This luxurious 5-star hotel is set directly on the Ringstraße boulevard in the heart of Vienna and is only a few minutes’ walk from the Opera, the Hofburg (Imperial Palace), its palace gardens, the imperial treasury, the famous Lipizzaner Stallions of the Spanish Riding School, and numerous museums and art galleries. The Imperial was originally built in 1863 by the Archduke Philipp of Württemberg and his wife, Archduchess Marie Therese, as the Palais Württemberg, their private residence. In 1872 the Palais was transformed into a luxury hotel for the 1873 World's Fair and inaugurated by Emperor Franz Joseph. Known for its 19th-century Neo-Renaissance style, it remains as one of the most elegant buildings in Vienna, and typical of the regal architecture of its time.
