Partner program

Dear visitors to the IARU Conference.

We have put together the following accompanying program. These tours offer a colorful mix of topics in Vienna and each lasts 2 hours. The cost per tour is €28 per person for the first three tours. The Art Nouveau tour costs €38 (including admission to the Secession), and the “Unknown Underground Vienna” tour costs €34 per person. At least 10 people must participate in each tour for it to take place.

On Friday, a tour guide will be at our welcome reception, where you can book and pay for tours right away.

Saturday, 19. September 2026 14.00h

Glorious Vienna – A Tour of Discovery

“The streets of Vienna are paved with culture, the streets of other cities with asphalt,” wrote the Austrian author and satirist Karl Kraus — and he was right. Vienna is one of Europe’s most splendid capitals, and one of the most compact as well. On this tour, we trace the city’s remarkable journey from Roman Vindobona to the glittering capital of one of Europe’s great empires. Discover Vienna’s most iconic landmarks — from the former Imperial Palace of the Habsburgs to the magnificent St. Stephan’s Cathedral.

Meeting point: U4-station Karlsplatz-Oper (exit Oper)

Sunday, 20. September 2026 10.00h

Off the Beaten Track – Vienna for Connoisseurs

You’ve visited Vienna before and already checked off the major highlights? Then this tour is your invitation to delve deeper. We guide you off the beaten path and into the enchanting maze of medieval cobblestone lanes, secluded courtyards, and hidden passageways in the city’s oldest quarters. This is where Vienna reveals its most intimate charm – a world largely untouched by the rush of modern life, where time seems to slow and the city’s pre-automobile tranquillity still lingers. Discover a quieter, more authentic Vienna, beloved by locals and cherished by true connoisseurs.

Meeting point: 1., Rotenturmstraße 39 (in front of McDonalds)

Close to the U4-station Schwedenplatz, exit Rotenturmstraße

Monday, 21. September 2026 10.00h

Vienna’s Grand Boulevard

In 1857, Emperor Franz Joseph ordered the demolition of Vienna’s medieval fortifications. From this bold decision emerged the vision of a grand boulevard—a Boulevard of Splendour. The Ringstrasse, as the Viennese affectionately call it, soon became the Empire’s most ambitious and celebrated urban project: a masterpiece of city planning, unmatched anywhere in Europe. Today, it holds the distinction of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Lining the Ringstrasse are magnificent public buildings—museums, theatres, and government palaces—standing side by side with the opulent residences of Vienna’s rising industrial and financial elite, interspersed with parks, promenades, and heroic monuments. Each structure bears witness to an era of profound transformation, aspiration, and display.

On this tour, we explore the architecture and the people behind it: the visionaries, patrons, and master builders who shaped the Ringstrasse. Along the way, we share stories and historical anecdotes, supported by original photographs that bring this grand avenue’s past vividly to life.

Meeting point: U4-station Karlsplatz-Oper (exit Oper)

Tuesday, 22. September 2026 14.00h

Art Nouveau: Gustav Klimt, Otto Wagner and the Secession

Around 1900, Vienna found itself in a paradoxical moment: political stagnation and social decadence stood in sharp contrast to a cultural and intellectual awakening unmatched in the modern world. Gustav Klimt, Otto Wagner, and Josef Hoffmann—three of the era’s most influential figures—broke new ground in architecture, painting, and design. Dissatisfied with Vienna’s conservative and uninspired art establishment, they founded their own association. They called themselves the Secessionists and gave their newly built exhibition hall—with its distinctive dome adorned with golden laurel leaves—the same name. Their guiding principle proclaimed: “To every age its art, to art its freedom.” Their goal was nothing less than a renewal of the arts and a reimagining of design for a new century. Their legacy continues to shape Vienna’s artistic identity today.

The tour begins with an introduction to Gustav Klimt’s iconic Beethoven Frieze, created for a Secession exhibition dedicated to Beethoven. Originally installed on the main floor, the frieze was later relocated to the lower level, where it has been permanent display since 1985. The work explores humanity’s search for joy and fulfilment – found, ultimately, in art and Beethoven’s music. We then continue to three key examples of Viennese Secessionist architecture, all designed by Otto Wagner, the leading figure of Vienna’s Modernist movement:

The Majolica House, with its exuberant floral tile façade, selected stations of the Vienna Stadtbahn (Metropolitan Railway), and the Postal Savings Bank, a masterpiece of clear, linear design that remains a testament to the bold spirit of the Secession.

Meeting point: 1., Friedrichstraße 12

Close to the U4-Station Karlsplatz, exit Secession

Wednesday, 23. September 2026 10.00h

Unknown Underground Vienna

Hidden away from everyday view, Vienna conceals a fascinating world beneath its streets: a network of underground passageways, historic cellars, and ancient burial sites. Although many of these structures were damaged during World War II or altered by later urban development—such as the construction of the subway—remarkable remnants of the city’s past still survive below ground. This tour guides visitors to some of the most striking of these hidden spaces. Among them are the authentically preserved Baroque catacombs of St. Michael’s Church—one of the oldest churches in Vienna—along with historic wine cellars and Roman excavations that offer a vivid glimpse into the city as it once was.

Meeting point: 1., Michaelerplatz 5, in front of the Church

Closest U4-Station: Karlsplatz, exit Oper plus 10 min walk

73 de Michael, OE1MCU