Imperial Vienna

A trip around Vienna‘s magnificent Ringstrasse boulevard is always a special sightseeing experience whether you are on foot or taking a ride in a traditional fiacre. The magnificent boulevard is lined with parks and breathtaking buildings, such as the Imperial Palace. For more than 600 years it was the official residence of the Habsburg emperors. Today the impressive buildings contain important museums and state rooms. The Sisi Museum provides you with an insight into the private life of perhaps the most famous monarch, Emperor Franz Joseph.Visitors to the Burgkapelle can listen to performances by the Vienna Boys’ Choir on Sundays, or watch the graceful movements of the Lipizzaner horses in the Spanish Riding School.

Art lovers are also drawn to Vienna’s best-known palace: At Schönbrunn the imperial family had 1,441 rooms to choose from, many of which are open to visitors. The Schlosspark contains a number of architectural masterpieces such as the Palm House and the zoo, which has been named Europe's best on three occasions.The oldest zoo in the world was built in 1752 by Maria Theresa, the most popular mother of the Austrian nation. She was so devoted to her husband Emperor Franz I. Stephan of Lorraine that she chose to share her final resting place with him. Their double tomb can be seen at the Habsburg burial crypt in the Kapuzinergruft.