A 90-minute Mozart and Strauss evening in the palace ballrooms, with up to 40 musicians, singers and dancers.
- Duration1 hour 30 minutes
- Starting timesEvening performances; check availability for the starting time on your date.
Yes, you can go to a concert in the Hofburg. The Vienna Hofburg Orchestra plays a 90-minute programme of Mozart, the Strauss family, Kálmán and Lehár in the palace's ceremonial rooms, with up to forty musicians on stage alongside opera singers and ballet dancers. It is a commercial concert aimed squarely at visitors rather than a subscription series for locals, and it is worth being clear about that before booking — but it is played by a real orchestra in a real imperial ballroom, and it holds 4.7 from 215 reviews.
Book Hofburg TicketsKey facts
concert- Duration
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Starts
- Evening performances; check availability for the starting time on your date.
- Meeting point
- The Hofburg. The listing states that the meeting point varies with the option booked, and the orchestra also plays at the Konzerthaus — check which venue your ticket is for.
- Price
- $103 per person
- Entry ticket included
- Yes
- Cancellation
- Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Included
- ✓ Concert tickets
- ✓ Live performance
- ✓ Classical music pieces by Mozart and Strauss
- ✓ 1.5-hour concert
Not included
- ✗ Cloakroom
- ✗ Programme or CD, available to buy
Meeting point
The Hofburg. The listing states that the meeting point varies with the option booked, and the orchestra also plays at the Konzerthaus — check which venue your ticket is for.
Nearest transit: Nearest U-Bahn for the Hofburg: Herrengasse (U3), about 320 m.
What the orchestra plays, and where
The programme is Viennese light classical: Mozart, the Strauss family, Emmerich Kálmán and Franz Lehár — waltzes, overtures, operetta arias and the pieces that a Vienna audience expects to hear in a ballroom. Up to forty musicians perform, with opera singers and ballet dancers joining them, and the listing promises musical jokes and Viennese performance traditions along the way, which is the polite description of an evening that talks to its audience rather than at it. The Vienna Hofburg Orchestra is the resident ensemble. Note the one thing the listing is explicit about: the orchestra performs both in the Hofburg and at the Konzerthaus, and the meeting point varies with the option booked. If the palace is the point, check the venue before you pay.
The rooms
Concerts in the palace take place in its ceremonial halls — the Festsaal and the Redoutensäle, the ballroom complex that also hosts the Vienna ball season. These are not converted galleries or a purpose-built hall; they are the rooms the court used, with the acoustics that come with them, which are generous rather than precise. A ballroom is not the Musikverein, and nobody should book expecting that. What it gives you instead is the only way most visitors will ever spend an evening inside these rooms.
Seat categories and price
The listing sells a range of seating options and directs buyers to its own product pictures for the category and seating plan rather than describing the tiers in text — so the seating map at the point of booking is the only reliable guide. The entry price is EUR 90 per person, around USD 103. That is the most expensive single ticket on this site, and it buys an evening rather than an admission: 90 minutes of live music with a full ensemble, in a palace. Judge it against a concert ticket, not against the EUR 20 day ticket for the museums.
What to wear and when to arrive
There is no published dress code, and the audience ranges from suits to smart casual. Nobody is turned away for being underdressed, but this is a room people dress up for and you will be more comfortable if you meet it halfway. Two practical notes from the listing: the cloakroom is not included in the ticket price, so budget a couple of euros for coats, and alcohol and drugs are listed as not allowed. Allow time to find the right entrance — the palace has several, and a concert entrance is not the museum entrance.
How it differs from a Schönbrunn concert
The two evening concerts every Vienna visitor is offered are this one and the Schönbrunn Palace Orchestra's, and the choice is mostly about geography and mood. Schönbrunn means a journey out to the summer palace and a concert in the Orangery — a long, narrow eighteenth-century hall built for exactly this. The Hofburg concert is in the city centre, ten minutes' walk from most first-district hotels, in the ballrooms of the winter residence. If you are already going to Schönbrunn during the day, do that one; if your trip is centred on the Hofburg, this is the one that does not cost you an hour of travelling.
What the reviews say
4.7 from 215 reviews, which is a strong score on a small sample — the other products on this site carry thousands. The breakdown published on the listing is worth reading closely: the guide scores 4.7, but value for money scores 4.4, the lowest figure in it. That is the honest summary of this product. People enjoy the evening and a meaningful minority think it is dear.
| Compared on | Hofburg | Schönbrunn |
|---|---|---|
| Where | The palace ballrooms, first district | The Orangery at the summer palace |
| Getting there | Walking distance from central hotels | U4 to Schönbrunn, then a walk |
| Programme | Mozart, Strauss, Kálmán, Lehár | Mozart and Strauss |
| Best if | Your trip is centred on the Hofburg | You are visiting Schönbrunn anyway |
What reviewers consistently say
- 4.7 overall from 215 reviews on the partner listing.
- Value for money is the weakest sub-score at 4.4 out of 5 — the recurring reservation is the price, not the performance.
- The listing warns that the programme is subject to possible changes.
Who should not book this
- Anyone looking for a serious concert-hall acoustic; this is a ballroom.
- Visitors on a tight budget — at EUR 90 it is the dearest ticket on this site.
- Anyone who assumes the venue is the palace without checking: some options play at the Konzerthaus.
-
Sunday mass at the Imperial Chapel
EUR 14, or free standingThe Vienna Boys' Choir and State Opera musicians in the palace's own chapel, September to June. Seats start at EUR 14 and standing room is free from 8:30 a.m. It is a liturgy, not a concert, and it is the cheapest music in the building by a wide margin.
How to book
Choose your date and seating category on the booking page, and check which venue the option you have selected plays in before paying — some are at the Konzerthaus rather than the palace. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before the performance, and reserve-now-pay-later is offered. We earn a commission if you book through the link on this page, at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend.
This site may earn a commission on bookings at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
Can you go to a concert at the Hofburg?
Yes. The Vienna Hofburg Orchestra plays a 90-minute Mozart and Strauss programme in the palace's ceremonial halls, with up to 40 musicians plus opera singers and ballet dancers.
How long is the Hofburg concert?
One hour thirty minutes, per the operator's listing.
Is there a dress code for the Hofburg concert?
None is published. The audience ranges from suits to smart casual, and nobody is turned away, but it is a room people dress up for.
Is the cloakroom included?
No. The listing names the cloakroom and the programme or CD as exclusions.
Is the concert always in the palace?
Not necessarily. The orchestra plays at the Hofburg and at the Konzerthaus, and the listing states the meeting point varies with the option booked.
Sources