October 8-18, 2025 (10 nights, 11 days)
Tour guides: Ms. Katharina Saudino (Vienna) and Dr. Will Meredith (founding director, The Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies, San Jose State University, 1985-2016)
You are cordially invited to join the seventh tour of Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn sites in Vienna, Baden, Eisenstadt, and Fertöd, Hungary sponsored by the American Beethoven Society. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime tour that includes the most famous sites (see below for links), and including for the first time this trip two-and-a-half days in the lovely spa town Baden, where Beethoven spent 13 summers composing, visiting with friends, and exploring nature. A small tour of 15-20 people, it features two tour guides who are experts in Vienna and on Beethoven venues, museums, and haunts.
Package rate per person at a minimum of 20 paying participants
In double/twin room: $5,305 per person
In single room: $6,255
Package rate per person at a minimum of 15 paying participants
In double/twin room: $6,140 per person
In single room: $7,085
Please note: These prices do not include airfare, as our members fly from all over the United States. Some prefer to fly business class and others coach, and some use their frequent flyer miles.
Detailed Itinerary
OCT
08
WED
OCT
09
THU
Day One
The greatest Beethoven monument, Klimt’s Ninth Symphony Frieze, the Belvedere Museum, and a guided tour of the Theater an der Wien, where the famous December 1808 concert took place.
- Luxurious breakfast at Hotel am Parkring.
- 9:00 AM: Leave hotel and walk to the Zumbusch Beethoven monument.
- 10:00 AM: Take bus to the Secession Museum to the Klimt Ninth Symphony Frieze.
- 11:20 AM: Visit the famous Belvedere Museum.
- 1:00 PM: Lunch at Restaurant Boehmerwald (two drinks included).
- 3:00 PM: Tour of the Theater an der Wien (Philipp Wagner-Nguyen).
- Dinner on your own.
OCT
10
FRI
Day Two
Tour of Old Vienna and The St. Stephans Cathedral, the famous Eroica Hall of the Lobkowitz Palace, and a special exhibit at the National Library of music manuscripts.
- Luxurious breakfast at Hotel am Parkring.
- 10:00 AM: Meet Katharina in the lobby and go on a walking tour of Old Vienna.
- 12:00 PM: Meet Will at the Lobkowitz Palace for a talk on the famous Eroica Hall and the rehearsals for the Third Symphony.
- Lunch on your own.
- 3:00 PM: Admission and special tour of the National Library music treasures.
- Dinner on your own.
OCT
11
SAT
Day Three
The Hofburg Palace Collection of Old Music Instruments (focusing on the history of the fortepiano and piano) and a tour and private concert at the Mozart House, Domgasse 5.
- Luxurious breakfast at Hotel am Parkring.
- 10:15 AM: Meet in the lobby to transfer to the bus for the ride to the Hofburg Palace.
- 10:30 AM: Special private tour of the collection of old music instruments in the Museum of Ethnology.
- Lunch on your own.
- 2:45 PM: Meet at the Mozart House.
- 3:00 PM: Private concert in the Mozart House (hopefully with American Beethoven Society member Stephan Moeller, if allowed) followed by a tour of the house with Katharina.
- Dinner on your own.
OCT
12
SUN
Day Four
Passing by the former location of the Schwarzspanierhaus (Beethoven’s last apartment), visiting Beethoven’s first gravesite in Waehring, the Beethoven Museum in Heiligenstadt (probably in the rooms that were his apartment), and the larger Beethoven museum in downtown Vienna.
- Luxurious breakfast at Hotel am Parkring.
- 9:00 AM: Meet Katharina in the looby to get on the bus to see the Schwarzspanierhaus location, visit the first grave, and drive to Heiligenstadt.
- 11:00 AM: Visit the Beethoven museum in Heiligenstadt.
- 12:30 PM: Lunch at Mayer am Pfarrplatz Heuriger (wine restaurant) (2 drinks included) (Please note: the restuarant has its own wines that you can purchase for reasonable prices to enjoy in your rooms)
- 3:00 PM: visit the Pasqualati Beethoven museum in downtown Vienna.
- Transfer on bus back to hotel by 5:00 PM.
- Dinner on your own.
OCT
13
MON
Day Five
Visit Beethoven’s apartment in the Hafner apartments in
Mödling and a speciual guided tour of the Eisenstadt (Haydn and Beethoven in Eisenstadt)
- Luxurious breakfast at Hotel am Parkring.
- 10:30 AM: Meet Katharina in the lobby to drive to Mödling to see Beethoven’s apartment in the Hafnerhaus.
- 11:15 AM: Tour of the apartment by Will.
- 12:30 PM: Lunch at a local restaurant in Eisenstadt (2 drinks included)
- 2:00 PM: Special guided tour of Eisenstadt.
- 5:00 PM: Return to hotel.
OCT
14
TUE
Day Six
Transferring to Baden to stay for two nights, visiting the Beethoven Museum in Baden, and a walk with Katharina through the Helenenthal on one of Beethoven’s favorite walks (weather permitting)
- Luxurious breakfast at Hotel am Parkring.
- 10:30 AM: Meet Katharina in the lobby with bags to transfer to the hotel in Baden At the Park Hotel, Kaiser Franz Ring 5.
- 11:15 AM: visit the Beethoven museum and house in Baden (self guided but with Will in two largest rooms).
- 12:15 PM: Lunch at Restaurant Amperl (two drinks included)
- Afternoon: Enjoy a walk in the famous Helenenthal (Valley of Helen) with Katharina
- Dinner on your own.
OCT
15
WED
Day Seven
The famous Beethoven Temple and a day of exploring Baden on your own
- Luxurious breakfast at Hotel am Parkring.
- 10:00 AM: Meet Will in the lobby to walk up the hill to the Beethoven Temple (ambling more than sprinting).
- Lunch on your own.
- Afternoon: Arrange a spa visit so you can see what Beethoven enjoyed on his visits, if you’d like).
- Dinner on your own.
OCT
16
THU
Day Eight
Travel to Hungary to tour the summer palace of Prince Esterhazy where Beethoven’s first mass was premiered and where Haydn worked for many years, come back to Vienna through Rust and the steppe Lake Neusiedl
- Luxurious breakfast at Hotel am Parkring.
- 9:00 AM: Check out of the Baden hotel.
- 9:30 AM: Leave Baden and cross the Hungarian border to Fertoed.
- 11:00 AM: Guided tour of Prince Esterhazy’s summer castle (still undergoing restoration) with time to explore the gardens or even walk to Hadyn’s apartment building.
- 1:00 PM: Lunch at Hungarian Restaurant Polgarmeister (2 drinks included).
- Continue by bus to the famous stppe lake known as Lake Neusiedl, situated at the border region to Hungary. We will pass through the village of Rust, famous for its storks and Moerbisch.
- Late afternoon: Return to Vienna and check back into our hotel.
- Dinner on your own.
OCT
17
FRI
Day Nine
- 10:00 AM: Meet in the lobby to take the bus to Beethoven’s final resting place in the Central Cemetery. We will stop by the flower stalls and, if you wish, buy flowers to put on his grave. We may have a little musical ceremony by the graveside, depending on our tour group.
- We’ll ride back to Vienna and your afternoon at leisure to sightsee (or pack!)
- Evening: Closing banquet at the restaurant “Zu den 3 Hacken” (2 drinks included).
OCT
18
SAT
Departure from Vienna
- Luxurious breakfast at Hotel am Parkring.
- Bon voyage!
Payment options
Because the ABS is a non-profit that needs to maximize every dollar to promote Beethoven studies, we ask that you make your payments in checks made out to American Beethoven Society. Please write Tour on the bottom left corner.
You can pay in two installments or just pay your total in one check.
At the moment we are assuming we will have 20 people (especially if you help recruit family and friends!).
Payment 1 (30%) is due by Friday, March 21. $1,590 per person in a double room;
$1,875 in a single room
Payment 2 (70%) is due Friday, July 18. $3,715 per person in a double room;
$4,380 in a single room.
OR:
You may of course go ahead and send the total payments by March 21
based on the tour cost at 20 members (we will contact you if we need to charge the 15 member price):
$5,305 per person in a double room; $6,255 in a private room
With any questions, please contact: william.meredith@sjsu.edu
Mail checks to: William Meredith, 23 Adrian Terrace, San Rafael CA 94903
I will email you the day I receive them.