Top Rated Attractions in Vienna

Schönbrunn Palace in its present form is one of Vienna's most popular tourist attractions, hosting thousands of visitors a week. This Rococo Palace was finished in 1700 under Leopold I and is a smaller version of an imperial project first planned by Johann Fischer von Erlach. The palace was renovated and extended under Maria Theresia, and at that time had 2,000 rooms, a chapel and its own theater. Like all the imperial buildings associated with Maria Theresia, the Schönbrunn complex is today painted in yellow. Napoleon lived here from 1805 to 1809, and Emperor Francis Joseph I, who was born here in 1830, spent the last years of his life in the palace.

St. Stephen's Cathedral is considered one of the world's most enchanting Gothic cathedrals. A 12th-century construction, it was renovated in the Gothic style between 1304 and 1433. It's Northern Tower, standing at a height of 70 meters (229.6 feet), was redesigned according to Renaissance aesthetics in 1579 and the interior was given a baroque slant following the Counter-Reformation. St. Stephen's Cathedral's famed bell, the "Pummerin," weighing no less than 21 tons, suffered considerable fire damage in World War II. It has since been repaired and is now used to mark special occasions, such as to ring in the new year. For those who wish to explore a different side of the cathedral, guided tours of the underground crypts are available.

In 1752, Francis Stephen Lothringen, the husband of Empress Maria Theresia, founded Vienna's zoo in Schönbrunn. In former times the menagerie served as an entertainment and educational location for the court. Today, one of the main reasons behind the Tiergarten Schönbrunn's popularity is that it is one of the few zoos in the world that houses giant pandas. Some of the baroque style buildings are still used and some new enclosures have also been added. The Imperial Breakfast Pavilion in the historical center of the layout is the starting point for zoo walks. A visit to the zoo is the perfect family entertainment, especially on the weekends.

The Albertina resides on a plateau at the far end of Augustinerstraße, beyond the Augustinerkirche. It is named after Albert, Duke of Saxony-Teschen, who bought the palace in the early 19th century. On the basis of his own enthusiasm as a collector, he turned it into a place to display his collection. Today, the Albertina boasts one of the largest collections of graphic arts in the world, with approximately 50000 drawings, etchings and watercolors as well as over a million and a half printed works by all the important artists from Gothic to modern art.

The huge Hofburg is the most important secular building in Vienna, once the center of the powerful Habsburg Empire. The old Hofburg, with its many different sections and courtyards, was built and renovated many times between the 13th and the early 19th Centuries. The Neue Burg (New Palace) was developed in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Today, the Hofburg is home to various museums such as Völkerkundemuseum, Schatzkammer, Nationalbibliothek, Albertina, Theatermuseum, Prunksaal, Spanische Hofreitschule and Kaiserappartements and the library, as well as the offices of the Austrian President. At the chapel, the choir of the Vienna State Opera performs mass. The Imperial Treasury houses the Emperor's Crown of the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian Emperor's Crown. The furniture and the other collections spell class and luxury. In January, the glamorous Wiener Ärzteball takes place here.

The Belvedere is comprised of two baroque mansions facing each other across a garden. Prince Eugène of Savoy purchased some land beyond the city walls upon which he ordered a park with elaborate water features and fountains to be built. Later, the Prince had Lukas von Hildebrandt build the Lower Belvedere for his personal use, with its beautiful Marmorsaal (marble hall), the Prunkgalerie and the Spiegelsaal (mirror hall). Then by 1717, the work on the Upper Belvedere had begun. The work of filling the walls of the Upper Belvedere with frescoes was given to artists like Francesco Solimena, Gaetano Fanti and Carlo Carlone. Though damaged by the Second World War, the building today has become a major symbol of Germany's glorious past thanks to the reconstruction work dating back to as early as 1945.