europe—are in German. But Klimt fans should take the forty-five-minute backstage tour to see the two ceiling murals the...
Read MoreDanube Beaches
Vienna’s waterfront is prime real estate for restaurants, but in recent years, the area has developed in a more traditional way, with several beaches cropping up. There are a number of places to rent boats for an afternoon cruise, and...
Read MoreDay Trip: Burgenland
Home to some of Austria’s best wineries, the Burgenland is Austria’s eastern-most state (it shares a border with Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia). Its main hub, Neusiedl Am See, however, is just a scenic, forty-minute drive from Vienna, making this a...
Read MoreDay Trip: Klosterneuburg
An easy, half-day trip outside of Vienna is to visit the small town of Klosterneuburg, home of the renowned Sammlung Essl, a collection of modern and contemporary art. On the way back to Vienna, have lunch or dinner at Restaurant...
Read MoreDay Trip: Wachau
The Wachau valley, located west of Vienna, is one of Austria’s most scenic, drawing outdoor enthusiasts thanks to its rolling hillsides and stunning vistas. Don’t miss the scenic medieval village of Dürnstein where king Richard Lionheart was reportedly held captive during...
Read MoreGalerie Krinzinger
One of Vienna’s oldest and most well-respected contemporary art galleries, Galerie Krinzinger was founded in the 1970s and is located on the third floor of a gorgeous fin de siècle building in the first district. The gallery represents established artists...
Courtesy Herwig KempingerRead MoreGeorg Kargl Fine Arts
Georg Kargl was the first blue chip art dealer to move to the removed Shleifmühlgasse neighborhood, and today the area is known as one of Vienna’s preeminent hubs for contemporary art. Adjacent to the traditional gallery sits the Box, a...
Read MoreImperial Court Chapel
The Vienna Boys’ Choir, whose members live, study and practice in the city’s Augartenpalais, perform in the Imperial Palace chapel, part of the Hofburg complex, every Sunday at 9:15 A.M. (except when they are on tour). Note that the choir...
Read MoreImperial Furniture Collection
A lesser-visited museum but a gem nonetheless, the Imperial Furniture Collection is a depot (its German name is in fact Hofmobiliendepot) that stores and displays 165,000 pieces of furniture and decorative and functional objects. The Hapsburg royalty owned multiple palaces,...
Read MoreImperial Palace (Hofburg)
This huge, sprawling complex—home to the Hapsburg royal family until 1918—includes an embarrassment of riches, like the Treasury and Museum of Ethnology, the Spanish Riding School, Imperial Court Chapel and National Library. There are also the Imperial Apartments and Sissi...
Read MoreIndagare Access: Waltz Lessons
The Viennese waltz is one of the oldest forms of ballroom dance, and while the slower English version is the most widely known, the Viennese style is considered the original form. Learning to waltz is a rite of passage for...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Insider Vienna
For those who want to explore the city in the company of historians, art or architecture experts, musicians or plugged-in locals, we have an incredible network of guides who can bring the city’s history to life. An excellent guide can...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Vienna Balls
Having gained popularity in the early 19th century, balls are now an integral part of Viennese culture. While the formal events usually tend to be glamorous and over-the-top, a handful of the roughly 450 balls a year have a more...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Vienna’s Architecture
Indagare's favorite way to see Vienna's architecture is with a tour that focus on different districts and styles. For architecture buffs, Vienna has a fascinating cityscape and discoveries around every corner, whether it’s a tram entrance designed by Secession architect Otto Wagner; an...
Read MoreJewish Museum
This small museum in the first district honors and studies Jewish people and their culture in Austria and particularly in Vienna, placing a specific emphasis on the history surrounding WWII. The institution is set in a beautiful former palace across...
Read MoreKirche am Steinhof
This Art Nouveau marvel designed by Otto Wagner in the first decade of the 20th century is in the Penzig district of Vienna, a 30-minute drive from the city center. The church has been renovated and is open to the public...
Read MoreLeopold Museum
Some museums draw you back time and again: I, for one, could not visit Madrid without returning to the Prado’s haunting Goyas or Paris without seeing Rodin’s sculptures. In Vienna it’s the Leopold that I cannot get enough of—in particular...
Read MoreLiechtenstein Museum
Showcasing one of Europe’s most remarkable private collections of mostly Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque works, this museum is housed in the Garden Palace of the Liechtenstein family, which was painstakingly restored and opened to the public in 2004. The highlights...
Read MoreMuseum of Applied Arts (MAK)
The MAK is one of those cooler-than-thou showcases that embodies the new Vienna. Located in an imposing Renaissance revival–style building, the museum focuses on decorative arts and design, including a fantastic collection of Wiener Werkstätte, Art Nouveau and Biedermeier pieces....
Read MoreMuseum of Fine Arts (Kunsthistorisches Museum)
The permanent collection at the Kunsthistorischesmuseum (Museum of Fine Arts) is one of the world’s most illustrious, with important works by Raphael, Canaletto, Bosch, Rubens, Vermeer and Velázquez. Like New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the ground floor here,...
Read MoreMuseum of Modern Art (Mumok)
The 9,000-piece collection of Vienna’s Museum of Modern Art (known as Mumok) was shown in numerous underwhelming spaces before finally settling in the MuseumsQuartier in 2001—an indication of how little emphasis was put on contemporary art until recently. Besides the...
Read MoreMuseum of Natural History (Naturhistorisches)
The exhibits here, which range from insects and birds to bears and dinosaurs, may not be as spectacular as those at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, but the Naturhistorisches is still a great place to take...
Read MoreMuseumsQuartier
Occupying the former Imperial Stables, the MuseumsQuartier was much applauded when it opened in 2001, as it added a healthy dose of contemporary chic to Vienna’s somewhat traditional museum scene. Today it houses a vibrant collection of museums, including the...
Read MoreMusikverein
The Musikverein is technically the home of the city’s acclaimed Philharmonic, but the few concerts they give throughout the year are usually sold out by subscriptions, especially the celebrated New Year’s Concert, which is broadcast worldwide. There are, however, performances...
Read MorePrater Riesenrad
Erected in 1897 in celebration of Emperor Franz Josef’s fiftieth birthday, the city’s famous Ferris wheel is located near the entrance to the Prater amusement park, which also has hundreds of other rides and attractions. It’s a fun place for...
Read MoreSchloss Halbturn
This Baroque, pale blue palace was built in the early 18th century by Maria Theresa and was later the summer residence of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Many of the grand rooms are open to the public and regularly host musical performances....
Read MoreSchönbrunn Palace
For anyone interested in Hapsburg history, the sprawling Schönbrunn Palace—think of it as Vienna’s Versailles—is a must. The summer residence of the royal family, a twenty-minute taxi drive outside the city center, Schönbrunn has more than a 1,400 sumptuous rococo...
Read MoreSecession
The changing exhibits at the Secession, located near the Naschmarkt, are hit-or-miss, but Klimt fans should go for the Beethoven Frieze in the basement. Inspired by the German composer’s triumphant Ninth Symphony, the dreamy wall cycle depicts human yearning for...
Read MoreSigmund Freud’s House Museum
Sigmund Freud lived and worked for 47 years in this house, which today is a museum honoring the famed psychoanalyst. The spaces still hold many of the man’s original furnishings, and much of the exhibition’s creation was overseen by his...
Read MoreSpanish Riding School
Founded more than 400 years ago, the Spanish Riding School (Spanische Hofreitschule), part of the Hofburg complex, is housed in a Baroque hall where riders perform under glittering chandeliers. The performances, during which the white Lipizzan stallions move through a...
Read MoreState Hall (National Library)
This State Hall was commissioned by Emperor Charles VI to house the court library, but it’s the 15,000-volume collection of Prince Eugene of Savoy, whose summer palace now contains the Belvedere, that makes it one of the world’s most extensive...
Read MoreState Opera
The best way of experiencing Vienna’s gem of an opera house (Wiener Staatsoper), one of Europe’s most beautiful, is to see a performance (the opera and the ballet alternate during the year). But if you don’t have time, taking a...
Courtesy Ritz-CarltonRead MoreStephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral)
Besides the Prater, the Stephansdom (St. Stephan’s Cathedral), with its unfinished North Tower and ceramic-tile roof, is Vienna’s most recognizable symbol. The Gothic structure dates to 1147, though it was damaged and rebuilt throughout the centuries. There are four towers,...
Read MoreTBA 21: Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary
Founded and run by Francesca von Hapsburg—yes, one of those Hapsburgs—TBA 21 is a gallery and exhibition space that celebrates international contemporary art. Exhibitions and events have featured works by mega stars Olafur Eliasson, Ai Weiwei, Cindy Sherman and more....
Read MoreTreasury (Schatzkammer)
This museum is located in the oldest part of the Hofburg, which dates to the 13th century. One of the world’s most important imperial treasuries, the Schatzkammer holds such invaluable pieces as the gemstone-studded emperor’s crown, from the latter part...
Read MoreVienna Boy’s Choir Hall
Ever since Emperor Maximilian I created the Vienna Boy’s Choir in 1498, it has become a mainstay of Vienna’s musical history. And thanks to the Augarten Music Center, located on the grounds of Augarten park next to the Vienna Boys...
Read MoreVisit the Christmas Markets
Vienna is famous for its festive pre-holiday season, when the entire city seems illuminated by Christmas lights (those along the Graben are shaped like oversized chandeliers). The market in front of the Rathaus (City Hall) is the largest and most...
Read MoreWieninger Vineyard
Located just twenty minutes from central Vienna, the Wieninger Vineyard nevertheless feels a world away. Perched on a hilltop overlooking the city, the lush green expanse is the ideal escape after a day of touring, whether or not one has an...
