Imperial Crypt

One of the most unique museums in Vienna! Starting with the architecture inside, amazing crypts made with attention to detail and historical era dating back to the 1700's. Would highly recommend as it's in the center of Vienna, awe inspiring to see the craftsman of these crypts and the history of royalty and emperors.

The Imperial Crypt is a fascinating and surprisingly intense experience. It’s quiet, solemn, and a quite unsettling in the best possible way. Walking through the crypt and seeing the sarcophagi of the Habsburgs makes the weight of European history feel very real and very human. The contrast between the ornate, almost theatrical coffins and the idea of mortality is striking, and at times deeply moving. It’s not flashy or grand in the usual sense, but that’s exactly what makes it so powerful. If you’re interested in history beyond palaces and surface level grandeur, this is absolutely worth visiting.

Gorgeous crypt with extensive history of the Habsburg dynasty. I highly recommend booking a guided tour, our guide Nina was incredibly knowledgeable and gave us so many details on the crypt, the church above, the Habsburg family, and the design of the many different styles of sarcophagi. There's an incredible amount of history burried within this space, and so many beautiful design details. An absolute highlight visit!

Very interesting place. Almost every sarcophagus can be examined thoroughly. My child was very interested, read all the info about each sarcophagus and asked so many questions about how people lived through those years.. definitely was worth a visit.

Wow - didn’t think a “museum” of sarcophaguses would be so interesting! Even my kid found it fascinating! Some of the sarcophaguses are so detailed and although most of them are eerie, it’s also very interesting to see how they were customized for that Individual (royal). Definitely worth a visit!

I arrived in Vienna on a Saturday morning. After settling into my hotel, I decided to go for a stroll around the neighborhood and find some local lunch. During this walk, I stumbled upon a completely unexpected place: the Capuchin Church. It immediately reminded me of a school case study I had done on the Habsburg dynasty, and I decided to make a detour to see it up close. After making a small donation and lighting some candles, I found my way to the basement. I was excited to see the Imperial Crypt—the final resting place for generations of Austrian royalty. It was an eerie, quiet place; the air was cool and heavy with the weight of history. It truly felt like I had traveled back in time. The crypt itself was a chillingly elegant gallery of eternal slumber. Each tomb, a silent monolith of power and artistry, was a testament to the lives they once lived and the empires they ruled. The craftsmanship on each crypt was incredibly detailed and breathtaking. As I walked among the elaborate sarcophagi, I was struck by the thought that these royal figures have been resting in these sealed tombs for so many years. The feeling of wandering among them, a lone intruder in their silent court, was both thrilling and profound. It was a fascinating and slightly spooky experience, well worth skipping lunch for. And no, I didn't lose my appetite, though.

Breathtaking experience, must visit spot in Vienna. So much history in a single place. Pictures don't do justice to greatness of this place.

The Imperial Crypt lies beneath the Capuchin Church, and it's easy to miss if you just walk around. It's quite astonishing when you think that so many of the Habsburg line were buried here: 150 royals, including 12 emperors and 19 empresses/queens, from 1633 to the present day. There's written information at each tomb about their life and death. A fantastic read! One of the most impressive tombs I found to be was Maria Theresa's. It's literally fills up an entire room on its own, while lying at her feet is her son, Joseph II, with a plain coffin. You can also find here the tomb of Emperor Franz Joseph I, the last emperor buried here, Empress Sisi and Crown Prince Rudolf. The visit to the crypts is definitely worth it's price. You can easily spend up to 1.5 hours here. Bring your jacket, since it gets cold!

Wow a very creepy yet extensive look into the royal history of Vienna. Never been in a crypt before. There were 4 or 5 large rooms full of coffins. It was fascinating the amount of intricate detailing on each of them and some of them were gigantic. You could almost tell how famous/important the person was by the detailing and size of their coffin.

Crypt Entrance was tricky to find. The sign is not at street level and the door blends in with all the others in the area. I opted not to take a guided tour. I didn't want to feel rushed looking around. As I walked down the stairs and turned left into the Leopoldo vault, I thought I was going to be disappointed. There was a small room with twelve caskets in the wall and another seventeen on the floor. There were more Habsburg rulers than this in 400 years. There are 150 Habsburgs here. You end up walking through nine vault rooms and seeing ten vaults. Massive elaborate sarcophagus like Marie Theresa's, almost take up the entire room. It really took a fair amount of time to wander through here and look at the incredible craftsmanship. The plaques give the name, reign, and / or family relationship. Hours are 10 am - 6 pm. Last admission is 5.30 pm, but don't do it. You want more time. Guided tours are offered Wednesday to Saturday at 2 pm in German and 3.30 pm in English. The admission is 8€.

For all you Hapsburg history buffs, this is the place where many of the empire's leaders are all buried - including the famous Franz Joseph and Maria Teresa. Essentially - this place is small as it was once a modest little monastery. You walk down and it's a relatively short walk where you look at some incredibly ornate coffins. There are no descriptions in English but it's pretty obvious how the crypt is organized and who were the most well-known or popular monarchs are (such as the tomb of Franz Joseph's popular wife - Elisabeth aka Sisi). People (such as monarchists) still leave flowers at certain tombs and it is a great place to get a sense of the history and grandeur of the Hapsburg empire. Photos are allowed here (so long as there is no flash). I personally didn't feel right taking photos in what amounts to a family cemetery, but I did see a few random folks snap a few pics here and there. There are also various alarm systems set up all over the crypt so make sure you say within the public walking areas when looking at the various tombs.

Some might consider this a slightly macabre attraction but I was really glad we chose to visit after reading about it online. If you were walking past and didn't know what this was it's fairly unlikely you would venture inside. From the exterior it looks like some sort of small church with a fairly unassuming facade given what lies within. Once inside it becomes apparent that it is indeed a grand affair. The Imperial Crypt houses the sarcophogi of over 100 members of the House of Hapsburg, and these are some of the most spectacular entombments you are likely to see without venturing into a pyramid! The atmosphere is quiet and sombre, as you would expect from what is essentially the final resting place of members of a royal dynasty. The craftsmanship and sheer scale of some of the elaborate coffins housed within is truly spectacular and leaves you in no doubt as to the importance of the people encased within. If you do not speak German you may be a little disappointed that most of the descriptive plaques are not translated into other languages, but in reality you do not need to understand the writings to appreciate what the Kaisergruft has to offer.