Vienna History, Art & Music in The Imperial City

Detailed Itinerary

Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D.

Friday 16 April: Arrival

The tour begins this afternoon at the hotel, where we gather to get to know each other before taking a walking of central Vienna, ending with dinner in a local, family-owned restaurant. Overnight Vienna. (D)

Saturday 17 April: Habsburg Vienna

The Habsburgs became the leaders of the Holy Roman Empire in the 1400s, and then of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the 19th century. The ways they expressed their power and magnificence transformed across this period, and the results of their building programs continue to define the centre of Vienna. This morning, after a talk in the hotel, we explore the Habsburg city centre on foot, including a visit to St Stephen’s Cathedral, where many Habsburgs are entombed, and the Imperial Treasury, which houses masterpieces of decorative arts, including the imperial regalia. After a welcome lunch, we visit the Albertina Museum, which has an excellent permanent collection of modern masters and hosts well-regarded temporary exhibitions. Evening at leisure. (B, L)

Sunday 18 April: Vienna Museums
– State Opera

Vienna’s museums have phenomenal collections, many of which have developed from the Habsburg period. This morning, after a talk in the hotel, we visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum, one of Europe’s finest collections of Old Masters. Its many highlights include works by Caravaggio, Breugel and Velázquez. After free time for lunch, we then visit the nearby Weltmuseum, an ethnology museum with cultural artefacts from around the world, and the fine Museum of Musical Instruments. Returning to the hotel, there is time to relax before we attend a performance at the Vienna State Opera. (B)

Performance details
Venue: Vienna State Opera
Program: TBC
Performers: TBC

Monday 19 April: Klosterneuburg and the Upper Belvedere
– Konzerthaus

The building programs of the Habsburgs celebrated Austria’s past while leaving testaments to the lavish lifestyle of one of Europe’s great families. This morning we visit Klosterneuburg, an abbey established in the 12th century, which houses one of the most exceptional pieces of medieval smithing – one of the three surviving altarpieces by Nicholas of Verdun. After touring the monastery, including the Imperial Apartments, we return to Vienna for a lunch break, followed by a visit to the Upper Belvedere Palace. The palace is one of the most impressive 18th-century palaces in Vienna and its collection covers works from the Baroque, through to Biedermeier and Secessionist masterpieces, including Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss. Return to hotel, with time to rest before attending a performance at the Konzerthaus. (B)

Performance details
Venue: Konzerthaus or similar
Program: TBC
Performers: TBC

Tuesday 20 April: Melk Abbey and the Wachau Valley

This morning we travel by boat along the Danube through the scenic Wachau valley. The natural beauty of the valley, along with the importance of the terraced vineyards in the development of wine making in central Europe, have seen it listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. On arrival in Spitz, we enjoy lunch and a wine tasting together, to sample the region’s specialities. In the afternoon, we visit the spectacularly situated Melk Abbey, a Benedictine institution established in the 11th century and rebuilt in the Baroque to honour the house of Babenberg, Austria’s first ruling dynasty. Return to the hotel by coach; evening at leisure. (B, L)

Wednesday 21 April: Musical Vienna

The list of great composers and musicians who lived and worked in Vienna is testament to the city’s vital role in music history. Today we explore this history, starting with a visit to the Central Cemetery, where, among others, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert and the Strausses are interred. We then continue our tour to the house in which Schubert was born, now a house-museum dedicated to the composer, and to the Beethoven Museum in Heiligenstadt. In the afternoon, after a break for lunch in the city centre, we have a guided tour of the Musikverein. Returning to the hotel, the evening is at leisure. (B)

Thursday 22 April: Eastern Austria and Haydn

Eastern Austria was one of the favourite places of repose for the nobility. Today we explore this region by coach, first visiting Schloss Hof, a hunting lodge transformed by Prince Eugene of Savoy that was later bought by Empress Maria Theresa and transformed into an elegant retreat from city life. After our visit, we enjoy lunch at a typical Austrian tavern, before continuing our journey to Eisenstadt to visit Esterházy Palace. The palace was the summer residence of one of Hungary’s pre-eminent noble families, who employed Haydn as their Kapellmeister, nurturing the career of the increasingly celebrated composer. On our return to Vienna, we stop to visit the Bergkirche in Eisenstadt, where Haydn’s body has been laid to rest since 1932, and his head since 1954. Evening at leisure. (B)

Friday 23 April: Jugendstil Vienna

At the turn of the 20th century, Vienna was a cosmopolitan city bursting with new ideas, yet its art academies were notoriously conservative. Today we explore the art and architecture of a new generation who broke with tradition and laid the foundations for a style that would sweep across Europe. In the morning, we take a walking tour of Jugendstil Vienna, seeing some of the radical changes in architecture made by Otto Wagner, followed by a visit to the Museum of Applied Arts. In the afternoon, we explore Jugendstil on the then perimeters of Vienna, including a visit to Gustav Klimt’s atelier. Returning to the hotel, the evening is at leisure. (B)

Saturday 24 April: Modern Vienna
– Musikverein

After the Great War, which brought about the end of Habsburg rule, Vienna has had a chequered history. We begin today by exploring the city’s modern past at Red Vienna, a small but fascinating museum focusing on the development of social democracy in 1920s and 1930s in the formerly autocratic state. We then take a walking tour of central Vienna to uncover the rich history of the post-war period, when Vienna was on the point of contact between Soviet and Western worlds, ending at the Third Man museum. After lunch together, we visit the Leopold Museum, Vienna’s premier collection of modern Austrian art. Returning to the hotel, there is time to relax before we attend a performance at the Musikverein. (B, L)

Performance details
Venue: Vienna Musikverein or similar
Program: TBC
Performers: TBC

Sunday 25 April: Bratislava

Bratislava is much less visited than its neighbouring capitals, and consequently retains the charms of a less-touristed city. This morning, we cruise down the Danube to Bratislava, where we take a guided tour of the city, exploring its history, from its time as the temporary capital of Hungary (when Budapest was part of the Ottoman Empire), to its modern transformation as the capital of Slovakia following the ‘Velvet Divorce’ from the Czech Republic. In the afternoon, we visit one of the region’s best new art galleries: the Danubiana Museum of Modern Art. The museum on the Danube takes full advantage of its views, and showcases an international modern art collection. Returning to Vienna by coach, the evening is at leisure. (B)

Monday 26 April: Liechtenstein Garden Palace

This morning we have a private guided visit of the Liechtenstein Garden Palace. The neo-classical palace was designed for the Prince of Liechtenstein and has especially well-preserved interiors from the early 1800s, as well as part of the family’s private collection of Old Masters – including works by Rubens, van Dyck and Frans Hals. The afternoon is at leisure, before we meet in the early evening for a farewell dinner together. (B, D)

Tuesday 27 April: Departure

The tour ends this morning in the hotel. Please check your individual travel arrangements for your onward journey. (B)