An Evening in Vienna's Belvedere Palace With Crystal River Cruises

belvedere palace, vienna, austria
Photo by dreamstime

Crystal River Cruises has announced plans for a new shore event at Vienna's Belvedere Palace to be offered complimentarily on every 2016 and 2017 itinerary aboard Crystal Mozart

Set at the Belvedere Palace in Vienna, one of Europe’s baroque landmarks and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, the evening will afford Crystal guests private access to the highlights of the Palace’s collections of art, including a collection of Austrian art by Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele, with guidance from the Palace’s specialists.

The evening event will be available for booking in April, when the complete selection of Crystal Mozart’s shore-side adventures is announced. Crystal said that the special excursion can accommodate all 160 of Crystal Mozart’s guests, so pre-booking is not essential. 

On three itineraries along the Danube River, exploring the Bavarian Wachau Valley, Vienna, Salzburg, Budapest, Belgrade and other European destinations, the signature evening event will take participants to the rooms of several of the masters displayed throughout the Palace, culminating with the highlight of the collection, Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss. Following time to study the masterpieces, guests will then gather in the Marble Hall for a command concert of Viennese compositions by Johan Strauss (father and son) and Mozart. 

Spanning two stories, the Marble Hall is considered the most magnificent room in the Palace, with a fresco painted by Carlo Inncenzo Carlone in 1721 and acting as the site where the Austrian State Treaty was signed in 1955, reestablishing Austria as a sovereign state following World War II.

After the event guests will return to Crystal Mozart via Vienna’s Ringstrasse, the circular road in the heart of Vienna, home to such buildings as the Vienna State Opera House, the Austrian Parliament Building and the Academy of Fine Arts.

Crystal Mozart’s 10-, 11- and 13-day itineraries that are roundtrip from Vienna are now available for booking, with the maiden voyage embarking July 13, 2016.