Hofburg & the Old Town

A walk from the Graben into the emperors' palace: the column an emperor promised while fleeing the plague, with himself carved kneeling on it; the court confectioner that kept the emperor's title after the emperor was gone and fought a hotel in court over a chocolate cake; the plain house across from the palace gate that was called a building without eyebrows; the white horses that walked out of a war; a gate whose list of crowns ends in "etc."; a bronze horse balancing on two legs on the square of an unfinished palace; and a temple built for a statue first ordered to celebrate Napoleon.

What you'll hear

1. 1Plague ColumnStartThe emperor who fled the plague had himself carved on the plague column, on his knees, with his crown off.
2. 2DemelTwo Viennese institutions spent nine years fighting over a chocolate cake, and the settlement came down to a round seal and a triangle.
3. 3LooshausThe emperor's gate and the house without eyebrows were finished less than twenty years apart, facing each other.
4. 4Stallburg StablesThe white horses were saved by two Olympic horsemen at the end of the war, and every one of them was born dark.
5. 5Swiss GateFerdinand had so many crowns that the list over his gate ends in 'etc.'
6. 6Archduke Charles MonumentArchduke Charles's horse balances on two legs; Prince Eugene's, across the square, needed its tail.
7. 7Theseus TempleA statue ordered to celebrate Napoleon beating Austria ended up in a Viennese temple celebrating Austria beating Napoleon.

What this tour offers

• Self-guided walking tour
• 7 stops, with directions between each
• 19 minutes of narration
• Keeps playing with your phone locked
• Yours to keep, replay anytime
• Earns your Vienna passport stamp

Where you'll be

Graben, 1010 Wien, Austria

Things to know

Questions