The Vienna Philharmonic

The Vienna Philharmonic

The Vienna Philharmonic
4.5
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Top ways to experience The Vienna Philharmonic and nearby attractions

The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Inner City
In Vienna's best-known district, pedestrian boulevards Kärntner Strasse and Graben connect you with landmarks such as the Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera), Vienna’s iconic Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) and the vast compound of Hofburg, the Habsburgs’ former Imperial Palace. Peek down side streets such as Annagasse and Weihburggasse, and Graben’s Seilergasse and Habsburggasse, to get a feel for the centre. The Imperial Apartments and the refreshingly demystifying Sissi Museum are must-dos at Hofburg. Spacious squares such as Am Hof and Freyung often host beautiful seasonal and antiques markets.
How to get there
  • Karlsplatz • 4 min walk
  • Karlsplatz • 4 min walk
Reach out directly

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles334 reviews
Excellent
234
Very good
78
Average
13
Poor
6
Terrible
3

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Giacomo G
126 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022 • Couples
I experienced a concert in the Musikverein (located near Karlsplatz). Orchestra is fantastic as well as the location. Program is intended for classic music estimators. Tickets are available online and divided into categories from 1 to 10: 10 means standing places for 5 € (ok if you want to enjoy for a little time), 9 means sitting places behind the organ so you don't see the orchestra, from 8 to 6 you see the orchestra partially, from 5 to 1 you have a quite complete view. The concert lasted 2 hours.
Written 24 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Angelk8888
Singapore, Singapore535 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2017 • Family
During our 1 week trip to Austria, we had the privilege of attending 3 concerts. Here's a few things we learnt along the way.

1) Mozart Quartett @ Salzburg Palace Marble Hall. Beautiful but small room. We paid €38 each for Category 1 assigned seats on the third row but the cheaper Cat 2 free seating was probably good enough to see the musicians including harpsichord. There's an Asian female lead violinist who played so well. Tip: Don't clap at every pause in the performance. Applause should be at the end of music piece. You can tell by the half hearted weak applause that you're clapping at the wrong time. Look to the experienced local concert goers for cue to clap.

2) The ultimate highlight was watching Mariss Jansons at the young age of 74 conducting the Vienna Philharmonic at Musikverein. The Musikverein is an impressive and fitting venue for musicians who played in such unison and so perfectly that when we attend other concerts they will likely pale in comparison against the Vienna Philharmonic. Concert goers for Vienna Philharmonic were dressed formally even for matinees and very knowledgeable. Mariss Jansons not only conducted the Vienna Philharmonic but also the audience. Hold your breath and don't move during the performance till Mariss completely finishes. It's that magical. We paid €98 for seats which were so worth it.

3) Wiener Mozart Orchester @ Musikverein. Do arrive early. You will get dirty looks at the snobby lot at Musikverein but a wry smile m the violinist at Salzburg. We paid €85 each for the evening performance and had the front row balcony seats which requires us to lean forward to see the performance. You will need to stand if not in the front row as did many who sat behind us. Although at the same venue as the Vienna Philharmonic, this performance is so different. More audience participation with the conductor encouraging the crowd to clap in sync with the music. More touristy so if you're a concert purist, this is definitely not for you. From the balcony we could see the ushers trying their best to stop people of all races taking photos and warning one over enthusiastic conductor wannabe from waving his hand. More familiar classical music pieces which transports you back in time when performed by musicians and singers dressed in period costume.
Written 21 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

J Teo
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia2,445 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2016 • Couples
The Musikverein is also home to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. So when I get an opportunity to go for a summer concert at the Musikverein, I jumped at the opportunity. After all, The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is a legend onto its own.
You won’t be able to find an orchestra that is more coveted, or more praised than this. The reviews don’t come from amateurs the likes of myself either. The who’s who of the classical composers have showered praised on the ensemble, many of whom premiered entire symphonies right here in Vienna.
At first, I had mistaken the orchestra that plays at the State Opera as the Vienna Philharmonic but was corrected by one of its members. I was fortunate to have been guided through the State Opera by a member of the State Opera Orchestra and she told us that many of the ensemble members are the same, as you do need to be first a musician in the Vienna State Opera before even accepted into the Philharmonic.
So back to the actual concert. If you can, I would definitely recommend you choose a in-season concert as the summer concerts seemed to be designed more for tourists. Almost everyone in the seats around us where visitors who are clearly out of place, perhaps fresh out of a tour bus.
The orchestra walks on stage dressed in 18th-century period European fashion, and the cameras begin clicking as if we’ve walked into a dinner and dance show. Don’t get me wrong. The orchestra was amazing, although I do get a feeling that it may not be its main ensemble. In a city where even the street musician is world class, standards are high.
But the distractions of people around you that are clearly not appreciating the music, talking, or moving about does spoil the enjoyment for me. I would have done myself a big favour if I had avoided these type of tourist concert and pick one during the season.
Written 20 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Luis P
Valencia, Spain2,013 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2024 • Family
Do NOT confuse the great hall of the Musikverein with the Vienna Philharmonic. The Musikverein is a concert hall building, but it is NOT the headquarters of the Vienna Philharmonic, nor does it belong to you, no matter how much New Year concert is done there. It's not home to any orchestra. The Vienna Philharmonic is also the orchestra of the Vienna Staatsoper (yes, the template gives for two orchestras). There are many other venues in Vienna, such as the nearby Konzerthaus, where the Christmas concert is held, but it is not broadcast or so famous.
Automatically translated
Written 4 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Donegalabu
Kilkenny, Ireland243 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2018 • Couples
Based on the reviews of others, I looked for tickets for the superb Philharmonic orchestra during our stay but unfortunately I was too late and could only wander around inside this beautiful building. My advice is, once you know you are going to Vienna, book tickets for the orchestra here so that, unlike me, you will be able to experience them in their home town.
Written 29 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

beograd72
Hesperange, Luxembourg198 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2018 • Couples
I am quite a regular concert goer. And I have seen some of the world’s best orchestras perform. But seeing the Wiener Phil perform in the golden room of the Musikverein is just of another dimension. The room is gorgeous. The acoustics great and the orchestra is top class. I was sitting at the back of the balcony, so for sure not the best tickets in the hall. Nevertheless the experience remained breathtaking and to be never forgotten. If you love music, one for the bucket list. Concertgebouw, the Met, Scala .... all great, but this one beats them all.
Written 9 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michael R.
Las Vegas, NV28 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2018 • Solo
This was an absolute fantastic event to attend in Vienna. Once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Couple of words to the wise. you want to show up three hours to 3 1/2 hours early to get in line the concert is free but if you want to get a seat you have to get in one of two lines and be the first couple hundred through the gate to be able to get the ticket to get to the seats. After you have gotten your ticket then you have to get to this seat because it’s open seating. there might not be any seats left. So they start giving out the tickets at 5 PM I would be in line at 2 PM concert doesn’t start until 8:30 PM. you can’t get more than one ticket per person. The other thing is make sure you use the bathroom before you get in a lot of times they don’t have the bathrooms unlocked until an hour before the show starts. Other thing is they do check your bags so be careful what you bring in go to the website and see what’s restricted.
Written 27 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Donald B
Launceston, Australia145 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2014 • Couples
The Vienna Philharmonic are so different from all other major orchestras as they play with a flair of their own using Viennese horns and different oboes to the other orchestras- they change the beat to give a distinctive sound and the members have a greater control of their future role in world music.
Written 10 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

writecritic
Amsterdam, The Netherlands125 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2017 • Couples
We bought tickets in advance and we were glad we did that. The grandeur of the place, the ambience, the lighting, the acoustics...and of course the performance itself was absolutely magnificent. Infact, words don't and won't do justice to the experience that awaits you. It's worth every euro you spend.
Written 25 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Edward S
Perth, Australia2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
My girlfriend and me are looking forward to this event for a long time. We expect to enjoy a decent performance in the golden hall. We have been told to wear formal dressing in order to respect the event (and ourselves too). When we arrived the venue, tons of people (tourists) weared informal dressings, shorts and sneakers have been found. We both worried are we fall in a trap that this is a commercial performance but not a true musical performance. Unfortunately the nightmere is coming during performance. Instead of enjoy the dressing and the beauty of venue, you can enjoy unlimited flash light, "cha cha cha" from the cameras and sneaky talks from the people. This is an awful experience for us as we thought only the best orchestra deserve to perform in golden hall. In fact we both are wrong. Then, we made complains to the staffs during the pause of the event. I was sad as they did make this event as commercial and they would not care any complains. If you are music lover or you are looking for a decent performance, DONT CHOOSE THIS STUPID EVENT, you just paying a high price to visit the hall but not enjoy the music. Good luck!
Written 9 June 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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THE VIENNA PHILHARMONIC: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

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