Hofburg to the Belvedere, Vienna: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour from the Hofburg to the Belvedere in Vienna: 4 stops, about 2.8 km, about 40 minutes of walking plus about 26 minutes of listening. Start at the Hofburg, the seat of Austrian power for more than seven hundred years. Pass the State Opera, the first major building on the Ringstrasse, which opened on 25 May 1869 with Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Cross to the Karlskirche, the church Charles VI vowed during the plague of 1713, with two columns inspired by Trajan’s Column. Finish at the Upper Belvedere, Prince Eugene’s summer palace, where the Austrian State Treaty was signed on 15 May 1955.
- Stops:
- 4
- Distance:
- about 2.8 km
- Walking:
- about 40 min
- Listening:
- about 26 min
Hofburg to the Belvedere, Vienna: how long does the walk take?
About 66 minutes in all: about 40 minutes on foot over about 2.8 km, plus about 26 minutes of audio at the 4 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Hofburg to the Belvedere, Vienna: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Hofburg Palace, Vienna State Opera, Karlskirche, and Upper Belvedere. The longest stretch between two stops is about 1.4 km, about 18 min on foot.
Route and map
Navigate with Google Maps, listen with Mappu: the stories keep playing while you follow the route.
Opens Google Maps with walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
The Habsburgs’ winter residence until 1918, entered from Michaelerplatz below the green dome of the Michaelertrakt and its Labours of Hercules.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Vienna State Opera · about 0.6 km, about 7 min on foot
Stop 2
The opera house officially opened on 25 May 1869 with Mozart’s Don Giovanni, with Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth in attendance.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Karlskirche · about 0.9 km, about 12 min on foot
Stop 3
In October 1713, Emperor Charles VI knelt in St Stephen’s Cathedral and vowed to build a church to Charles Borromeo if Vienna was spared the plague.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Upper Belvedere · about 1.4 km, about 18 min on foot
Stop 4
On 15 May 1955, the Austrian State Treaty was signed in the Marble Hall of the Upper Belvedere.
about 6 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
How does this self-guided walking tour work?
The audio guides on this page stay free: open any stop to listen in your browser.
Walk Mode uses your location to narrate places as you walk. It opens in the Mappu app at the first stop, Hofburg Palace. Your first walk is free for three stops with a free Mappu account.
Walk Mode: 2 hours for 50 credits (€4.99 Starter pack)
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
More walking tours in Vienna
Plan more days in Vienna
These day-by-day Mappu itineraries include Vienna. The day links open the days that visit stops on this walk.
Useful for your visit
Tickets, tours and practical extras for this trip, from Mappu's partners.
- Hofburg Palace and more: guided tourViator · Partner(opens the partner's site in a new tab)
- Upper Belvedere: guided tour with entryViator · Partner(opens the partner's site in a new tab)
- Upper Belvedere and more: combined visitViator · Partner(opens the partner's site in a new tab)
Partner links (Airalo, Amazon, Booking.com, GetYourGuide, Klook, Tiqets, Trip.com, Viator, Welcome Pickups): if you book or buy through them, Mappu may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Route checked by Mappu on October 23, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.