Step Back in Time at the Hofburg Palace

Also called the Imperial Palace, the Hofburg Palace is so large it’s considered to be a city within a city. Spanning 59 acres, the grand palace includes 18 building collections, 19 courtyards, and 2,600 individual rooms. With so much to explore, you can easily spend a whole day here! The Hofburg Palace was originally the seat and residence of the Habsburg emperors, but it has since been transformed into a spectacular tourist attraction home to various art museums and the Spanish Riding School. There are three primary areas to explore: the Imperial Apartments, the Sisi Museum, and the Silver Collection.

Here, you can tour some of the most prominent Viennese people's mansions, many of which haven't changed much in hundreds of years. The Sisi Museum, which is devoted to Empress Elisabeth (also known as Sisi), houses 300 individual objects that let you experience what it was like to be an aristocracy in the 19th century. Finally, you can view more than 7,000 distinctive treasures in the Silver Collection. Watch out for the magnificent array of ruby services that were utilized to provide service to up to 140 guests at formal gatherings.