Hofburg Palace Guide

The Imperial Apartments occupy the Amalienburg and Reichskanzleitrakt wings of the Hofburg and provide an intimate look at how the Habsburg rulers lived and worked. You walk through 24 lavishly furnished rooms including the audience chamber where Emperor Franz Joseph received visitors, his modest private study, the opulent dining room set for a state dinner with the imperial porcelain service, and the shared bedroom of Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth. The Sisi Museum, integrated into the tour, is dedicated to Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837-1898) — the beautiful, restless, and ultimately tragic Habsburg empress whose life has fascinated the world. The museum displays over 300 personal items including her traveling pharmacy, exercise equipment (she was obsessively fitness-focused), poetry manuscripts, the diamond stars she wore in her hair, and the file from her assassination in Geneva. The combined experience takes about 90 minutes and paints a vivid, deeply human portrait of life inside one of Europe’s most powerful dynasties.

The Silberkammer (Silver Collection) is often overlooked by visitors rushing to the Imperial Apartments, but it is one of the Hofburg’s most extraordinary treasures. This vast collection displays over 7,000 pieces of imperial tableware, silverware, porcelain, and glassware used by the Habsburg court for state banquets and daily dining. Highlights include the 30-meter-long Milan Centerpiece — a gilded bronze table decoration created for the coronation of Ferdinand I as King of Lombardy-Venetia — the Meissen and Sèvres porcelain services, gold vermeil candelabras, and the elaborate table settings that demonstrate the extraordinary protocol and formality of Habsburg court dining. The collection reveals the immense wealth and sophisticated taste of the imperial household. It is included in the standard Hofburg ticket and takes about 30-45 minutes to appreciate properly.

The Spanish Riding School (Spanische Hofreitschule) is the world’s oldest institution for classical horsemanship and one of Vienna’s most unique attractions. Located in the stunning Baroque Winter Riding Hall (designed by Fischer von Erlach in 1735), the school has been training Lipizzaner stallions in classical dressage since the 16th century. The famous white Lipizzaner horses perform elaborate movements dating back to the Renaissance, including the dramatic Capriole (a leap with all four legs off the ground) and the Courbette (a controlled rear). You can watch a full performance (1 hour 15 minutes, €25-185 depending on seating), attend a morning training session (€16-20, Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 AM-12:00 PM), or take a guided tour of the stables and Winter Riding Hall (€19). The morning training sessions offer the best value — you see the horses in action with Baroque music playing in the magnificent hall. Book well in advance as performances regularly sell out.

The Prunksaal (State Hall) of the Austrian National Library is one of the most beautiful library rooms in the world and a triumph of Baroque architecture. Built between 1723 and 1726 under Emperor Charles VI, the 77-meter-long hall soars to a height of 20 meters under a magnificent ceiling fresco by Daniel Gran depicting the apotheosis of Charles VI. The hall contains approximately 200,000 leather-bound volumes from the 16th to 19th centuries, arranged in towering walnut bookshelves with gilded balustrades. Four spectacular Venetian globes (1.1 meters in diameter) from the early 18th century stand between the columns. The light filtering through the tall windows illuminates the gold leaf and marble, creating an almost ethereal atmosphere. Entry is €10 and the hall can be visited in 20-30 minutes, but most visitors linger longer simply to absorb the beauty. It is located in the Josefsplatz wing of the Hofburg, separate from the main palace ticket.