Vienna’s Stephansdom cathedral contains altars, organs, statues, relics, and all the other accumulated treasures of an ancient cathedral. It also houses around 11,000 “bodies”, all sleeping the endless sleep below the building.
Luckily (?) for us, you can see quite a few of them on the catacombs tour.
- Intriguing little tour around the cathedral crypts
- Expect coffins. Urns. And bones (lots of them)
- My guide talked in German & English
- €6.00 for an adult at the time of writing (or buy, for example, the all-inclusive museum plus Stephansdom ticket*)
- See also: Stephansdom cathedral overview
Tour contents
(The exit from the catacombs photographed in the early 1920s; Wiener Kunstverlag E. Schreier (Producer); Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 106259/3, Excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)
So here’s my experience with a visit below the cathedral…
You first follow the guide down the steps leading into the crypts, mentally preparing for a scene out of some horror movie, only to find yourself in an airy, well-lit chapel that’s regularly used for mass.
The tour proper begins just beyond the chapel in the old parts of the catacombs that date back to the 14th century. Although over 650 years old, they don’t look it. Renovations some 50 years ago give it all a clean, modern look. Indeed, bishops and other church personages are still put to rest here today.
This part of the crypts includes the Ducal Chamber right under the cathedral’s High Altar. It holds the coffins of Rudolf IV (who died in 1365) and his family, as well as urns containing the Imperial organs of many high-ranking Habsburgs.
For many years, apparently, the remnants of emperors and their ilk got split between three churches: the Capuchin Church got the body for the Imperial Crypt, the Augustinian Church got the heart, and Stephansdom got the remaining internal organs.
Lucky Stephansdom.
The tour continues into the “new” parts, built in the 18th century and extending out beyond the limits of the cathedral building above. These are the catacombs Hollywood would have designed: darker, damper, and filled with skulls and other corporeal remains.
Some 30 rooms served for burials between 1745 and 1783, with around 11,000 people finding their last resting place within. Space issues (and the smell) forced their closure.
You peek into rooms filled with scattered bones, including a mass grave for plague victims, all looking like something a plucky heroine might discover halfway through a dystopian novel.
The stacks of bones (a space-saving measure) piled high like firewood cannot fail to impress. The occasional skull peers out, eye sockets forlorn and accusing…cue ominous music and an urgent desire to look over your shoulder.
Don’t be the last in line as you exit this area.
You actually end the tour outside the cathedral, the bright light and bustling square a contrast to the still, dark, bone-filled rooms you emerge from.
Tickets & visitor tips
The guide sold/checked tickets at the end of my tour. So don’t follow them down without a ticket or the means to pay for one (€6.00 for an adult at the time of writing).
If you’re doing more than a couple of things in Stephansdom, it makes sense to get the all-inclusive ticket…see the main article for more info.
Tours run continuously through the opening hours. The notice outside the catacombs entrance announces the next tour time. You don’t have to book ahead – just join a tour.
- The tour was bilingual – the tour guide said everything in German and English
- We went round in about 20 minutes, but it was a small group and the guide only needed to use English most of the time. So set aside half an hour otherwise
- Most of the tour route takes you through fairly wide, bright rooms and corridors, but expect one or two uneven floors, darker areas and steps, too
- Should you wish to tick off a couple more boxes on your list of Vienna crypts, then consider:
- The Imperial Crypt (mentioned above) contains dozens of Emperors, Empresses and similar. Full of spectacular coffins
- The Michaelerkirche church usually offers tours of its crypts
How to get to the catacombs
See the main Stephansdom article for travel tips. Once inside, head up the north side of the cathedral, where there is public access. Keep going past the entrance to the North Tower and you’ll see steps down and the Meeting Point notice on the left just before the end barrier. Wait there for the guide.
Address: Stephansplatz, 1010 Vienna