This grand structure covers over 9000 square miles, seats over 2000 and contains a magnificent staircase and valuable tapestries. Behind the Opera House we'll see the monument erected against Fascism. Next we will view the richly decorated coffins of the Emperors and Empresses of Austria at the Imperial Vault. You will recognize names such as Franz Joseph and Ferdinand. In the vault chapel lies a stone in memory of the country's last Emperor, Charles I, who died in exile in 1922.
Lunch is on our own.
This afternoon is free to enjoy the Belvedere Palace with it's French Gardens or shopping along the grand Karntertstrasse, Vienna's most fashionable shopping district. We begin our day with a tour of the Treasury of the Teutonic Order. Once an order of chivalry, it is now a religious order. The building displays insignia and coins, measuring goblets, rosaries and other works crafted in silver and gold. We'll also visit the Renaissance styled Franciscan church with it's ornately carved organ and high altar.