Arrive in Vienna on suggested flights and make your way to the hotel. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your travel arrangements, including flights, a private hotel transfer, accommodation before or after the tour and travel insurance (a condition of travel).

At 18:00, join your tour leader Phillip Sametz and fellow tour members for a welcome briefing, followed by dinner.

(D)

After breakfast, join Phillip for a pre-performance talk about tonight’s performance. Then, embark on a private, guided walking tour of the “Innenstadt” (old town). Discover the history of eminent buildings such as the Albertina Museum and enjoy a private, guided tour of the Liechtenstein City Palace, a baroque palace with rare art collections.

Enjoy lunch at a nearby restaurant followed by the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

In the evening, walk to the Vienna State Opera to attend a performance of Das Rheingold, conducted by acclaimed Spanish conductor Pablo Heras-Casado. Alberich is sung by Austrian baritone Georg Nigl and German baritone Michael Volle the role of Wotan.

(BL)

After a pre-performance talk in the morning, enjoy a private, guided backstage tour of the Vienna State Opera. Experience the grandeur of the main auditorium, known for its acoustics and opulent design, and take a behind-the-scenes look at the areas typically off-limits to the public.

Enjoy the afternoon at leisure to relax or to explore Vienna at your own pace.

In the early evening, attend a performance of Die Walküre. Heldentenor Michael Spyres appears as Siegmund and German soprano Simone Schneider as Sieglinde. The Finnish soprano Camilla Nylund takes to the stage as Brünnhilde.

(B)

In the morning, visit the Spanish Riding School located at the imperial Hofburg Palace. The Spanish Riding School is the oldest riding school in the world and the only institution where the High School of Classical Horsemanship in the Renaissance tradition has been practised and maintained unchanged for 460 years.

This evening, walk to the Vienna State Opera and delight in Bizet’s Carmen, with emerging mezzo-soprano Elmina Hasan in the lead role and Freddie De Tommaso as Don José.

After the performance, enjoy dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.

(BD)

Today, embark on a journey to the Wachau Valley, a picturesque region nestled along the Danube River and celebrated for its terraced vineyards, medieval castles and charming villages.

Enjoy a private, guided tour of Melk Abbey, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in 1089 and recognised for its importance as both a cultural and architectural landmark.

After lunch, embark on a scenic cruise to Dürnstein, a picturesque town historically significant as the site of King Richard the Lionheart’s imprisonment in Dürnstein Castle in the 12th century. Stroll along the charming cobblestone streets and marvel at the castle ruins and baroque abbey before returning to the hotel for an evening at leisure.

(BL)

This morning, after a pre-performance talk, visit the State Hall of the Austrian National Library. Built in the 18th century and recognised as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, the State Hall features a 30-metre-high fresco-adorned dome painted by Daniel Gran and four large Venetian globes, all surrounding the central statue of Emperor Charles VI. The 80-metre-long hall houses over 200,000 historical books and manuscripts.

In the early evening, attend a performance of Siegfried. The roles of Siegfried and Brünnhilde are sung by Andreas Schager and Camilla Nylund respectively.

(B)

In the morning, transfer to Mozarthaus for a private, guided tour of the house dedicated to the life and work of Mozart and where he lived between 1784 and 1787.

The afternoon is at leisure to relax or to further explore Vienna at your own pace.

This evening, attend a performance at the Musikverein concert hall by the acclaimed Vienna Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Krzysztof Urbański with cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

PROGRAM:
Dmitri Shostakovich – Scherzo in F-sharp Minor, op. 1
Edward Elgar – Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in E Minor, op. 85
Igor Stravinsky – Le Sacre du printemps, ballet in two parts

(B)

In the morning, transfer to Baden bei Wien for a guided tour of this charming spa town located south of Vienna. Nestled in the scenic Vienna Woods, Baden bei Wien has been renowned for its thermal springs since Roman times. The town used to be a popular destination for aristocrats and artists, including Beethoven, who visited Baden frequently for therapeutic purposes. Enjoy a tour of the house where the composer wrote parts of his famous Ninth Symphony, before lunch at a local restaurant.

Return to the hotel in the late afternoon and enjoy the evening at leisure.

(BL)

After a pre-performance talk in the morning, visit the Johann Strauss Apartments, dedicated to preserving the legacy of the “Waltz King” and his contribution to Vienna’s musical heritage. The apartments, where Strauss composed many of his iconic waltzes and operettas, are decorated to evoke the ambience of 19th-century Vienna.

Following an afternoon at leisure, walk to the Vienna State Opera for a performance of Mozart’s Così fan tutte, featuring French-Danish soprano Elsa Dreisig as Fiordiligi, American mezzo-soprano Angela Brower as Dorabella and Russian soprano Maria Nazarova as Despina.

(B)

After a morning at leisure, join Phillip and fellow travellers for a special farewell lunch before the final performance of The Ring cycle, Götterdämmerung. Gutrune is sung by Regine Hangler, Hagen by Austrian bass Günther Groissböck and Waltraute by Hungarian mezzo-soprano Szilvia Vörös.

(BL)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your travel arrangements, including extra nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour, an airport transfer and travel insurance (a condition of travel).

(B)