Imperial Vienna

Morning flight from London Heathrow to Vienna. Transfer by coach to your four-star hotel in the centre of Vienna. En route we will be introduced not only to the famous Ringstrasse and its architecture, but also to one of Otto Wagner’s most outstanding Secession buildings, the Postsparkasse. In the late afternoon, visit the Secession building, an icon of the Vienna Secessionists, a group of rebel artists breaking away from the long-established fine arts tradition, with the famous Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt.

On our leisurely morning walk we explore the Cathedral of St Stephen, focusing on the red-marble tomb of Emperor Frederick III. After a restorative break for “Kaffee und Kuchen” at the famous Zuckerbäckerei Demel, purveyors to the imperial court, the Treasury in the Hofburg awaits us with the insignia and jewels of the Holy Roman Empire, including the Imperial Crown and the Holy Lance. In the afternoon, we will visit the Imperial Library built by Johann Fischer von Erlach with its splendid State Hall which we will compare with the impressive Church of St Charles Borromeo by the same architect.

Today we visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The morning will be spent in the special exhibition ‘Renaissance in the North’ with its c. 150 paintings, sculpture, drawings and suits of armour showcasing exhibits from Berlin, Paris and New York. The rest of our visit is dedicated to the resplendent works from the Habsburg Cabinet of Arts and Curiosities in the Kunstkammer and highlights from the permanent collection of paintings. The delightful museum café and restaurant, located under the impressive cupola of the museum, allows for pleasurable restorative breaks.

In the morning, we take a coach excursion to Klosterneuburg. Founded in 1114 for a college of Augustinian canons, the monastery of Klosterneuburg houses innumerable treasures of art – from the famous Romanesque goldsmith and enamel altarpiece by Nikolaus of Verdun to the Baroque Imperial apartments of the Habsburgs. After lunch, visit the fascinating but little-known Imperial Court Furniture Depository which houses exhibits ranging from a travelling throne to the original ‘bistro chair’ invented by Michael Thonet in the middle of the 19th century.

Eighteenth-century splendour is the motto of this morning: in the Imperial Crypt – principal place of entombment for members of the House of Habsburg – we focus on the exuberant rococo sarcophagus of Emperor Charles VI and his wife Empress Maria Theresia. On our stroll around town we study some of Vienna’s most stunning private city palaces of the 18th-century including the Palais Kinsky, built by the leading Baroque architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt. The afternoon is free for individual exploration.

Our final visit will take us to the Upper Belvedere, home to an extensive collection of Austrian paintings including famous paintings like Klimt’s Kiss as well as an extensive collection of works by Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka. After lunch, coach transfer to the airport for a late afternoon flight, returning to London Heathrow