Activities
Excursions and City Tours
Please note that registration for many of the side events is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration opens on April 1, 10:00 am. For further details, please see here.
The Mekhitarist Monastery of Vienna
Guided Tour of One of the World’s Most Important Centers of Armenian Culture
During the guided tour of the Mekhitarist Monastery of Vienna, one of the most important centers of Armenian culture in the world, you will gain insights into its valuable holdings: over 2,600 manuscripts, 150,000 books, the largest collection of Armenian journals, as well as precious and unique art works from every corner of the globe.
Registration is required.
Monday, 24 August 2026, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Friday, 28 August 2026, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Venue: Mekhitarist Monastery
The event is not wheelchair-accessible.
Registration fee: 12 €
Maximum participants: 40 per event date
Registration closes on 31 July 2026, 23:59 CEST
Ephesos Museum
Guided Tour Focusing on the Austrian Excavations at Ephesus and Their Finds
Ephesus (Türkiye) was one of most important cities in the ancient world. Hit by severe earthquakes and the deterioration of its harbours, the city remained an important centre in late antiquity and the Byzantine period.
Austrian excavations in Ephesus started in 1895. Findings from the first years were brought to Vienna as a gift from the Sultan to the Austrian Emperor and are on display in the Ephesus Museum of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Georg Plattner, director of the collection, will give an overview of old and new projects.
Registration is required.
Tuesday, 25 August 2026, 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Thursday, 27 August 2026, 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Venue: Ephesos Museum
The event is wheelchair-accessible.
Registration fee: 12 €
Maximum participants: 30 per event date
Registration closes on 31 July 2026, 23:59 CEST
St. Stephen’s Cathedral
Guided Tour of the Cathedral with Special Access to Selected Areas
St. Stephen’s Cathedral currently stands like a monument on a large square in the center of the Austrian capital. The tall pyramid-shaped tower and the gigantic roof made of colored glazed tiles are impressive. The entire design of the church embodies the highest quality art of international standing. The tour of the cathedral focuses on special highlights such as a visit to the Attic and St. Bartholomew’s Chapel with the “Herzogsscheiben,” a tour of Frederick’s tomb, and the “Fürstenportal” with the Depiction of the Fall of St. Paul.
Registration is required.
Wednesday, 26 August 2026, 9:30 – 11:30 am
Thursday, 27 August 2026, 9:30 – 11:30 am
Venue: St. Stephen’s Cathedral
The event is not wheelchair-accessible.
Registration fee: 5 €
Maximum participants: 25 per event date
Registration closes on 31 July 2026, 23:59 CEST
Between Ostarrichi and the Bosporus. Vienna, Byzantium, the Crusades & the Global Middle Ages
Guided City Walk through Vienna Focusing on Medieval and Byzantine Connections
Vienna already in medieval times was situated at the intersection of ancient transregional routes. Pilgrims, crusaders and merchants passed the city on their way into Southeastern Europe and Constantinople along the Danube. Two imperial princesses from Byzantium settled in Vienna in the 12th and 13th century as wives of Dukes of Austria. Steppe nomadic groups such as the Huns, the Avars, the Magyars, the Cumans and the Mongols created connections to the wider worlds of Central Eurasia. Commodities, manuscripts and other objects found their way to the Danube from across the medieval world. This tour explores the traces of the Global Middle Ages in Vienna´s historical centre from Late Antiquity into the 15th century.
Registration is required.
Tuesday, 25 August 2026, 9:00 – 11:30 am
Starting point: University of Vienna, main entrance
The event is not wheelchair-accessible.
Registration fee: 20 €
Maximum participants: 25
Registration closes on 31 July 2026, 23:59 CEST
The City of the Golden Apple. Ottoman Views of Vienna between Sieges, Trade & Spies
Guided City Walk Exploring Ottoman Views of Vienna
With the Ottoman conquest of Hungary in 1526, Vienna became a main target of further plans of the Sultans for expansion. Two major sieges in 1529 and 1683 failed, but had a strong impact on the development of the city and its historical memory. Vienna, however, was also the object of description and admiration of Ottoman travellers, ambassadors – and spies. Furthermore, the city attracted Ottoman subjects of various religious denominations as merchants and migrants. The tour explores these Ottoman aspects of Vienna in the urban landscape, also with the help of historical images and texts.
Registration is required.
Wednesday, 26 August 2026, 9:00 – 11:30 am
Starting point: University of Vienna, main entrance
The event is not wheelchair-accessible.
Registration fee: 20 €
Maximum participants: 25
Registration closes on 31 July 2026, 23:59 CEST
Floods, Fires and Plagues. A Journey into the Environmental History of Medieval and Early Modern Vienna
Guided City Walk on Natural Disasters and Urban Change in Vienna’s Past
Like all pre-modern urban centres, Vienna was affected by various natural calamities, from the Late Antique Little Ice Age to the Late Medieval Little Ice Age, from the First Plague Pandemic (the “Justinianic Plague”) to the Second one of the “Black Death”. Recurring floods of the Danube and other rivers modified the urban landscape in often dramatic ways, while storms, fires and even earthquakes destroyed lives and buildings. Based on the newest findings of archaeology and environmental history, the tour explores the ecological dynamics of Vienna from Roman times to the early 19th century.
Registration is required.
Thursday, 27 August 2026, 9:00 – 11:30 am
Starting point: University of Vienna, main entrance
The event is not wheelchair-accessible.
Registration fee: 20 €
Maximum participants: 25
Registration closes on 31 July 2026, 23:59 CEST
Cancellation conditions
A refund of the registration fee is not possible at any time after registration has been completed.