Option 1: Family Fun – Animal Lovers
Exeter International Extraordinary Experience
This morning, wake up early and meet your driver to head to the zoo at Schönbrunn. This is actually the world’s oldest zoo and, in our opinion, the best in Europe! Today you will meet your special zoo guide prior to opening. You’ll have an early morning tour of the zoo highlights via private golf cart, before enjoying breakfast at the Kaiser Pavilion.
Afterward, you can stay to enjoy more of the zoo on your own if you like. We will set up a return time with your driver, so you have transportation back to your hotel whenever you are ready.
Exeter Services
Zoo Transfers; Zoo Guide (1.5 Hours)
Hotel
Sans Souci Wien
Option 2: Family Fun – Teens
This morning, your guide will meet you and take you around via metro and tram to see the amazing street art in Vienna. Although most people associate Vienna with imperial splendor, some of the best amateur and professional artists have created fantastic murals and graffiti throughout the city.
The banks of the Danube Canal are lined by concrete walls, and this has created one long blank canvas for artists.
Summer days are super lively in Vienna, and if you’re game, and if the weather cooperates, you can have your guide show you the popular local hang-out – the Danube Island.
Exeter Services
Guide (4 hours)
Hotel
Sans Souci Wien
Option 3: Architecture & Design
This morning, meet your guide for a Secessionist and Design tour of Vienna. Your walk with your guide will take you by several examples of Secessionist architecture in the center, including the American Bar, the Secessionist House and more.
You will step inside MAK – the Museum for Applied Arts. This museum features design, including crafts from the Wiener Werkstätte, founded by Hoffmann and Moser. Their permanent collection includes Vienna 1900, featuring design and decorative arts from 1890 to 1938. The shop here is also a superb place to pick up design-oriented souvenirs.
Then walk with your guide through the area of the Naschmarkt – one of Vienna’s most famous food markets. The buildings lining the street are all great examples of Hoffman’s work.
Exeter International Extraordinary Experience
You will head into one of the most stunning of these – Majolikahaus. This apartment building was designed at the turn of the 20th century had has some gorgeous details of Art Nouveau style. The entire façade is built of small ceramic tiles, known as majolica, that flow into floral shapes up the wall. Today you will be invited inside a private apartment in this building. Walk into a slice of Viennese history as you step inside these gorgeous rooms filled with Art Nouveau artworks, Olbrich-style furniture, along with works by Hoffmann and Loos. You’ll be immersed in Vienna’s Fin de Siécle atmosphere! Experience some light refreshments with your guide as you discuss Secessionism in Vienna before departing.
Exeter Services
Guide (6 hours)
Hotel
Sans Souci Wien
Option 4: Vienna’s Art Scene
Today, meet your guide and board the local tram to head to the nearby Belvedere Palace and Gardens. This palace, built as the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy, is situated on a gently sloping hill. The two main palaces (upper and lower) are linked by formal French gardens and both now house wonderful art collections. Upper Belvedere holds a wonderful collection of 19th– and 20th-century art, while the lower palace houses a fine collection of art and sculpture from Vienna’s Golden Age (approximately 1683 to 1780).
This is one of the most amazing collections of Klimt in the world and you will have ample time to explore the exhibition. Afterward, you might want to hop on the Ring Tram with your guide to take the short journey around the historic Ring that encircles Vienna. You’ll see all the most important buildings and monuments of the city in this one journey.
Afterward, your next museum is your choice. Some of the fantastic options are:
Albertina
Bordering the pedestrian area is the fantastic Albertina Museum (also a great place to stop for lunch in their outpost of DO & CO). Since May 2009, the Albertina has had a permanent exhibition consisting of the Batliner Collection (covering Monet to Picasso) along with major works from the collection of Eva and Mathias Forberg. The collection spans Classical Modernism to the present.
Leopold Museum
If you’re in the mood for museums, you might want to take a stroll to the nearby Museum Quarter. This terrific area of Vienna houses several of the most important museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the largest museum in Central Europe for modern art and a great collection of Picasso, Klee, and more, and the Leopold Museum, featuring over 5,000 works of Austrian art including the world’s largest private collection of works by Egon Schiele.
Fine Arts Museum
The Fine Arts Museum is one of our favorite museums in Vienna. Here you will find a vast array of paintings including Bruegel, Vermeer, Velazquez, Rubens and Rembrandt.
In the same building you will find the Kunstkammer (Treasure Chamber). The collection consists of the Hapsburg’s treasures assembled during the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque. The collection includes over 2,000 pieces of art, including gold, bronze, ivory, ostrich eggs, the horn of the (legendary!) unicorn and Cellini’s golden Saliera (salt cellar), often called the Mona Lisa of sculpture. The salt cellar alone is insured for over $60 million.
Exeter Services
Guide (6 hours)
Hotel
Sans Souci Wien
Option 5: Jewish Heritage
This morning your guide will meet you in your hotel lobby for an exploration of some of the notable sites in Vienna’s Jewish history. Begin with a walk through what was once Vienna’s Jewish Quarter: Leopoldstadt. This former hub of Jewish life contained the city’s finest synagogues, along with a wide array of Jewish shops, clubs, theaters, and more. This was also the Central European stronghold of Zionism and Chassidism. As you walk, you will see some of the monuments that dot the city center now, including the Holocaust Memorial at Judenplatz and the Memorial against War and Fascism at Albertinaplatz. There are two Jewish museums in Vienna’s center. You might choose to visit one or both.
The Museum at Judenplatz combines the Holocaust Memorial with the remains of a medieval synagogue and a museum about medieval Jewish life. This museum also sometimes offers unique special exhibitions and your guide can detail what is available during your tour. The Jewish Museum in Palais Eskeles is relatively new – having opened in 2011, and is, in our opinion, an essential visit for an understanding of Jewish life in Vienna. In additional to temporary exhibitions, this large museum offers a look into Jewish life in Vienna, both pre-war and post-war. One of the more moving aspects is the virtual access to Vienna’s synagogues that were destroyed in 1938.
If possible, your guide will also take you into the City Temple. This was the only synagogue in the city center to survive WWII, as destroying it would have set fire to the attached buildings. Admission here is tricky, so if possible, you will go inside. Otherwise, you can see it from the outside. For inside admission, passports are required.
It’s now possible to visit the former address of perhaps one of the most famous of Vienna’s Jewish residents – Sigmund Freud. His former apartment has just been completely renovated and today you can have an in-depth look into his life, both public and private.
Exeter Services
Guide (6 hours)
Hotel
Sans Souci Wien
Option 6:Vienna Shopping
Meet your guide this morning to explore some of Vienna’s unique shopping areas. All touring today is on foot and via efficient public transportation.
Vienna actually has several shopping districts and your guide will discuss what will be the most interesting to you.
Many guests often start in the fashionable first district. This is where you will find chic and unique fine goods that are often still handmade from generations of craftspeople. Think handmade hats, clothing, shoes, and more. It’s also in this area where you will find Vienna’s Golden Quarter, featuring all the luxury European brands. If you’d like a little history with your shopping, look for shops labeled K+K. This means they were court appointed purveyors of their craft.
Many guests want to see more accessible local boutiques from local designers. These are often found in the hip and trendy 4th and 7th districts. From fashion and accessories to art and design, your guide will help you discover hidden shops that only a local knows.
Exeter Services
Guide (4 hours)
Hotel
Sans Souci Wien
Option 7: Food Tour
Exeter International Extraordinary Experience
This morning, your local food expert will meet you in your hotel lobby. Today you will have a tour using public transport (and walking) of her favorite local markets and unique Vienna food producers. These aren’t big productions, but local family-run businesses. During the walk, you will not only taste samples of the food, you will learn more about Austrian everyday life and food culture.
Exeter Services
Food Insider (3-4 hours)
Hotel
Sans Souci Wien