Vienna in a Day, with Context

Your essential primer to Vienna

$1,168 and up

Private

N/A

Small group

Tour Details

About the Tour

Category: History, Orientation
Duration: 7 hours
Location: Vienna

Photos & Highlights

Full-day private tour
Led by a local expert
Schönbrunn Palace, St Stephen's Cathedral, and Hofburg exterior

Tour Description

Explore Vienna in a day, with a local expert. We’ll spend the morning touring Vienna’s historical core, discussing the city’s dynamic past in the First District. We’ll have a local lunch together before spending the afternoon touring Schönbrunn Palace. This stunning summer residence offers us a glimpse into what life was like for the former Habsburg Dynasty and is just a 30-minute train ride away from the city center. Broad and engaging, this 7-hour itinerary is designed to help us make sense of this charming Austrian capital and understand its layered historical tapestry.

Vienna in a Day

We’ll meet one another overlooking the Danube Canal, before we move to touring Vienna’s oldest church: the Romanesque Ruprechtskirche. We’ll spend time strolling through this ancient district as we move from churches to 18th-century palaces (such as the Freyung, a former Babenberg Dynasty Palace) to St Stephen's Cathedral. We’ll pass the great imperial palace, the Hofburg, and use this to discuss what drew the musicians, artists, and authors to Vienna. We’ll stop for a local Viennese lunch (at own expense) and continue our conversation about Viennese music and culture. After lunch, we will take the train to Schönbrunn Palace, a crown jewel of Austria. We’ll spend the afternoon discussing the power of the Habsburg family while viewing their former living and ruling quarters: ceremonial rooms, impeccably manicured lawns and ancient artwork. We’ll have some time after the tour to independently explore the palace and grounds.

At the end of our Vienna in a Day tour, we will have a more rounded understanding of this Austrian capital, from city to palace. We’ll have learned from our guide how the city has evolved over the centuries and what makes it tick today. We’ll leave one another with a more contextualized approach that blends history, art, music, architecture, politics, gastronomy and culture, and that connects all of this with the city of Vienna.

FAQS

What happens if it's raining?
Our tours happen rain or shine. Our guides are great at adapting their route during changes of weather. Please bring an umbrella.

I would like to start at a different time. Is this possible?
We begin early to avoid more crowded times at Schönbrunn Palace. For this reason, we don’t like to start much later.

What is included? Will there be any costs to cover on the day?
Your entrance fees, public transport, and a local snack/refreshment is included. You will be expected to cover the cost of your lunch and any additional refreshments.

Where does the tour end?
We will end at the Schönbrunn Palace.

Can I request a car service?
We find this tour best suited on foot and by using public transport. If you require a car service, please let us know in your clients notes and we can arrange it for you.

Where You'll Start

Tour Experts

Gilles

Swiss artist Gilles Gubelmann studied piano and dance at the Geneva Conservatory. He then worked for many years as an expert for arts and antiques in an important Swiss Auction House (Koller Auctions) where he was director of the Department of Antique Furniture and Decorative Arts. He realised a dream and moved to Venice where he started working as a painter and as an opera set and costume designer all over Europe, and also deepening his knowledge of art history and architecture. Settled now in Vienna, Gilles continues his artistic activities, works as a lecturer at the University of Music and Performing Arts and highly enjoys uncovering the rich cultural and artistic heritage of Vienna to curious travellers.

Alexa

Alexandra Brauner is a Vienna-based art historian and psychological counsellor. With expertise in modern and contemporary art, architecture, design and human development, she leads bespoke tours in Vienna. Alexandra has been passionate about art and architecture since high school. She graduated with a Master of Art History from Vienna University, where she specialized in Viennese Architecture of the Eighteenth Century and Venetian Renaissance Painting between 1440 and 1580. Alexandra looks forward to showing you the many facets of her hometown in the walks Introduction to Vienna, Art Nouveau in Vienna and Crash Course of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Piroska

Piroska Mayer-Sebesteyén has been living in Vienna for over 20 years, after spending her childhood in Santiago de Chile and subsequently receiving a diploma in architecture in Barcelona from the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura Barcelona (ETSAB). Originally drawn to architecture because of a love of buildings and an interest in the different styles and functions they offer to people, she has been sharing her passion for Vienna's history and architecture with travelers for over 10 years. As a licensed Vienna guide, she enjoys opening up both Vienna's past and more recent modern history, especially using architecture and art history to discover how different artistic approaches and design concepts reflect the changing criteria that were important in different periods, depending on the historical, artistic, and sociological context of that time. She has a special interest in Viennese modern architecture, particularly Jugendstil, and counts visiting the Kunsthistorisches Museum and hiking in the Vienna Woods among her favorite things to do in her city.

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1 Review – (4.2)

Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.

It might be nice to have a lunch plan in advance, especially in a busy season. Our guides had difficulty finding a place to eat in both Budapest and Vienna. Also, we thought Piroska was extremely nice and knowledgeable but better for adults than teens.

Julie

Jan. 3, 2020