Vienna by Night Tour: Tips for Self-Guided, Private And Group Tours

Vienna by night. Sometimes, switching off the sun helps you see better. For example, by taking this magical night walk past top landmarks. Street lights and special lighting accentuate shapes and dramatise even the loveliest baroque squiggles and fountain nymphs. Doing a Vienna walk by night also lets you peek inside those town palaces without flat pressing your nose…

Mölkerbastei

Vienna by night. Located close to the University of Vienna, the former town fortification Mölkerbastei spreads out an intriguing net of alley ways. From Schottengasse, climb up the stairs of Mölkersteig and enter a narrow alley way. Continue to walk around the corner until you arrive at the ‘Dreimäderlhaus’ in Schreyvogelgasse 10.

Not only does it house a top shoe shop but its enchanting baroque façade is unique in Wien. The name ‘three girls house’ goes back to a legend around composer Franz Schubert and his alleged romance with the three daughters of a local glazier.

Minoritenkirche

Vienna by night. Pass the Burgtheater, peek into its foyer, and continue to Minoritenkirche. The monumental gothic church seems a little outlandish there. Most of the signage is in Italian, as the church is owned by the Italian congregation of the Italian National Church of Minoritenkirche.

When you go inside do look for the gigantic 41 square metres large mosaic copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous ‘Last Meal’. In the run up to Christmas, the church usually boasts a beautiful Nativity Scene.

Imperial Palace

Vienna by night. At a stone’s throw from bustling Kohlmarkt, Habsburg Emperors used to enter their home through Michaeler Gate. Connecting the Imperial Palace (Hofburg) with the inner city the gate impresses even more when its columns and gold-decorated copper dome are illuminated.

Quite regularly you will see horse carriages (Fiaker) like that in the photo pass by, adding their clopping sounds to the quiet evening atmosphere.

I don’t know how often I had passed the
left Michaeler fountain in daylight but the nasty row between two water monsters, Neptune and
unlucky humans only managed to impress me once the sun was switched off. The Habsburg Emperors displayed this dramatic intermezzo to demonstrate their power at sea.

For added thrill, walk over to the second fountain on the other side of the gate (‘power at land’). Three ferocious looking males, a winding snake and an eagle tumble and fight at the feet of a victorious fig-leaved male.

Palais Pallavicini

Vienna by night. Once you passed the Spanish Riding School you will land at Josefsplatz square. It houses the Austrian National Library, the pompous equestrian monument of Emperor Josef II, and the town palaces of Pallavicini and Palffy.

If you do the Third Man Movie tour, you will get to know more about the role of this square and the Pallavicini palace in Graham Greene’s cult classic.

Albertina

Thanks to its spectacular viewing terrace, the museum of the Albertina lends itself to explorations, even when its doors are closed. Take the escalator up to the terrace to get a prime view of Alfred Hrdlicka’s memorial of War and Fascism, the back of the Vienna State Opera, and a glimpse of Burggarten with its adjacent orangerie.

Vienna State Opera

Vienna by night. Was this building ever mistaken as the central train station? (It was, by World War II air bombers who almost laid it in ashes.)

The lit windows and illuminated copper roof of the Vienna State Opera lift this massive block and let it shine. Walk under the cylindric lanterns of the passageway in the opera arcades as you head for the Secession.

Secession

Vienna by night. Don’t wait for the sun to rise until you walk over to the Secession, five minutes from the opera house. Its enormous golden globe made of hundreds of gold plated leaves shines so much brighter against the night sky, as does its whole structure of simple white cubes.

The wall decorations are well visible, while the three relief owls look a little more sinister. You can always come back to visit its interior on your way to Naschmarkt or Karlskirche during the day.

Vienna by Night Guided Tours

There is also a wonderful guided Vienna night walk if you look for informed input, entertainment and company. The guide is famous for adding creepy local legends to this history and fun walk.