Vienna is a city steeped in history, music, and elegant architecture. Mozart, Austria’s most famous citizen, was at the height of his creative powers when he lived here, writing perhaps his best-known works, including “The Marriage of Figaro,” “Don Giovanni” and “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.”
Featured Excursions:
“Morning with the Masters” at the Vienna Art History Museum
The Vienna Art History Museum (Kunsthistorisches Museum) is home to an astonishing collection of artistic treasures. Its doors open early especially for you as you join an art historian for a tour of some of the masterpieces gathered here: View a unique group of works by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Vermeer’s Allegory of Painting, Raphael’s Madonna in the Meadow, and portraits by Rembrandt, Velazquez, Rubens, Titian, Tintoretto, and Van Eyck, among others, in the Picture Gallery before moving on to the Kunstkammer galleries, where you can see Benvenuto Cellini’s legendary salt cellar (the only gold sculpture he created that has survived to the present day) and hear its remarkable story. Your exclusive tour ends with a reception in the magnificent Cupola Hall, perhaps the architectural highlight of the splendid building.
Nights Out: Private Mozart and Strauss Concert
Vienna is linked inextricably with music, as so many great composers lived and worked here: Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss, Schubert, Mahler, Brahms—the list is as long as it is glorious. Enjoy an evening of chamber music performed by some of Vienna’s world-class professionals in a historic and intimate concert venue.
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Vienna - Imperial City Highlights
Ring Street, the great horseshoe-shaped boulevard lined with many of the city’s major landmarks—Parliament, City Hall, the Vienna State Opera, glorious palaces, and museums—is a mere 150 years old, practically an infant for a city of Vienna’s age. It replaced the walls and fortifications that had protected the city for centuries. Its construction was a testament to confidence, forward-thinking and grand urban planning, and it resulted in a 50-year building spree. You’ll pass most of these opulent landmarks on your way to the older section of the city, the area the walls once enclosed.
Later, you’ll walk along Kärntner Street, the celebrated pedestrian boulevard that links the State Opera with St. Stephen’s Cathedral, past the elegant shops on the Graben and the Kohlmarkt. The neighborhood offers a lively combination of historic architecture, street performances, shoppers’ delights, and true Viennese atmosphere.
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Vienna’s Historic Trails and Local Treats
In many ways, Vienna is a must-visit destination for both the art lover and the gourmand, and it is full of artistic and culinary treasures. Today’s walking tour is all about immersing yourselves in that side of this beautiful city.
The menu for the day includes a stop for coffee and strudel at a local coffee house—a hallmark of Viennese culture. These treats fuel your walks to see the Sisi Monument, a life-sized mosaic replica of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, the Habsburg Palace, and the extravagant St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
