Living in Austria: A Stay in Vienna

Depart on an overnight flight to Vienna, where you’ll be met and assisted with transfer to your apartment-style hotel in the city center. Your Smithsonian Journeys resident director will be available in the afternoon and throughout the program to help with sightseeing arrangements, restaurant reservations, theater tickets, and shopping suggestions for your free time. You’ll also receive a welcome package containing information about the area and a map of the town, as well as a Vienna Metro pass valid for your entire stay. This evening, meet your fellow travelers for a welcome reception followed by dinner at a neighborhood restaurant. (R,D)

Start your day with a full breakfast buffet at the hotel. Head out on foot to get oriented with your neighborhood on a guided walk, followed by a lunch featuring Austrian cuisine. The balance of the day is yours to explore and settle into your home away from home. Gather in the afternoon to attend a talk on imperial Vienna by a local speaker. (B,L)

In mid-morning set out with your Metro pass in hand to discover the city’s historic heart. After lunch together, visit the Schönbrunn Palace, the former summer residence of the imperial Habsburg family an now a World Heritage site. See the Hall of Mirrors where six-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played for Empress Maria Theresa, and wander through the ornate State Apartments, filled with opulent frescoes. Take a walk in the  extensive palace gardens, resplendent with fountains and topiary. Return to the city center and drive along the Ringstrasse past majestic buildings such as the University of Vienna—the oldest in the German-speaking countries, the House of Parliament, and the Opera House, as well as monuments to local maestros Johann Strauss and Mozart. (B,L)

Immerse yourself in the rhythm of daily life in Vienna.

If you have opted for the German Language enrichment track, take the tram this afternoon to the language school to meet the staff, tour the school, and begin the first of nine German language lessons.

Those who are not participating in language lessons have a full day to explore Vienna independently. Your resident director can offer suggestions and help plan your day.

• Optional Language Enrichment Track 1 of 9: Orientation, placement test, and German class

Vienna was home to many highly revered classical musicians and composers, including Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Strauss. You’ll have time on your own to attend performances in Vienna’s various concert halls or churches, explore the Music Museum, and visit the homes of important composers.

If you have enrolled in the Classical Music enrichment track, embark on an excursion to the world-famous Musikverein concert hall, the neoclassical home of the Vienna Music Association and the Vienna Philharmonic. Orchestras and music ensembles have entertained audiences in its two opulent auditoriums since 1870. The main auditorium, called the Great Hall or Golden Hall, is renowned for its excellent acoustics and imposing pipe organ. The smaller music hall is often used for chamber music. In a city filled with music venues, the Musikverien is the premier setting for classical music performances.

Language learners will continue German lessons today. Gather tonight for dinner at a popular local restaurant. (D)

• Optional Classical Music Enrichment Track 1 of 3: Musikverein tour
• Optional Language Enrichment Track 2 of 9: German class

For those not taking part in German language classes, the day is free of planned activities and yours to explore Vienna as you wish. You might visit one of the city’s fine museums, or stop in at a traditional coffee house for a kleiner Schwarzer, or espresso, and perhaps a slice of Vienna’s famous sachertorte. Your resident director will be on hand to assist you with your plans.

• Optional Language Enrichment Track 3 of 9: German class

This morning, go behind the scenes at the Spanish Riding School at Hofburg Palace. Watch a training session of the Lipizzaner stallions, descendants of the Andalusian horses brought to the Iberian peninsula by the Moors. In operation for nearly 460 years, the school is a legacy of the Habsburg Empire, which sought strong horses for defense and utilitarian purposes but also to develop the classical art of horsemanship. Admire the fine dressage skills of these stunning white horses and their riders. Learn about school which has been designated by UNESCO as a place of intangible cultural heritage.

After lunch together, step inside the ornate Hofburg Palace. Initially planned as the seat of the Dukes of Austria in the 13th century, the palace expanded over the centuries and served as the seat of Habsburg monarchs and the Holy Roman Empire for several periods since the 15th century. Today, the palace is official residence of the president of Austria. Marvel at the glittering ballrooms and state apartments and learn more about the fascinating lives and rule of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elizabeth, known by her nickname, Sisi.

The evening is free for independent pursuits. (L)

Enjoy a full day at leisure to explore Vienna as you wish. You might meet up with new friends at the renowned Café Demel to see its exquisitely decorated cakes (and perhaps order a slice). Or pay a visit to Belvedere Palace to gaze at Gustav Klimt’s iconic The Kiss.

This evening, if you are participating in the Classical Music track, head to Kursalon Vienna in the lovely Stadtpark for dinner and a concert featuring the music of two beloved composers who enchanted Viennese audiences a century apart: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss II.

• Optional Classical Music Enrichment Track 2 of 3: Dinner and concert at the Kursalon Vienna at Stadtpark

For those who have not enrolled in the Culinary Traditions Enrichment Track, the day is free of planned activities.

If you have chosen the Culinary Traditions enrichment track, your program begins today. Travel to the outskirts of the city on the Vienna Heurigen Express sightseeing train, riding past lovely vineyards, country villas, and other pastoral sights of the Vienna Woods, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Arrive at a Heuriger, or traditional wine tavern, where a delectable buffet lunch and a selection of local wines await. Return to Vienna at your own pace, hopping on and off the train to visit other wine taverns and villages on the way back to the city center.

• Optional Culinary Traditions Enrichment Track 1 of 3: Vienna Heurigen Express, traditional wine tavern

Depart together on a full-day excursion to the Wachau Valley, where the Danube River carves through a landscape of vineyards and rolling hills dotted with timeless villages and castles. Tour Melk Abbey, the magnificent baroque home of a Benedictine monastic community that has existed here since 1089. Take a guided tour of this stunning abbey, recently renovated with contemporary touches, then spend time meandering through the beautiful gardens. After lunch with the group, take a walking tour of the village of Dürnstein, strolling its cobbled lanes and viewing its striking abbey. In the castle ruins perched high above the town, King Richard the Lionheart of England was imprisoned on his return from the Crusades. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. Return to Vienna late in the day and enjoy the remainder of the evening at leisure. (L)

Please note: This excursion will require quite a bit of walking and many steps.

All participants will have the morning at leisure. Language students will attend a German lesson in the afternoon.

Those taking part in the Culinary Traditions track will gather for an evening excursion to a restaurant and cooking school. With a trained chef leading the way, learn how to make several Austrian specialties and discover the traditions and finesse used to make traditional main dishes, side dishes, and dessert. After your cooking is done, sit back and enjoy the delicious results with your fellow students!

• Optional Language Enrichment Track 4 of 9: German class
• Optional Culinary Traditions Enrichment Track 2 of 3: Cooking class and dinner at a restaurant/cooking school

Delve into Jewish Vienna and gain insight into the history of the city’s Jewish community, which was established in the late 12th century and blossomed in the mid-1800s. Leading up to World War II, it was one of Europe’s largest Jewish communities. Walk through the Old Jewish Quarter and see the Jewish Museum, the Holocaust Memorial, and other landmarks.

German language track participants will have a class this afternoon.

• Optional Language Enrichment Track 5 of 9: German class

Gather for a presentation by a local expert on contemporary Austria. Language students attend a German class today, and all others can enjoy free time today.

• Optional Language Enrichment Track 6 of 9: German class

In the evening, meet up for a festive group dinner at a local restaurant. (D)

This morning, step aboard a high-speed catamaran and cruise along the Danube River into Slovakia, where you’ll go ashore in the capital city of Bratislava. Remember to bring your passport!

Take a walking tour of the charming Old Town, where cobbled streets are bordered by brightly painted buildings, galleries, whimsical street art, and lively cafés. Step into St. Martin’s Cathedral, where Hungarian and Habsburg monarchs were once crowned, and see St. Michael’s Gate, the city’s only remaining medieval gate. Pass the Slovak National Theater, often called the Opera House, and continue to the 18th-century Primate’s Palace for a guided tour. On December 26, 1805, the palace’s Hall of Mirrors hosted the signing of the Peace of Pressburg, a treaty between the French and Holy Roman empires during the Napoleonic Wars. Stop to try a delicious local pastry and a sip of Bratislava’s famous black current wine. There will be free time for lunch. Return to Vienna aboard the catamaran late in the day and enjoy an evening at leisure.

Embark on an optional two-night excursion to Salzburg, the storybook city where Mozart was born. A scenic train journey from Vienna brings you into Salzburg in time for lunch at a local restaurant. Set out on a walking tour of this World Heritage site, following cobbled lanes to charming squares, and learning about the history of this delightful city. Admire its rich architectural legacy, which spans the centuries between the Gothic medieval period to the ornate baroque flourishes of the 16th and 17th centuries. Italian and German influences also provide Salzburg with its own character. Walk down the bustling Getreidegasse and see the birthplace of Mozart. Explore the Durchhäusers, Salzburg’s iconic narrow passageways that provide a path between streets and into courtyards. Then ascend to Hohensalzburg Castle, an imposing fortress overlooking Salzburg, and take in panoramic views on a guided tour. The next day is yours to discover Salzburg as you wish. Please note: the Salzburg Weekend Getaway is at an additional cost. (B,L)

If you choose to remain in Vienna, your resident director will have ideas and sample itineraries to help you make the most of your time in the city.

Guests on the optional excursion to Salzburg will have breakfast in the hotel before returning to Vienna by high-speed train. (B)

For those who have remained in Vienna, enjoy a full day at leisure.

Attend a German class this morning or enjoy a full day to explore on your own. 

If you enrolled in the Classical Music track, you’ll set off on a music-themed stroll through Vienna's Old Town. Get a closer look at the architecture of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, where Mozart’s wedding took place, and see a statue of the composer on  Heldenplatz. Just to the right is the Theatermuseum, where Beethoven conducted the Viennese premiere of his third symphony Eroica, as well as the Vienna State Opera. Discover the Theater an der Wien, where almost all of Strauss’ operettas had their premiere. On the way to the city park, see Karlskirche and learn about its connection to Strauss, and continue to a monument to Beethoven. End with a visit to the Mozart House, where he lived from 1784 to 1787--said to be some of his happiest years.

• Optional Language Enrichment Track 7 of 9: German class
• Optional Classic Music Track 3 of 3: Highlights of the Musical Greats of Vienna

Please Note: Day 19 and Day 20 will switch on our 2027 programs.

Gather for a tour of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, opened by Emperor Franz Joseph in 1891 to make the Habsburgs' formidable art collections accessible to the general public. View a rich array of paintings by Renaissance icons and Dutch Old Masters, including Titian, Caravaggio, Raphael, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Rubens, and more. Following lunch with the group, language students attend an afternoon German class, and remainder of the day is yours to spend as you wish. (L)

• Optional Language Enrichment Track 8 of 9: German language lessons

Those not taking part in the Language or Culinary Traditions tracks have a full day to explore Vienna further.

German language students will have their final class today.

If you are participating in the Culinary Traditions track, learn more the Salzburg treat known as Mozartkugel. Find out how the popular confection is made, learn about its origins and varieties, and enjoy a sampling.

• Optional Language Enrichment Track 9 of 9: Final German class and celebratory toast, in German of course!
• Optional Culinary Traditions Track 3 of 3: Discover and sample Mozartkugel

Meet up in the evening for casual conversation with your fellow travelers, sharing insights and discoveries from your time in Vienna in the Smithsonian Journeys Travelers Corner.

Spend a final day living in Vienna, revisiting your favorite spots with new friends or on your own, and perhaps grabbing a last pastry at one of the city’s famous cafés. Celebrate your sojourn in Vienna at a festive farewell reception and dinner tonight. (R,D)

Depart for the airport in time to for your return flight home.

Please note: Itinerary sequence and/or scheduled events may change due to operational considerations.