Hofburg Vienna
Heldenplatz
Accessibility: Metro U3 station Herrengasse
Opening hours: The Viennese Heldenplatz and the outside facilities of the Hofburg buildings are usually freely accessible around the clock. The museums are normally open from 9:00 to 17:30 o'clock, entrance until 16:30 o'clock.
My Tip: The Spanish Riding School is part of the Hofburg and famous for its Lipizzan horses. I like to visit the morning exercises of the Lipizzaner. It is a cheap and good opportunity to see the horses live. Tickets cost about 17 Euro.
Tickets online available at: GetYourGuide*
The Hofburg Vienna (B2) is an impressive building at the Heldenplatz with long history. It is located at Vienna's splendor boulevard, the Ringstrasse, and is reachable from there through the Burgtor gate.
History:
The name of the Heldenplatz Vienna is based on the two magnificent horseman monuments which were created by Anton Dominik Fernkorn. In 1860 the horseman statue of Erzherzog Karl was finished and in 1865 the one which shows Prince Eugen von Savoyen was revealed. The specific characteristic of the Erzherzog-Karl monument is the horse which is jumping up and touches the base only with the hind legs at the base.
From the 13th century until 1918 the Hofburg was the main residence (with a few interruptions) for the Habsburger and therefore also the residence for the emperor family in Vienna. Since 1945 the office of the Austrian Federal President is accommodated there and also the Austrian National Library, museums, the chapel Hofburgkapelle and the church Augustinerkirche.
Visitor Info:
In the former imperial premises you can find a lot more popular tourist attractions like:
performance locations of the Vienna Boys Choir, the Spanish Riding School, the public accessible collection of the Sisi museum as well as the exhibition rooms of the Imperial Apartments.
The ticket for the Sisi Museum costs around 17,50 Euro for adults and you will receive an audio guide. This allows you to visit 2 cultural institutions at a reasonable price: the Sisi Museum and the Imperial Apartments
In the Sisi museum you have the possibility to look after the traces of the famous empress Elisabeth and admire original exhibits from Sisi in 6 different rooms.
The Imperial Apartments include 19 historical authentic equipped rooms where the emperor Franz Joseph and his Sisi have lived.
I visited the Sisi Museum in the morning to avoid the crowds. I was particularly impressed by the pompous Imperial Apartments. Since I also took some photos, my visit lasted about 90 minutes.
Free combination ticket with the Vienna Pass*
Visitor Info:
The Spanish Riding School is part of the Hofburg building complex. There, visitors can observe the horseman at their work together with the white Lipizzaner horses in the morning (tickets for morning exercises approx. 17 Euro) and also watch one of these shows where the worldwide known white horses perform their choreography with extravagant jumps and figures to classic music. (tickets for show from approx. 30 Euro for stands and approx. 50 to 180 Euro for seats) If you do not want to see a complete show, I can recommend the morning exercises. I appreciate the relaxed atmosphere and the affordable opportunity to observe these unique animals up close.
At the Hofburg-Passage beside the Riding School you can find some nice souvenir shops and it leads to the Michaelerplatz. There you can have a look at two fountains with the motives -The Power at the Sea- from Rudolf Weyr and -The Power ashore- from Edmund Hellmer. From the Michaelerplatz you can go directly to the pedestrian zone (Kohlmarkt, Graben).
Further tourist info and tickets for the Hofburg Vienna under:
www.sisimuseum-hofburg.at
Info about the Spanish Riding School under:
www.srs.at
Spanish Riding School tickets: GetYourGuide*
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