Imperial Vienna 2026-27

Vienna, a taste for art.

Coffee, wine and Viennese cuisine are the essence of the culture of taste of the metropolis on the Danube. Vienna is also famous throughout the world as a metropolis of music and culture. The Chamber of Art and Curiosities (Kunstkammer) at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Art History) has been open to the public again for some years now. The completely renovated collection is considered one of the most important of its kind in the world. The Kunstkammer has its roots in the “treasure chambers and cabinets of wonders” of the late medieval Habsburg tradition. With the Musikzentrum Augarten, the Vienna Boys’ Choir has had, since 2013, a new home for the performance of its works for children and its concerts. In addition to a concert hall equipped with all the most modern facilities for the world’s most famous boys’ choir, this is also home to a music and theatre centre for children and young people. Architecturally, the new building is a complex made up of an old part and a new one: the old servants’ house and the Baroque complex of the Augarten walls stand out above all. The Stadtpalais Liechtenstein in Vienna’s historic centre has undergone a complex restoration. It houses masterpieces of the Biedermeier period and of Classicism. The palace is considered the first significant work of Vienna’s High Baroque, with stuccoed ceilings, lavishly sumptuous neo-Rococo interiors and original furnishings. With these venues Vienna extends its extraordinary offering of culture and music with a wealth of stylistic currents and eras densely represented side by side. The still-young Danube Island Festival - the largest free open-air event in Europe - presents a varied mix of rock and pop concerts. There is no doubt about it: Vienna is also the music capital of the world. The 15,000 concerts of every genre held in the city each year are proof of that. But what would Vienna’s opera houses, museums and concert halls be without the extraordinary culture of taste that sets the city apart? Viennese cuisine is famous the world over and comes in many guises, from the traditional Viennese Beisl to the Ubl and on to gourmet restaurants such as the Steirereck. Beyond Viennese cuisine, the city offers a panorama of outstanding eateries to suit every taste. Around Vienna’s markets, too, there is an incredible density of establishments. Numerous Viennese museums offer the perfect pairing of art and taste: at the Natural History Museum or the Kunsthistorisches Museum, at the Albertina or the Belvedere, visitors first admire the works on display and then enjoy a refined dinner. The traditional Viennese coffee house is an oasis of intimacy and warmth for young and old alike. Here ultra-traditional establishments sit side by side with modern lifestyle. The old Viennese coffee houses such as Hawelka, Demel, Landtmann, Sperl and Museum are as loved as the modern, fashionable ones, such as Café Leopold, Drechsler and the Palmenhaus. Viennese wine also has two faces: that of the older tradition and a younger, more metropolitan one, with new wineries, modern wine bars and fashionable Heurigen. In Vienna even shopping is a pleasure. You can discover truly unique things. In Vienna’s historic centre and in the Mariahilfer Strasse shopping district you will find the big international labels, but Viennese craftsmanship flourishes among them too. The range is extremely varied, from budget-friendly shops to the most exclusive boutiques. The pleasure of shopping is also guaranteed in the new luxury district on the Tuchlauben, with flagship stores by Louis Vuitton, Prada and Armani.