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Sisi Museum and Hofburg Palace Tour: Dive into Vienna's Imperial History
4.5
162 Ratings
Wien
Dive into Vienna’s imperial history on a guided tour of the Sisi Museum and Hofburg Palace. Skip the lines, learn about the Habsburgs, and explore the opulent courtyards and gardens.
Duration:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Michaelerplatz 3 - Meet your guide in front of Raiffeisen Bank, Michaelerplatz 3, 1010 Vienna (48.208338, 16.366696). It’s a white building with a green-grey marble facade, the inscription “Raiffeisen Bank Wien” in gold, and 4 columns at the entrance.
- The Hofburg - Book a 2,5-hour group tour of Hofburg Palace and Gardens with a Professional Guide. With pre-booked timed tickets, our guests can save time and skip the lines to the Sisi Museum and the Imperial Apartment at Hofburg. Inside the imperial palace, we will visit the private bedrooms, salons and offices of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife, Elisabeth “Sisi” of Bavaria and see the world-famous collection of Sisi’s personal items. We will also venture out into the inner courtyards, see the buildings of the world renowned Spanish Riding School and admire the numerous statues and fountains of Heldenplatz and Burggarten. You’ll be surprised how much the Hofburg Palace complex still has to offer the people of Vienna as a treasure trove of Austrian history and cultural heritage.
What's Included
- Exclusive access to the Sisi Museum, Imperial Apartments, and Hofburg premises
- Small group tour capped at 25 people for a more personalized experience
- Complimentary admission to beautiful Hofburg Courtyards and Gardens
- Expertise of a 5-star licensed guide providing insights in your preferred language
- Priority entry with skip-the-line tickets for a hassle-free experience
What's Not Included
- Headsets
Additional Information
Hear the true story of Sisi and experience the opulent lifestyle of Habsburgs on a guided tour of the Hofburg Palace complex, including the Sisi Museum, Imperial Apartments, courtyards and gardens. We’ll skip the lines and discover the imperial Vienna!
Highlights:
• Explore the Hofburg Palace Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a 5-Star Tour Guide
• Skip the lines to the Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments at Hofburg
• Learn about the beloved empress “Sisi” and the imperial House of Habsburg
• Discover the secrets of the Hofburg Palace courtyards, Heldenplatz and Burggarten
• Enjoy a small, well-organized group tour with live commentary in only 1 language
No lines, no hassle as our group tour takes you inside the Sisi Museum, Imperial Apartments, courtyards and gardens of the Hofburg Imperial Palace Complex. With skip-the-line tickets and a 5-Star Licensed Guide.
- You should arrive at the meeting point 10 minutes early, as latecomers won’t be able to join the group or receive a refund.
- Our group tours are only in 1 language. Select your preferred language when booking.
- There will be a maximum of 25 participants.
- This tour is not suitable for people with disabilities.
- There is no luggage storage for bags etc. Pets are not allowed.
- Skip-the-line tickets to Hofburg include timed entry so you don’t have to wait in line for your tickets. Admission is for the Sisi Museum and the Imperial Apartments.
- Be aware that the corridors in the Sisi Museum are narrow, so you will need to stay close to the guide.
- Admission to the Gardens is for free parts of the courtyards, Heldenplatz and Burggarten. In case of extreme weather conditions, visiting the outdoor areas may be restricted but the tour will continue as planned. The gardens are not green or lit up in winter, so it’s best to book a morning tour. The gardens are most beautiful in spring, summer & autumn.
Location
Michaelerplatz 3
Michaelerplatz
Meet your guide in front of Raiffeisen Bank, Michaelerplatz 3, 1010 Vienna (48.208338, 16.366696). It's a white building with a green-grey marble facade, the inscription "Raiffeisen Bank Wien" in gold, and 4 columns at the entrance.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(162 Ratings)
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Carole_q
Sep 26, 2024
Excellent for a good introduction to Vienna and the Habsburgs - This tour was an great in-depth exploration of the lives of Franz Josef I and Elisabeth (Sisi). The tour guide (I'm sorry, I don't remember her name) took us first through the Sisi Museum, and I think this is the better way to go through the museum, with a knowledgeable guide relating Sisi's life and circumstances, rather than going through alone and trying to piece it together from the displays. I'm not entirely sure you'd get from the museum why Sisi's life was so tragic or why she was so beloved by both Franz Josef and the people of the empire, but the tour guide told her entire story, from her childhood in Bavaria, through her troubles acclimatizing to court life and the death of her son, to her assassination, and she really brought the empress to life for us.
Then she took us through Schloss Hofburg and showed us what royal daily life was like back then. Then we toured the Volksgarten to view the memorial for Empress Sisi that Franz Josef built for his beloved wife. We ended the tour by walking through the Heldenplatz to the plaza in front of Neue Burg, and the tour guide told us about the modern uses of these areas, as well as why the Neue Burg balcony overlooking the plaza is called the Cursed Balcony.
All in all, it was a fun and informative tour, and I definitely recommend this tour as a great introduction to the Habsburgs, Austria-Hungary, and Vienna in general.
Review provided by Viator
Ulrichs792
Sep 25, 2024
Wonderful despite rain - In unbelievably bad weather, the tourism expert kept us happy and explained everything really funny, witty but with a certain didactic reduction so that we always listened to him attentively and gratefully!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeff_l
Sep 24, 2024
Great tour choice - Excellent tour inside the museum and outside some of the grounds of the palace. Our guide was very knowledgable. She started and finished on time and conducted the tour at a good pace.
Review provided by Viator
James_f
Sep 23, 2024
Great - Knowledgeable guide. Very helpful with information that was asked. Made me feel comfortable as I was on my own as I was on a conference.
Review provided by Viator
Sonya_z
Sep 21, 2024
Sisi was no sissy! - Our guide was fantastic and very knowledgeable. The earbuds were great and helpful when we were the stragglers (both in our 80’s)! He made Sisi come to life!
Review provided by Viator
Holly_d
Sep 21, 2024
Fantastic - Our guide Alex was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable and told us so much. We would definitely recommend the tour.
Review provided by Viator
Zack_d
Sep 30, 2024
No headphones - Overall we had an okay experience. The tour guy had good information to share about Sisi and the monarchy's history. We enjoyed seeing the palace. The tour does not include the gardens. They do not provide headphones with this tour, which would have really made the experience much better. We had to stand closely as an entire group to hear the tour guide, but sometimes it was tough due to noise, tight walkways, and small rooms.
Review provided by Viator
Brian_r
Sep 22, 2024
To much information - The Sisi museum and apartments are very good and our guide certainly new his subject. However i found that he was giving to much information and this distracted me from listening to him as much as i should.
Review provided by Viator
William_d
Sep 18, 2024
Kip the line? Skip the tour. - Skip the line? Skip the tour. One hour tour crammed into two plus hours. Seemed like a lot of irrelevant historical detail that was repeated over again. The group was 25 people and a number of stops accommodated 10 or 12 at the most. You have to see the gardens on your own. Tour was not what I expected.
Review provided by Viator
Juan_o
Sep 18, 2024
Waste of Money - Arrived 5 minutes late and had no way to join my tour. Nobody to call and no way to tour Sissi museum without having to buy another ticket. Total waste of Money, if I had known it I would’ve just bought the ticket at the entrance of the Museum with audio tour. My best advice to everyone, DO NOT buy this tour. I threw away my money.
Review provided by Viator
