Why Go Now: Vienna

Indagare founder Melissa Biggs Bradley shares the five reasons why Vienna is the city to be in this fall.

1. To Appreciate Vienna’s Thriving Cultural Scene

From the famous Spanish Riding School, an Austrian institution, with its Lipizzaner horses to the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna’s Museum of Art History), housing extensive works including the world’s largest collection of pieces by Bruegel the Elder, there is no shortage of art and culture in Vienna. A stroll around the old town will greet you with many opportunities to immerse in the scene—art galleries, theaters and numerous museums abound. I recommend heading to the Hofburg Palace to see the Sisi Museum and the Imperial apartments for an immersion into the family of Emperor Franz Joseph, the legendary ruler of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Constructed from the 13th to the 20th centuries and with more than 2,600 rooms, the seat of the Habsburg family is its own lesson in European history. And the Leopold Museum is a spectacle worth seeing—with 6,000 works of 20th-century Austrian art, including amazing Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele pieces.

2. To Explore Grand Palaces and Family Homes

Vienna’s sprawling palaces hold private family art and design collections, with works by revered European artists and pieces that once belonged to the imperial family—all of which provide insight into the rich history of the Habsburg Monarchy. Two of the most renowned palaces are Belvedere and Schönbrunn. Well-known for housing Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss, the Belvedere Palace is an architectural masterpiece of bygone aristocratic splendor. The palace was founded in the 18th century as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy, the commander-in-chief of the Austrian army and one of the most successful military commanders in modern European history. Among the most significant buildings of its time, the Upper Belvedere palace is a skillful example of Baroque architecture. The Schönbrunn Palace and its manicured Baroque gardens is often considered Vienna’s Versailles. Once the summer residence of the imperial Habsburg family, the palace now has more than 1,400 sumptuous Rococo rooms. Plus, don't miss the Liechtenstein Garden Palace—one of the two palaces in Vienna owned by the Liechtenstein family and where their prestigious art holdings are kept (including works by Rubens, Raphael and Rembrandt).

3. To Experience a City Based in Tradition but Brimming With Modernity

On my most recent visit, I realized that part of Vienna’s cultural magic is how present the past can feel. In 1900, Vienna was at its pinnacle of importance on the world stage. Its unique cauldron of intellectualism that brought the greatest minds of the empire together in café sessions and salon evenings was seeding the 20th century, as Richard Crockett lays out in his new book Vienna: How the City of Ideas Created the Modern World. And less than 20 years later, the empire vanished and the city’s prominence with it. Vienna today has a population similar in size to what it was a century ago. It evolves, but it also clings to its tradition and to that time, which is why visiting its past feels somehow more accessible. Even now, the ideas explored and debated in Vienna at the turn of the 20th century—about art, identity, war, race and creativity and consciousness—still reverberate today, and very consequentially, for all of us. I came away feeling that right now Vienna might be more modern than ever.

4. To See an Opera at One of the World’s Leading Opera Houses

Having been the birthplace of the most famous composers in history, including Mozart and Beethoven, Vienna is thought to be the world capital of music. This, plus the amazing architecture and history of the Vienna State Opera House makes attending an Opera or Ballet in Vienna all the more special. I was able to achieve this cultural must during my trip over Christmas, where my family and I went to see Hansel und Gretel at the historic opera house. If you don’t have the time to see a show, make sure to take a tour of the building.

5. To Meet Like-Minded Travelers Who Share Your Passions For Art, Design, History and Culture

Our Indagare Insider Journeys provide the opportunity to travel with others who share your interests, since all of our trips are built around personal passions: art history, design, food, hiking, fashion, culture, wellness and more. We’re continuously curating new trips with carefully vetted hosts, insiders and tastemakers who take you behind the scenes for one-of-a-kind experiences.

We know it can sometimes be daunting to travel on your own. This is one of the best reasons to join—because our journeys foster an amazing, curious group of like-minded travelers and because you can trust us to set the trip up for you seamlessly. Thanks to the intimate size of the journeys and our expert guides, these trips entail much more than just sightseeing—each day is designed to offer maximum immersion in the destination’s history and culture.

I hope you will join me on our “Vienna Palaces & Art” Indagare Insider Journey, September 15 to 20.

Bonus: To Eat the World-Famous Sacher Torte

Whether you are staying at the Hotel Sacher or not, make sure to stop by to try their iconic, decadent Sacher Torte—a traditional Viennese cake since 1832.