„100 % Vienna, please!“ – Classic City Tour
Get in, listen and enjoy. Via Ring Road to Hundertwasser House, along Prater and Vienna’s Ferris wheel. Crossing Danube, overlooking the DanubeCity, Vienna’s modern, skyscraping area, where Danube Tower and the Vienna International Center are located, too
. The Classic City Tour ends at Belvedere castle, the imposing baroque summer residence of Prince Eugene.
„Vienna & Schönbrunn“ – City Tour with a visit to the palace
This tour starts with the moderated highlights along Viennese Ring-Road, leads past the Art Deco-building of Secession and the „Theater an der Wien“ and brings us to Schönbrunn Palace
. We’ll visit the former imperial summer residence, it’s world famous State Rooms and the historical baroque garden.
„At home with the Emperors“ – The Imperial Palace at Hofburg
This tour is dedicated to the former imperial winter residence of the Habsburg family
. The route leads through imposing squares, numerous courtyards, catches a glimpse of St. Augustine’s Church and passes the stables of the Lipizzaner horses. Upon request, this tour can be combined with a visit of the Imperial Appartments, the Sisi Museum or the treasury.
„Pure Old Town“ – Medieval Vienna
A stroll through Vienna’s historic center, focussing on one of the most formative periods. Starting at Schwedenplatz and heading for the towns impressive landmark, gothic St. Stephen’s Cathedral, in between hidden spaces await us. We experience hidden courtyards, quiet lanes and imposing churches, located at the so called Greek Quarter, Old University Quarter, within „Heiligenkreuzerhof“, Jewish Square and others
. If requested, we can scale St. Stephen’s spire (option: lift or walk) – a great view all over Vienna will be the reward.
„Oh, how sweet!“ – Bundt cake, Sacher & History of Coffeehouses
Our starting point – ever since resounded throughout the land – is Hotel Sacher, where the original world-famous Sachertorte was founded. But Vienna has even more sweet aspects. We stroll through Kaerntnerstrasse, where the pastry shop Gerstner is located
. We pass the esteemed „Aida“ at Stock-im Eisen-Platz, visit the „Manner“ shop at Stephansplatz and bend off to have a look at the traditional sweetshop Altmann & Kühne and the chocolate shop Xocolat. The cafes along the way: The incomparable Hawelka, Meinl am Graben, The Demel with it’s breathtaking show windows and finally Café Central, which we achieve through the passage of Palais Ferstel. In between, I practice the correct pronunciation of Gugelhupf, Punschkrapferl, Strudel and Melange with you – the essential vocabulary for your visit at any Viennese coffee house ;-)
„The Ornamental Revolution“ – Otto Wagner’s Art Nouveau & Vienna’s Secession
What would Vienna be without? Hardly an architect formed such a lasting impression in public space as Otto Wagner
. This tour follows in his footsteps along the most remarkable buildings. We see the Post Office Savings Bank with it's distinctive facade, pass the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts – next to Vienna’s City park and reach Otto Wagner’s pavilions on Karlsplatz – former railway stations. In close proximity we reach one of the symbols of the Vienna Art Nouveau – the Secession building. And just after a few hundred meters onward we’ll find Art Nouveau facades along Vienna’s Naschmarkt, a traditional open-air market. Depending on the time budget, we can pay a visit to the Otto Wagner Hospital and the famous „Wagner Church of St. Leopold“, located in an elevated district of Vienna. The transport is optional: depending on group size we take a rented bus, public transportation or a taxi.
„Art & Culture compact“ – The Museum Quarter (MQ)
Built in the baroque as widely applied imperial stables, Museumsquartier (MQ) today is one of the worlds largest art centers – and thereby located in the middle of town. So our tour within this area includes not only interesting architectural features and various courtyards, but also the highlights of Museum Leopold. This private collection impresses with its emphasis on Austrian painting of the 19th and early 20th century, particularly with works from Schiele, Egger-Lienz, Nitsch and so on
. If you ask me: a must!
„Remember – Discover“ – Jewish Vienna
Vienna’s rise and becoming a metropolis of science and arts has always been inextricably linked with the eventful history of the Jewish community. Starting from the Jewish Square, once center of medieval Jewish town in the first district this tour illustrates how much Vienna was influenced by Jewish culture. If requested we can move to the adjacent second district (Leopoldstadt, formerly Mazzesisland), where the recent history oft he Jewish Vienna became manifest
. Stones of Remembrance accompany our path as well as buildings and places that can tell the past and current history oft Vienna’s jewish communities.
„Viennese Women“ – Femal Biographies & Careers
Vienna, a city of women? This question can and will be answered with a „Yes“! Although we are walking just around the city center of Vienna, we find numerous traces of dedicated, talented, enterprising and interesting women from all walks of life who have significantly shaped the history of Vienna through their work
. An many of them are unknown! Look forward to the places which are telling wonderful stories about Viennese women.
„Red Vienna“ – Architectural Manifesto & Social Housing
You can see them all over the city and all of them are remarkable. „Red Vienna’s“ buildings are worth seeing even for non-fans of architecture
. I’d recommend to pass this tour with the so-called suburb line S-45 – a historic light rail system planned by Otto Wagner, which leads aboveground through several districts of Vienna (optional by rented bus). Thus we see the famous Karl-Marx-Hof as well as the Professor-Jodl- Hof (XIX), the Rosa-Töpler-Hof (XVII), the Holy-Hof (XVII), the „Kongressbad“ and the „Sandleiten-Hof“ (XVI). A special tour of Vienna along, but also off the usual postcard motifs.
„Vienna & Medical Science“ – From Josephinum to Sigmund Freud Museum
On this walk we encounter seemingly quaint relics of a time when medical science gained a foothold in Vienna. Come along with me to the revealing documented recent history of Sigmund Freud House and Museum (Berggasse 19)
. Experience the Josephinum, founded in the 18th century as a medical-surgical academy and the so-called Fool’s Tower, a remarkable example of architecture postioned at the historic General Hospital, containing historic wax models. You’ll also learn some interesting facts about the relevance of Maria Theresia’s First Viennese School of Medicine and the resulting Second one.
„Morbid & Melancholic“ – Vienna & Death
A „beautiful corpse“ and everything that comes along with – that is Vienna, too. A tour within the first district leads us to the Vienna’s widely visible landmark, St
. Stephen’s Cathedral, from where numerous emperors started their last way to the Imperial Crypt – of course accompanied by many fascinating rituals. The route takes us further to the crypt at Michaelerkirche and can optionally (with a rented bus, taxi or public transportation) include a visit of the utmost remarkable Vienna Central Cemetery with its pompous grave sculptures .
