Itinerary

Oct. 1, Saturday          Arrival Vienna                                    
(Dinner included)

Individual arrival of all participants at the Vienna Airport. Make your own way to the hotel and check into your accommodation. 

This evening, meet with Dr. William Meredith, your resident musicologist for the tour, and your tour manager to get to know each other at an opening evening banquet. 

Oct. 2, Sunday          City tour of Vienna/visits to Belvedere museum and the Secession
(Breakfast and lunch included)

This morning leave with your tour manager for a half-day city tour of Vienna showing the highlights of the city - bus/walk combination. 
Short foto stop at the Zumbusch Beethoven monument at the Ring, the Schwarzspanierhaus and the Waehring Cemetery.

Lunch has been scheduled at a typical Austrian restaurant. 

After lunch, we´ll proceed to the Belvedere Museum, visit the

Upper Belvedere - world's largest Klimt collection and the Lower Belvedere - Prince Eugene’s apartments and staterooms.

Continue to the Secession, home to the Beethoven Frieze, which is conidered one of Klimt's key works and one of the high points of Viennese Art Nouveau (admission included; guide Dr. Meredith).
The balance of day at leisure for individual activities. Maybe you would like to visit one of the typical Viennese coffee shops and enjoy a hot chocolate, indulge in the world-famous Sacher Torte at the Hotel Sacher, or go shopping in downtown Vienna. (Dinner out on your own). 

Oct. 3, Monday          Stephansdom/Lobkowitz Palace/Theater an der Wien
(Breakfast included)

This morning walk the "old" Vienna with your tour manager and visit the Stephansdom.

Continue to the Lobkowitz Palace, the first Baroque town palace built from 1683-94 (admission & private guided tour with Dr. Meredith included). The festival room of the palace was baptized the Eroica Hall because Prince Lobkowitz let Beethoven try out the symphony with his private orchestra there in 1804-05.

This afternoon, gather at the Theater an der Wien for a private guided tour (admission included). Beethoven was engaged here as one of its house composers in 1803 and Christ on the Mount of Olives was premiered here that same year. The disastrous premiere of the first version of Fidelio was produced here on November 20, 1805, one week after the entry of 15,000 French troops and Napoleon into the city.

Oct. 4, Tuesday          Dorotheum / Pasqualati house / National Library
(Breakfast  included)

This morning meet your tour manager and visit the Dorotheum Vienna. 
More than 300 years after it was founded by Emperor Joseph I, the Dorotheum in Vienna is by far the largest auction house in the German-speaking realm, a leader in Central Europe and also one of the oldest and largest auction houses in the world. International expansion has contributed to its recent successes: branches and representative offices can be found today in Munich, Dusseldorf, Milan, Rome, London, Prague and Brussels, where previews of the major auction items are regularly held.

Later on we´ll meet in front of the Pasqualati house (built in 1786-88 and later named after it's second owner Baron Pasqualati) for a tour of the Beethoven museum given by Dr. Meredith. Beethoven lived in an apartment in the building off and on from 1804-1808 and 1810-1814 (but the museum is not in Beethoven´s apartment).


Afterwards guided tour of the Imperial Library at Hofburg. The Baroque State Hall is one of the world’s most beautiful historic libraries. Emperor Charles VI (1685/1711 – 1740) ordered the construction of this jewel of secular Baroque architecture for his Court Library. The State Hall was built from 1723 till 1726 according to the plans of the famous court architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, and carried out by his son Joseph Emanuel. The ceiling frescoes were completed in 1730 by the court painter Daniel Gran. (Dr. Meredth will try to get tour of National Library with composer scores!)

Oct. 5, Wednesday       Vienna / sightseeing / Heiligenstadt
(Breakfast included)

This morning meet again with your tour manager in the hotel lobby and transfer to the Gasometer in Erdberg. Meet with lecture Dr. Michael Lorenz (TBC).

Lunch has been arranged at Heurigen-Vine Taverne .
Enjoy a hike on the Beethoven-Gang starting from the Kahlenbergstrasse, walk down through the woods and fields back to Heiligenstadt (weather permitting).

Later on bus transfer to Heiligenstadt. Visit the Beethoven house Heiligenstadt there is dedicated to a crucial and devastating event in the life of Ludwig van Beethoven: the “Heiligenstaetter Testament” in which he expressed his despair over his advancing deafness (adm. incl.).

Oct. 6, Thursday          Beethoven haunts in Moedling and Baden
(Breakfast and lunch included)

After breakfast bus transfer to Moedling, where we will visit the Beethoven museum (admission included) and continue later to Baden, famous even from Roman times for the sulphur springs and thermal baths. Beethoven spent part of the summers of 1815 and 1818-20 in Moedling, and part of the summers of 1804, 1807, 1809-10, 1813-16, and 1821-25.


Lunch has been arranged for you at a typical Austrian restaurant. 

Afterwards you will see the Beethovenhaus in Baden (admission included) and, weather permitting, we will climb the "Beethoven Walk" in the Helenenthal outside Baden before we return to Vienna.

Later on we will visit Beethoven`s two gravesites, the original one in Währing and then continue to the Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetary) by bus.
In 1888 Beethoven was moved from Währing to the Central Cemetery as Vienna´s cemeteries were consolidated.
We´ll stop on the way to Beethoven´s final resting place to give everyone the chance to buy flowers for Beethoven´s grave.

Oct. 7, Friday          Vienna - Lake District - Salzburg
 (Breakfast included)

After breakfast, we will check out of our Vienna accommodation, board the bus, and be on our way to Salzburg, crossing the famous Lake District and passing Lake Attersee and Lake Mondsee. Upon arrival, have lunch on your own before we enjoy a guided walking tour of the old town.

You will start off at Castle Mirabell incl. exterior of Mirabell and the Mirabell Gardens, cross the Salzach bridge and walk the Getreidegasse, famous shopping street in Salzburg to the old market square, passing from the large Festival Hall, venue of the famous annual classic summer festival, St. Peter´s Abbey & Cemetery and the House of Mozart and Residence square with the Cathedral 
This afternoon, check into your Salzburg  accommodation for two nights. 

Oct. 8, Saturday          Salzburg sightseeing
(Breakfast included)

After breakfast, meet your tour manager at the hotel reception and walk to Mozart´s Birth House (admission included). 

Balance of day at leisure for individual activities. 

This evening, we will enjoy a classic concert (possibly at Mirabell Palace or at the Fortress). 



Oct. 9, Sunday          St. Florian Abbey – Danube Valley - Vienna

(Breakfast and lunch included)

Breakfast at hotel. Check out of your rooms and board the bus for a trip to St. Florian Abbey (admission & private guided tour included) and experience a 30 minute organ rehearsal of the famous Bruckner organ. 

Lunch at the Stiftskeller restaurant of St. Florian.

Continue back to Vienna travelling through the most beautiful part of the river Danube - the Wachau/Danube Valley, a famous wine growing area. 
Check back into the same Vienna hotel.

Oct. 10, Monday          Vienna / closing banquet 
(Breakfast and dinner included)

Breakfast at hotel.

All day at leisure!

Return to hotel  for our closing banquet at a Viennese restaurant.

Oct. 11, Tuesday          Vienna departure 
(Breakfast included)

After breakfast, individual departures to Vienna Airport for your departure flights home.