Luxury hotels in Vienna

Vienna guide

Vienna: Schönbrunn, the Opera and the coffee houses

The Habsburgs' summer palace, an evening at the State Opera and Klimt's Kiss at the Belvedere.

Schönbrunn Palace, the Habsburgs' summer residence with its baroque gardens and a UNESCO site, is the most cited sight in Vienna; book a timed Grand Tour and visit early. An evening at the Vienna State Opera, among the world's finest, is the other classic.

The Belvedere holds Klimt's The Kiss, the Hofburg the Sisi Museum and the Spanish Riding School performs in its baroque hall. Between visits, the city's coffee houses, a UNESCO intangible heritage, are the place for Sachertorte. Advent's Christmas markets and the ball season in winter are special.

The Belvedere and Klimt's Kiss

The Upper Belvedere, a baroque palace built for Prince Eugene of Savoy, holds the world's largest collection of Gustav Klimt's paintings, including The Kiss, and it is one of Vienna's most cited museums. Arrive early, as the room with The Kiss fills quickly.

The Secession building, with its golden dome of laurel leaves, houses Klimt's Beethoven Frieze, and the Leopold Museum in the MuseumsQuartier has the world's largest Egon Schiele collection. Vienna 1900 is a theme that runs through the whole city.

The Spanish Riding School and the Hofburg

The Spanish Riding School, where white Lipizzaner stallions perform classical dressage in a baroque hall of the Hofburg, is one of Vienna's most cited experiences; gala performances sell out, while the morning exercise is easier to book.

The Hofburg, the Habsburgs' winter palace, holds the Imperial Apartments, the Sisi Museum and the Imperial Silver Collection, and the Austrian National Library's State Hall is one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. The Vienna Boys' Choir sings Sunday mass in the Hofburg chapel.