Vienna: WWII & Holocaust History Walking Tour

How a Postcard Painter Became History's Villain: Vienna's Darkest Chapter

You walk 2.5 hours through Vienna's WWII and Holocaust sites with a historian guide, visiting the Academy that rejected Hitler, the surviving Seitenstettentempel synagogue, Judenplatz memorial, and Heldenplatz where Hitler seized power. The tour covers Austria's history from 1900 to 1955 and includes all guidance. You bring comfortable shoes and weather protection.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Academy of Fine Arts Vienna10m
2. Heroes’ Square10m
3. Judenplatz10m

Explore Vienna's WWII history and sites

• Visit Vienna State Opera history
• See Memorial against War and Fascism
• View Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
• Stop at Heldenplatz for Hitler speech
• Visit Judenplatz Holocaust memorial
• See Morzinplatz Gestapo memorial
• Visit Seitenstettentempel synagogue

The experience

You're standing in front of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, and your guide asks the question that stops you cold: what if that rejection letter had never arrived? The art school turned away a young applicant in 1907, and the rest of the 20th century turned on that decision. This 2.5-hour walking tour doesn't shy away from the weight of that hinge moment. It walks you straight through it, across Vienna's cobblestones, past the places where everything changed between 1938 and 1945.

The tour moves through four stops that matter. You'll stand at Heldenplatz, where on March 15, 1938, Hitler spoke from the balcony of the Neue Hofburg to crowds below: a moment that became the symbol of Austria's seizure and, for decades after, a national wound. Then you walk to Judenplatz, where a memorial marks the more than 65,000 Austrian Jews murdered between 1938 and 1945. The guide (one of a small team of four historians who run this) doesn't narrate these places as if they're museum labels. They ask you to think about speed: how fast things can change, how a democracy can collapse, how a city's cultural life can be erased. You'll see the Seitenstettentempel, the main synagogue of Vienna, hidden deliberately behind a five-story apartment building because non-Catholic places of worship weren't allowed to be visible from the street. It survived the Holocaust. Most of Vienna's Jewish community did not.

The walk also takes you to the Memorial against War and Fascism on Albertinaplatz, created by sculptor Alfred Hrdlicka and standing since 1988 as a deliberate reminder, and to Morzinplatz, where the luxury hotel Metropole became one of the Third Reich's most brutal Gestapo headquarters. You'll end at Vienna Central Cemetery, where the tour circles back to cultural history: how the State Opera, which opened in 1869 with Mozart's Don Juan in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph, became a place where artists were persecuted and works were banned. The whole arc takes about two and a half hours. Wear comfortable shoes. The route has cobblestones, and Vienna's weather is unpredictable, so bring water and a raincoat.

What’s included

• Your tour includes a licensed, knowledgeable historian guide for the full 2.5 hours.
• The guide leads you through Vienna Central Cemetery, Judenplatz, Heroes' Square, the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, the Seitenstettentempel synagogue, and memorials at Albertinaplatz and Morzinplatz.
• Public transportation options are available nearby.
• Entry fees to individual sites and meals are not included.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday, Wednesday, Thursday and SaturdayDeparts at 14:30

AgesAdult (17 and older) · Child (7 to 16 years) · Infant (under 7): free

GroupUp to 25

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortWheelchair accessibleStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Good Vienna Tour GMBH

Is this one for you?This tour is for anyone who wants to understand how quickly a society can shift toward authoritarianism and wants to hear that history from someone trained to explain it: the small group size and historian-led format mean you're not moving through sites as a checklist, but stopping to think about what each one means.

Traveler reviews

4.84★★★★★★★★★★

1,040 verified traveler reviews

5 ★937

4 ★64

3 ★26

2 ★5

1 ★8

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (7 to 16 years); Infant (under 7): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How long is the Vienna WWII walking tour?

The tour runs 2.5 hours and covers multiple sites across central Vienna.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

Most areas are wheelchair accessible, but the route has many cobblestones, so it's not recommended for guests using wheelchairs.

What's included in the tour?

A licensed historian guide leads the group. Entry fees to attractions and meals are not included.

Which synagogue survived the Holocaust in Vienna?

The Seitenstettentempel, Vienna's main synagogue, survived. It's hidden behind a five-story apartment building on Seitenstettengasse.

Do I need to be fit for this tour?

Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness, as the tour involves 2.5 hours of walking on cobblestones.

What should I bring?

Wear comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing. Bring water, sunblock, and a raincoat or umbrella, as Vienna's weather is unpredictable.

Can I bring a stroller or service animal?

Yes, infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller, and service animals are allowed.