Discover Vienna's Spectacular Christmas Markets
Join your Local Specialist for a sightseeing tour of the Austrian capital, from its Parliament and City Hall to the grand State Opera House and Hofburg Palace, once the winter palace the Habsburgs, one of the most powerful royal houses of Europe. We feed our Christmas spirit with a visit to the enchanting Christkindlmarkt this afternoon and feast on delicious gingerbread and Glühwein, wandering past wooden stalls piled high with handcrafted toys, seasonal gifts and tasty festive fare.
Accommodation
The Imperial Summer Palace of Schönbrunn offers an amazing journey through the centuries of Hapsburg rule. It is perfectly preserved and richly decorated with treasures from around the globe. Each room has a story to tell, so of course, you’ll have a Local Specialist to bring it to life and to make the most of your time.
Eberhard Ludwig, after whom the palace is named, wanted the castle built as a refuge for himself and his mistress, Wilhelmine von Grävenitz, who was, politically, a powerful figure in those days, but disliked by the palace court with whom she butted heads. Back then, marriage was based on politics not love, and all the royalty had mistresses.
Eberhard Ludwig lived in Ludwigsburg with Wilhelmine for twenty-five years, until the court became worried that he had no legal heir. His one legitimate son had died. He was pressured into leaving Wilhelmine, to bring his wife to Ludwigsburg and to have a child, but, alas, she was fifty-three by that time, and no child was conceived.
The Schönbrunn Palace in its present form was built and remodeled during the 1740–50s during the reign of empress Maria Theresa[2]who received the estate as a wedding gift. Franz, I commissioned the redecoration of the palace exterior in the neoclassical style as it appears today.
Schönbrunn” literally translates to “beautiful spring,” so the palace was simply named after the source of water used for the palace.
The shape of the palace we see today was constructed in the 18th century by Empress Maria Theresa, the mother of the equally famous Marie Antoinette who would become Queen of France, and the only female Habsburg Ruler and one of the most powerful woman in Europe at the time.
Back on the bus for a trip to Vienna.
Our tour guides for the day
Swarovski crystals store!
Audy ordered several petite fours.
Pinocchio store
City center In Austria
Naschmarkt
