This was a very nice museum; although, the lighting made it difficult to see the signs on the exhibits. I understand the low lighting is due to preservation of the exhibits. The signs were mostly very low which made them hard to read without really bending over or squatting down. I have bad night vision so maybe it's just me.

If you are remotely interested with the history of Vienna and the influence of the Habsburg dynasty on Austria, then this is a must. You can use an audio guide or elect to join a tour, either way you will definitely get an insight into the family and their style of Monarchy. I would recommend buying a ticket before you go to avoid the queues and go early to avoid the crowds.

We booked a ticket for a tour of the palace apartments and the Sisi museum ahead of time. Our guide was a young man who was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable! The audio equipment is a must as there are other groups going through at the same time. Part of the museum was a bit hot and crowded, but the subjects of Sisi and Franz Joseph were so fascinating, I did not mind. These 2 royals lived gripping, rich but sad lives; made me want to learn more. The apartments are beautiful with a story for each area; so crazy to see how they lived! This was one of our favorite things we did in Vienna. FYI we booked through the Sisi Museum Site.

The Hofburg is one of several palace/castle complexes I have seen, composed of royal apartments, treasuries displaying crown jewels and other beautiful items, museums of various sorts, churches and other odds and ends. They are typically great and this one is no exception. We only saw the apartments, treasury, Sisi Museum, St. Augustin church and the Grand Hall of the Austrian National Library. The stars of the show, as far as I am concerned, were the treasury and the Grand Hall of the Austrian National Library, Prunskaal in German. The treasury was perhaps the largest I have ever seen and had an amazing collection of high quality objects, including the royal crown, sceptre, etc. I had thought it would be exceptional, but it accomplished the rarest of rare experiences, exceeding my exceedingly high expectations. If you like seeing beautiful, exquisite creations of worksmanship and materials, paln on spending at least an hour to even begin to give this place its due. My only regret was not having enough time on this trip to come back for a second helping. The Prnskaal was. Similarly, the biggest, I believe, and best library I have seen, particularly with the large and fabulous fresco on the ceiling. I could have spent an hour just looking at that lovely, elaborate concoction. As with the treasury, I wish we had time to return here. The apartment was very impressive, as many royal apartments are and still enjoyable to gawk at despite having seen a whole bunch over our travels. Sisi, the princess that Austrians and tourists obsess over had her story told yet again in the portion of the palace dedicated to her. I have seen enough exhibits about her beforehand that it was old hat. Yet she is a truly interesting character who captures you with more than her beauty. A free spirit in an age that did not expect it, she definitely stood out, particularly shocking people even more so because she was a woman when it was almost inconceivable that a woman should or even could be one. She had the good fortune of having a husband who actually loved her with a passion and intensity and loyalty, exceedingly rare when royal matches were almost exclusively matters of statecraft. In reading about their lives and their relationship, you feel even sadder for the way he was treated by her than the travails of of a 16 year old girl who had to marry the emperor of the Austrian state, who is obviously a sympathetic character, as well. The church was nice, but not spectacular. Five minutes will suffice here, ten at most. I would have liked to have seen the Lippizan horses perform their drills, as I have been waiting for years to do so and now after two trips to Vienna, they still elude me. If there is a third trip, they will be at the top of the list for sites to visit. Absolutely. The show in Jerez de la Frontera in Spain whet my appetite. Vienna offers an embarrassment of tourist riches. True. Nonetheless, you must visit here.

The Hofburg is something else! Besides the beauty of the buildings, the history and mystery they hide behind make you feel like you're in a fairy tale. I definitely recommend you to visit it during your Viennese trip.

I really enjoyed this museum and learning more about Empress Elizabeth (Sisi) I did the English guided tour and you could tell that our guide really enjoyed talking about the subject and he made it fun to learn more and also Kinda show us what to look out for when we were walking through the rooms before we even started so that made it really nice since some of the rooms got to be a little tight and it was hard to See everything or it took a while to get to the front to see the item. I’d say this is definitely a tour that’s worth doing especially if you like this time. And learning about old Kings and Queens;Or this case an emperor and em

As the Austrian Empire continued to grow, so did the Palace, they say. Even the hardiest museum/castle/palace aficionado will have to tackle this a couple of exhibitions at a time as there is so much to see. The crown jewels, the Lippizaner stables, etc One could come back each day for a few days to really see everything. And this was just the summer palace ...

The palace was built in the 13th century and housed the royal family for centuries. It now contains a museum, the Imperial Apartments and the Spanish Riding Academy home of the famous Lipizzan horses. ( tickets to this sell out quickly so if you are interested book early). Some of the areas were closed when I visited but you can walk through the breezeway front to back and take in the beauty of the building