Destination

Built in 1713, the baroque Schoenbrunn Palace served as the summer residence of the Habsburgs. The palace, park and zoological gardens were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as cultural properties and are among Vienna's top visitor attractions. Forty out of a total of 1,141 lavish rooms in the palace are open to visitors. A special gem is the baroque-style park with palm house, maze, labyrinth and privy garden. From the Gloriette, you can enjoy a glorious view of Vienna.

St. Stephen's Cathedral is Vienna's number one landmark and Austria's most eminent Gothic edifice. It was constructed between the 14th and 16th centuries. An express elevator in the North Tower takes you to a viewing platform and the Pummerin, Austria's largest bell. In the South Tower, a narrow spiral staircase with 343 steps leads up to the watchman's room 72 meters up.

Home to the Habsburg monarchy for more than six centuries, the ten major buildings comprising the Hofburg complex represent the splendour and influence of what was once the mightiest empire in Europe. Today, it is the largest imperial cultural facility in Europe with over two dozen collections including the Austrian National Library and the Treasuries, as well as performance venues for the Vienna Boys' Choir and the Lipizzaners of the Spanish Riding School.

The palace complexe, former summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy, is regarded as one of the most exquisite baroque emsembles in the world. Today, the Upper Belvedere houses an art collection including Gustav Klimt's "Kiss" and masterpieces by Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka. The Lower Belvedere houses the magnificent living quarters of Prince Eugene. In between the two palaces there is a baroque garden providing a unique view of Vienna.

The Vienna State Opera is one of the world's most famous opera houses. There are performances some 300 evenings a year with an ever-changing daily programme. It is possible to learn more about the Opera on guided tours and in the State Opera Museum.

Vienna's Prater stands for recreation and entertainment. In the so-called "Wurstelprater", the leisure park, you can find over 250 attractions ranging from the Giant Ferris Wheel to nostalgic ghost trains and merry-go-rounds. For an extra adrenalin kick try the world's highest chairoplane and the new "Octopus" that spins you at a height of 18 metres. A ride in one of the red wagons of the Giant Ferris Wheel, one of Vienna's most famous landmarks, gives a fantastic view over the city's rooftops.

Vienna's museum quarter is one of the world's largest cultural area, presenting itself as an urban oasis of joie de vivre. Here you will find art, culture, theatre, music, dance, performances and literature, children's workshops and sidewalk cafés, trendy bars and restaurants. The spacious courtyards are a popular summer hang-out from early May until late September.

Experience the city in a traditional horse-carriage while enjoying typical specialties and delicacies from the famous Viennese cuisine. The food and drinks are served and enjoyed directly inside the horse-carriage during your sightseeing tour. A coachman and a personal butler will pamper you during the ride.

Painter Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928 to 2000) provided an important stimulus to the architecture of Vienna. He completely refurbished the former Thonet furniture factory into his characteristic style - irregular elements of glass, brick, wood and ceramic tiles in numerous colours and uneven walls and floors. It houses a permanent Hundertwasser exhibition as well as regular temporary exhibitions. The café / terrace's exuberant vegetation makes it a great spot to have a drink!

The Stadtpark opposite the hotel was created as the first public park in 1860, featuring the English landscape garden style. Stadtpark's lawns, flower beds and pond generate a bright atmosphere, and its golden Johann Strauss monument is one of the world's most frequently photographed memorials. Also the park is an ideal spot for a leisurely stroll or more energetic sporting activities.

Heuriger is the Viennese term for the wine of the last grape harvest. And it is also the name of the places where this wine is served. the various Heuriger districts are actually located within Vienna's city limits, but they are mostly more like villages. Grinzing, Nussdorf hill, Kahlenberg and Neustift are all pictureque old wine-growing villages with romantic, idyllic side streets and cozy surroundings. TIP: take the Vienna Heurigen Express for a memorable adventure to Vienna's wine region.

"Fasching" - the Viennese version of the carnival season - traditionally takes place in the ballroom. Every profession takes pride in putting on its own ball, and visitors are welcome at them all. Historical palaces provide a wonderful setting for many, and the dancing is both formal and modern. Those unpracticed in the art of the waltz can take a last-minute dance course at one of Vienna's dancing schools.

Relive the adventures of Harry Lime, following in the footsteps of the Third Man through Vienna's underground sewer system. The atmosphere of Vienna's underworld, a key location in the thriller by British novelist Graham Green, retains its fascination to this very day. The tours can be complemented by viewings of original film locations, the Third Man Museum and watching the cinematic classic at the Burgkino.

The Kunstkammer Wien is the world's most important collection of its kind. The Kunst- und Wunderkammern (arts and natural wonders rooms) of the Renaissance and Baroque periods were encyclopaedic, universal collections that attempted to reflect the entire knowledge of the day. Particularly desirable were rare, curious and unusual objects. Among its highlights and examples of fabulous goldsmith work is the celebrated Saliera by Venvenuto Cellini.

The Albertina has the largest and most valuable graphical collection in the world, with works such as Duerer’s Hare and Klimt's studies of women. Its latest exhibition collection presents masterpieces of the Modern, spanning Monet to Picasso and Baselitz.