From grand palaces and concert halls, to marketplaces and museums, Vienna maintains its romantic history while being reinvigorated with a millennial identity. Visual reminders of its past royalty and musical legacy blend harmoniously with visitors bustling through the city today. Here are seven attractions worth seeing.
The Hofburg
Home to the Habsburgs, whose dynasty reigned for six centuries until 1918, this palace showcases daily royal living. Learn about Empress Elisabeth, also known as “Sisi,” and her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph, while touring the 19 rooms used by the Imperial Couple inside Imperial Apartments. If possible, catch a presentation by the Spanish Riding School, a traditional riding school for a breed of horses called Lipizzan.
Along the Garben, a shopper’s boulevard, this well-admired Gothic cathedral with its two inspiring towers dates back to the 13th century. Take the elevator up in the north tower to get a closer look at the rooftop mosaics: a royal coat of arms. The steps-only south tower can be explored as well.
Out of his 14 addresses throughout the city, Mozarthaus Vienna is Mozart’s only surviving residence. Though he lived here for only three years, the composer seemed to have had a lot of ambition. One of them he penned was his opera, The Marriage of Figaro.
Musical Performances
In Vienna, music plays on. The 200-year-old Musikverein, a concert hall that is home to the Vienna Philharmonic, hosts about 800 concerts annually. Works by legendary classical composers from Brahms to Tchaikovsky were introduced here. Or, listen to opera at Staatsoper, Vienna’s opera house dating back to the 19th century.
It might be get to arrive ahead of the crowds at this elaborate palace, the Habsburgs’ summer residence. This UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, a marvel of Baroque architecture, is graced with formal gardens, sculptures, a zoo and a labyrinth.
The popular Naschmarkt is an open-air marketplace that spices up any traveler’s appetite with shops and food stands with edibles from around the globe. Restaurants provide other meal options.
Enjoy games of skill and other thrills at this popular amusement park. Open from March through October, the park’s main attraction is the Wiener Riesenrad, an enclosed Ferris wheel providing sky-high views of the area. Various rides will keep visitors busy.
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