Imperial Vienna Tour Or The Habsburg Emperors Explored

Imperial Vienna tour: palace courtyard

Imperial Vienna Tour. Not all trip itineraries allow for 34 football fields packed with prime landmarks and cultural treasures.  In fact, that is the size of the Habsburg Emperors’ Palace compound! Since Hofburg Palace is the heart of historical Wien you’ll first need to pick and choose the best spots. And second, some off-path routes […]

Vienna Walking Tours: 9 Thought-Provoking Walks

New Year's Eve Concerts: Hofburg Palace

If you belong to the smart 27% of Vienna visitors*) who are keen to learn about the city while there check these eight Vienna walking tours. Since my home city offers almost 100 guided walks start on top with this manageable list of the best group tours: from basic orientation walks to expert-led tours, from […]

Schönbrunn Palace Insider Guide: How To Prepare Your Visit

Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna

Because it’s my home city’s top tourist attraction, this Schonbrunn Palace insider guide to Vienna’s most stunning castle will take you a step ahead. With millions of visitors per year the Hapsburg palace is a well-trodden path. To inspire your visit let me share my own guide to pomp and stucco, hidden corners and insider […]

Hermesvilla Vienna: Sissi of Austria’s Palace of Dreams

Hermesvilla Vienna: Empress Sissi's Palace of Dreams

Hermesvilla Vienna is a charming off path manor in Wien that unites Empress Sissi fans, nature and culture lovers. In fact, Empress Elizabeth of Austria’s romantic bolthole is set in 6,000 acres of Natural Reserve in Lainz, a few kilometres West of Schönbrunn Palace. Honestly, I am totally biased as I have been there and loved it. […]

Wachau Bike Tour: Wine Tasting On 2 Wheels

Wachau tour: biking group

What is a Wachau bike tour like? Is it easy and fun with a bit of culture sprinkled in? In fact, I did just that tour. After more than 23 visits to this 1,000-year-old wine region set alongside Europe’s second largest river I wanted to do what everyone does there: Cycling on a beautiful path, […]

Mayerling Austria: Touring The Former Mayerling Lodge

Mayerling Austria: documents of Mayerling incident

At barely an hour from Vienna, Mayerling Austria holds both a tragic love story and an eye opener. Certainly, fans of the opera Mayerling and history buffs will know the Mayerling incident. On a sunny July morning, I toured the former Mayerling lodge where Habsburg Crown Prince Rudolph’s once shot Mary Vetsera and then committed […]

Inside Otto Wagner Villa and Ernst Fuchs Museum in Vienna

Otto Wagner Villa and Ernst Fuchs Museum

If you love Art Nouveau and modern art the Otto Wagner Villa in Vienna opens an other-worldly experience. Hiding on a hillside in Western Vienna the Jugendstil mansion and museum blends Fin de Siècle art and Fantastic Realism. Find out what to encounter in the villa and how to visit. The Villa’s Story Otto Wagner Villa. […]

Seegrotte Tour Review: Europe’s Largest Underground Lake

Vienna Woods: Seegrotte, blue lake

Seegrotte Tour Review. Originally, the Seegrotte caves just South of Vienna were a gypsum mine that operated from the 1840s until 1912. The mine’s caverns, with their impressive stalactites and stalagmites, provide a glimpse into the history of mining in the region. Gliding across the quiet underground lake a boat tour takes you through a […]

Private Dining in Vienna: Review

Art Walk: private dining in Neubau

Private Dining in Vienna. Whenever a Viennese friend invites me, I get easy private dining. But where can you go private when you travel to Vienna? Asta is a private dining host. The blond 30 something and her cat Hase (rabbit) live in Vienna’s trendy urban neighbourhood Neubau. I am as hungry for her Viennese cuisine as […]

Klimt Villa Vienna: Gustav Klimt’s Studio Reviewed

Klimt Villa, Vienna Austria

Gustav Klimt art is everywhere in Vienna. But only one of his studios has survived as such. In fact, it’s the closest you can get to the Art Nouveau painter’s working environment. Following a stroll through nearby Schönbrunn Palace I once visited the Klimt Villa in the 13th district of Hietzing. It’s the result of a […]