Built between 1874 and 1878 by Karl Hasenauer and Gottfried Semper, Burgtheater is one of the most famous theaters in the German-speaking world. "The Burg," as the Viennese have dubbed it, was never just a theater but also a sacred place where heated debates took place about the function of art and culture. Older people still remember the golden years of actors and actresses like Paula Wessely, Alexander Moissi and Helene Thimig, but modern times sees a diverse program of theater, concerts and special events, including the annual Vienna Literature Festival.

Het grote Hofburg (Hofpaleis) is het belangrijkste seculaire gebouw van Wenen, eens het centrum van het machtige Hapsburgse rijk. Het oude Hofburg, met zijn vele delen en hoftuinen, werd gebouwd (en vaak gerenoveerd) tussen de 13e en de 19e eeuw. De Neue Burg (Nieuwe paleis) werd in de late 19e en vroege 20e eeuw ontwikkeld, ondanks de teruglopende macht van het Hapsburgse rijk. Vandaag de dag is het Hofburg de thuisbasis van verschillende musea (Völkerkundemuseum, Schatzkammer, Nationalbibliothek, Albertina, Theater museum, Prunksaal, Lippizanermuseum, Spanische Hofreitschule en Kaiserappartments) en de bibliotheek, en ook de kantoren van de Oostenrijkse president. In de kapel voert de Weense Staatsopera missen op. De Koninklijke Schatkamer herbergt de kroon van de keizer van het heilige roomse rijk en de kroon van de Oostenrijkse keizer. De meubels en de andere collecties onderstrepen de klasse en de luxe. In januari vindt het Wiener Ärzteball hier plaats.

Designed and built at the end of the 19th Century by Gottfried Semper and Karl Hasenauer, the Kunsthistorisches Museum houses the Habsburg family's art collection, widely regarded to be one of the finest in Europe. The Picture Gallery is literally a Who's Who of the old masters, containing works by the likes of Rubens, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Dürer, Raphael, Titian and Velazquez, as well as a comprehensive collection of paintings by Breugel. One visit is hardly enough to take everything in - lots of people return for a second or third time. The Ephesus Museum - a collection of arms and armour - and the collection of ancient musical instruments in the Imperial Palace also belong to the Kunsthistorisches Museum and are worthy of a visit in their own right.

Peterskirche or St. Peter's Church in Innere Stadt is among the finest examples of Baroque churches in town. Built on a 4th-century church, it took three decades for its construction to complete and was designed by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. It began in 1701 and ended in 1733, and is also one of the oldest churches in the city. Inspired by The Vatican's St. Peter's Basilica, this magnificent structure is a wonderful sight to behold from the inside-out. Legend has it that Charlemagne established a church on this site in 792 BCE. There is a relief plague on the facade about Charlemagne and his works. Its beautiful interiors are displays of master handiwork in the form of frescoes, carved wood, golden stucco, ornate pulpit and altarpieces.

The new town hall was built from 1872-1883 to replace the old town hall in Wipplingerstraße and is neo-Gothic in style. A huge central tower, topped by the three-meter-high statue of a knight in armor, dominates the front. Known affectionately as the Rathausmann, it was designed by Friedrich Schmidt. The facade's most attractive feature is its lofty gallery, with its curved balconies. The building has seven courtyards where concerts, markets and ice skating events are often held. At the top of the first of the two grand staircases is the Festsaal, a hall that stretches the length of the building.