Imperial Crypt Kaisergruft Entry Tickets Vienna

The Capuchin Church and the Kaisergruft

The Imperial Crypt lies beneath the Capuchin Church on the Neuer Markt, a few steps from Kärntner Strasse and the Albertina. It was founded in 1618 by Empress Anna and Emperor Matthias, and has served as the burial place of the Habsburg dynasty ever since. The Capuchin friars still look after it.

Above ground, the church is deliberately plain, which makes the contrast with the crypt all the more striking. It is the answer to a common question, where the Habsburg emperors are buried in Vienna. It is a short walk from the Hofburg and the State Opera, so the crypt slots easily into a day of imperial sights in the centre of Vienna.

The vaults and their sarcophagi

Over more than four centuries the crypt was extended several times, and today it has ten vaults. They hold the sarcophagi, urns and monuments of about 150 Habsburg personalities, among them 12 emperors and 19 empresses, in styles from austere early baroque to elaborate rococo.

The most spectacular monument is the grand double sarcophagus of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband Francis I, covered in sculpture. Other tombs are simple, and the range of styles shows how ideas of imperial power and mourning changed. Each vault has its own character, named after its era or its occupants, and the change from plain early baroque to ornate rococo is easy to see as you walk from one to the next.

Franz Joseph, Sisi and the last Habsburgs

In the later vaults you find the tombs of Emperor Franz Joseph, his wife Empress Elisabeth, known as Sisi, and their son Crown Prince Rudolf. Franz Joseph's tomb often carries fresh flowers, and this part of the crypt is the most visited.

Whether the Kaisergruft is worth visiting depends on your interest in history, but for most people it is a moving, atmospheric hour. Allow 45 to 60 minutes and treat it as a place of remembrance. If you are travelling with older children, a short explanation of the Habsburg family tree before you go makes the tombs easier to place and the visit more memorable.

Practical visit: how to get to the Kaisergruft

To get to the Imperial Crypt, take the U1 or U3 to Stephansplatz and walk about five minutes along Kärntner Strasse to the Neuer Markt, or use the U1, U2 or U4 to Karlsplatz and walk ten minutes. It is close to the Opera and the Hofburg.

Sleeveless shirts, large bags and luggage, pets and video recording are not allowed. Opening hours change by season, so check your date on the booking panel. Combine the visit with a coffee near the Neuer Markt or a walk to the Albertina and the Hofburg, which are only a few minutes away, to make an easy half-day in the centre.