In this 3-hour introductory Vienna city tour, we will visit Vienna’s First District with an expert in local history. We’ll explore its spectacular monuments, quiet streets and unique elegance, gaining a broader view of the city and the many forces that have shaped this remarkable area. As we walk, we’ll see the remnants of this ancient neighborhood’s many past occupants, including the Celts, Romans, Babenbergs, Habsburgs, the Ottoman Empire, and the Nazis.

We’ll begin our tour in the most ancient part of the city, overlooking the Danube Canal, at the romanesque Ruprechtskirche, Vienna’s oldest church. Passing through the original Roman settlement area and center of the medieval city, we’ll visit the Gothic church of Maria am Gestade with its intricate, lattice-like style tower. As we continue to follow the chronology of the city’s development, we’ll stroll through the tightly compacted area once inhabited by the Babenberg court all the way to Freyung, an area of recently restored 18th-century palaces, where we’ll get our first hint of great imperial power: the mighty Habsburgs. While many of the streets of the First District are quiet and narrow, the Habsburgs carved out an enormous area and created an astonishing architectural display of their wealth and power. We’ll head briefly along the famous Ringstrasse, past the Hofburg, the huge structures of Habsburg authority where the Parliament building meets the grounds of the great imperial palace.

As we turn back toward the city’s heart, we’ll discuss what drew artists, musicians, and authors to Vienna, and introduced a strong sense of Viennese culture. Our final stop will be at the Stephansdom, Vienna’s cathedral, an architectural marvel of Gothic design and an icon of the city’s centuries of survival in the midst of political and religious upheaval. By the end of our time together, we’ll have a sense of the many layers of history that have built up over centuries and make the city what it is today.

For a deeper look at the opulence of the Habsburgs, join our Schonbrunn Palace Tour. Or, for a closer look at music in Vienna, consider our Vienna Opera Tour.