VIENNA From the emperor's clothes to Klimt's Kis
6 days | £2995 per person with flights | 24 - 29 March 2026
From the emperor's clothes to Klimt's Kiss
Vienna is a metropolis of unique charm, where the spirit of Austria’s great Royal and Imperial tradition can still be felt. It had become the residence of the Habsburg Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire.in 1556. But it was only from the late 17th onwards – once the thread of attacks by the Ottoman Empire had finally come to an end – that Vienna’s splendid and still well preserved baroque cityscape was created by artists such as Johann Fischer von Erlach and Lukas von Hildebrandt. In this heyday of Vienna, the city rose to become a most famous musical centre for the next 200 years attracting the most renowned musicians of the time including Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. Our tour will give you an opportunity to explore the breathtaking collection of Habsburg treasures, from 1000-year-old Imperial crown jewels to the most beautiful Renaissance and Baroque paintings, housed in the city’s delightful palaces and handsome museums. Last but not least, we will explore the city’s unrivalled and splendid cityscape with its gleaming patchwork of mediaeval alleys and Renaissance squares, of Baroque palaces and Secession cafés.
Day to day Itinerary
Day 1
Fly from London to Vienna. Transfer by coach to your four-star hotel in the centre of Vienna. En route we will be introduced not only to the famous Ringstrasse and its architecture, but also to one of Otto Wagner’s most outstanding Secession buildings, the Postsparkasse. In the evening, we enjoy dinner together.
Day 2
On our leisurely morning walk we explore the Cathedral of St Stephen. After a restorative break for “Kaffee und Kuchen, the Treasury in the Hofburg awaits us with the insignia and jewels of the Holy Roman Empire, including the Imperial Crown and the Holy Lance. In the afternoon we will visit the Imperial Library built by Johann Fischer von Erlach with its splendid State Hall which we will compare with the impressive Church of St Charles Borromeo by the same architect.
Day 3
Coach excursion to Klosterneuburg. Founded in 1114 for a college of Augustinian canons, the monastery of Klosterneuburg houses innumerable treasures of art – from the famous Romanesque goldsmith and enamel altarpiece by Nikolaus of Verdun to the Baroque Imperial apartments of the Habsburgs. After lunch, visit the fascinating but little-known Imperial Court Furniture Depository which houses exhibits ranging from a travelling throne to the original ‘bistro chair’ invented by Michael Thonet in the middle of the 19th century.
Day 4
A day spent in the Kunsthistorisches Museum including highlights from the permanent collection of paintings and the outstanding collection of the Habsburg Cabinet of Arts and Curiosities in the Kunstkammer and. The delightful museum café and restaurant, located under the impressive cupola of the museum, allows for pleasurable restorative breaks.
Day 5
Eighteenth-century splendour is the motto of this morning: in the Imperial Crypt – principal place of entombment for members of the House of Habsburg – we focus on the exuberant rococo sarcophagus of Emperor Charles VI. and his wife Empress Maria Theresia. On our stroll around town, we study some of Vienna’s most stunning private city palaces of the 18th century including the Palais Kinsky, built by the leading Baroque architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt. The afternoon is free for individual exploration.
Day 6
Our final visit will take us to the Upper Belvedere, home to an extensive collection of Austrian paintings including famous paintings like Klimt’s Kiss as well as an extensive collection of works by Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka. Afterwards, visit the Secession building, an icon of the Vienna Secessionists, a group of rebel artists breaking away from the long-established fine arts tradition, with the famous Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt. After lunch, coach transfer to the airport for our return flight to London.
Hotel Beethoven
The Hotel Beethoven lies ensconced in culture and cuisine on the ‘bohemian’ Naschmarkt. Opposite the Papagenotor at the Theatre an der Wien, it is just a few minutes’ walk from the Opera, the Musikverein, the Museumsquartier, and the most traditional Viennese coffee houses and shopping streets.
With Flights: £2995
Join Direct: £2845
Single Supp: £295
Deposit: £450
Departure Dates:
24 - 29 March 2026
Duration:
5 nights / 6 days
Your Holiday Includes:
- Return flights (Economy class) from London to Vienna
- Five nights’ bed and breakfast at the Hotel Beethoven
- Private coach transfers and excursions
- Two evening meals, one lunch and one coffee and cake
- Guided visits to the sites and monuments listed in the programme
- Services of the tour lecturer and a tour manager
- Detailed programme and study notes
- All entrance fees, taxes, and gratuities for coach drivers and serving staff
Tour Lecturers
Dr Ulrike Ziegler
Specialising in mediaeval art and the cultural politics of post-war Germany at the universities of Regensburg and Aberdeen, Dr Ulrike Ziegler is a well-respected member of Art Pursuits and has lectured at universities and for multiple cultural institutions, along with organising and leading many study tours in both Germany and Austria. Ulrike is now working on Art Pursuits' German programme.
Sascha Pirker
Sascha Pirker studied art history and cultural studies in Vienna, Paris, and Maastricht. He has worked at various institutions including the Galerie Ernst Hilger in Vienna, the Galerie d'Architecture de Paris, the Gemäldegalerie of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, and the Art History Library at the University of Vienna. Sascha has also held various positions at the Architekturzentrum Wien, the Belvedere Museum Vienna, as an art educator at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna. Also as lecturer at the Universities of PH Wien, the University College of Teacher Education Vienna, PH Niederösterreich, the University College of Teacher Education in Lower Austria. He is a state-certified tour guide in Austria and France and has been leading cultural tours for various tour operators and adult education institutions in Europe and the USA.
Travel Information
The price does not include extras at the hotels or travel insurance.
Please note that Art Pursuits use hotels of character featuring a variety of rooms & styles.
Stamina
Please note that most of our tours involve a large amount of walking, across uneven ground and often without the opportunity to sit down for at least half an hour. We ask that clients inform us if they have difficulties before booking to avoid any issues whilst on tour.
