Mercure's travel guides

27 castles and over 150 palaces: Vienna is clearly not a spot for paupers. Many are open for visitors, including the magnificent Schönbrunn Palace and the Hofburg, or Imperial Palace, until 1918 the linchpin of the Habsburg dynasty. The Hofburg now contains the Sisi Museum, Ephesus Museum, Museum of Ethnology as well as worthwhile collections of ancient musical instruments and armor. Among the hundred or so other city museums, children will love the ZOOM Kindermuseum and the zoo, Tiergarten Schönbrunn. And in this city where music rules the day, do visit the Staatsoper – if not for an opera performance, then at least for a tour.

Kunsthistorisches Museum

Maria Theresien-Platz, Vienna, 1010
1-525-24-4025
http://www.khm.at

Description:

The Museum of Fine Arts is one of the best in Europe. Over the centuries, the Habsburgs assembled a diverse collection of great art from around the world. Acquisitions by such Old Masters as Dürer, Rubens, Rembrandt, Raphael, Vermeer, Titian, and Velasquez are the hallmark of the collection that also includes treasures from Oriental, Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquity. With almost two miles of corridors, allow more than a day to view the collections.
Peak Season (Jul - Aug)  Fri-Wed 10am-6pm; Thu 10am-9pm
Off-Peak Season (Sep - Jun)  Tue-Wed, Fri-Sun 10am-6pm; Thu 10am-9pm
Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diner's Club

Spanische Hofreitschule

Michaelerplatz 1, Vienna, 1010
1-533-9031
http://www.srs.at

Description:

This Spanish Riding School is world-renowned for its famed Lipizzaner horses. Baroque music accompanies their demonstration of the equestrian art of "haute-ecole" dressage in a setting that is more ballroom than stable. Indeed, the riders are formally attired for an elegant gamut of movements that emphasize precision and lightness. Please check their website for performance schedule.
Visitor Centre Daily 9am-4pm
Box Office  Tue-Sat 9am-Noon
Event Dates and Times Vary
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Haus der Musik

Seilerstaette 30, Vienna, 1010
1-513-4850
http://www.hdm.at

Description:

Just how a modern museum should be, and just what the city's great musical heritage deserves: a wonderful interactive tour through sound and music. Play the waltz-dice game in the first floor's Vienna Philharmonic Museum. Get a new perspective on sound in the second floor's Sonosphere. On leaving the third floor, have a go at being the virtual conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra after learning about many of the great composers who gave them something to play. Discover how tomorrow's music might be made in the Futuresphere on the fourth floor.
Daily 10am-10pm
Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diner's Club, Other