{"id":51237,"date":"2022-09-04T04:03:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-04T03:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=51237"},"modified":"2025-04-18T13:46:45","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T12:46:45","slug":"sisi-amazing-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/sisi-amazing-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Sisi&#8217;s Amazing Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><a href=\"#tickets\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/sisijourneytickets.jpg\" alt=\"Sisi wearing VR glasses\" class=\"wp-image-51236\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Ever wanted to take a boat ride through the Viennese underground waterways with the Empress of Austria? Of course you have. Welcome to the <em>Sisi&#8217;s Amazing Journey<\/em> 5D experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Film introduces Sisi&#8217;s life and iconic status<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ask for the English audioguide<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>5D VR boat ride like a theme park thrill\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Simply (a lot of) fun<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Whole thing takes about 40 minutes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Book a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/Vienna-VR-Virtual-Reality-Experiences-l219199\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LG_VRpage\" rel=\"sponsored\">VR experience<\/a>* in Vienna<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/empress-elisabeth\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"16956\">Empress Sisi in Vienna<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/vr-multimedia-immersive\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"57016\">VR in Vienna<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Film &amp; VR boat ride<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/sisiamazingjourney2.jpg\" alt=\"Sisi Amazing Journey sign\" class=\"wp-image-51234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/sisiamazingjourney2.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/sisiamazingjourney2-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The location is right next to the pedestrianised centre)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a middle-aged history buff, I always approach virtual reality attractions with a little snobbish skepticism. And how often they prove me an idiot. (Though not always.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;d put off visiting Sisi&#8217;s Amazing Journey, for example, for a long time. But, you know what? It was fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The experience on my visit divided into three parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Info display<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you pass the ticket barrier, you find a small room with a handful of wall displays in English and German on the titular heroine of this experience: Empress Elisabeth (1837-1898), perhaps the most famous woman in Habsburg and Austrian history; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/sisi\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"34621\">this article<\/a> explains why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two headless life-size models of Sisi (as she was known) and her husband (Emperor Franz Joseph) offer an opportunity for an amusing photo. I chose not to take up the offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Sisi film<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A short documentary-style film introduces you to Sisi&#8217;s life, beginning as a young girl in Bavaria and ending with her assassination in Geneva. This professional production provides insight into her personality, fame, and legacy, along with intriguing anecdotes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><em>Ad:<\/em><br><\/div><div data-tiqets-widget=\"discovery\" data-cards-layout=\"horizontal\" data-content-type=\"product\" data-content-ids=\"974318,997576\" data-partner=\"visitingvienna\" data-tq-campaign=\"DA_Time\"><\/div><script defer src=\"https:\/\/widgets.tiqets.com\/loader.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In the film, Sisi&#8217;s love of candied violets gets a mention, and the documentary guide drinks coffee inside (I think) the very same Caf\u00e9-Konditorei that served the empress with her preferred sweet delights. That&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/eatingdrinking\/cafespubsbars\/demel\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"22941\">Demel<\/a>: only a short walk away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. The 5D VR ride<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You then move to a &#8220;boat&#8221; and put on a headset for a 5D virtual reality experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&#8217;t want to spoiler it, but Sisi gets on board and takes you through, for example, some Viennese sewers and underwater channels. You drop into a couple of Sisi-related locations and travel high above the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You won&#8217;t learn too much more about Sisi. Think of it rather as a theme park ride with a former Empress of Austria as guide. I&#8217;ll admit to actually blushing (really) when Sisi climbed in and sat next to me.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"350\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/sisi.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait of Empress Elisabeth\" class=\"wp-image-16438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/sisi.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/sisi-207x300.jpg 207w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Sisi just before changing into more suitable clothing for the boat ride. Or, more accurately, Franz Xaver Winterhalter&#8217;s painting of Kaiserin Elisabeth, undated. Photo courtesy of Belvedere\u2019s Open Content Policy)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The boat moves, which combines with the 360\u00b0 VR view to get you bracing yourself at times. And parents be warned: some scary bits involve ghosts and skeletons. Like I said, think theme park ride rather than a purely Sisi-themed experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bottom line\u2026a bit bizarre but all rather fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After you remove the headset, it comes as quite a surprise to find yourself back in a small building in the centre of Vienna and not in some dark sewer worrying whether the Empress has got dirt on her dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tickets\">Visitor &amp; ticket tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I listened to the original German version, but an English-language audioguide and headphones are available (ask for one before viewing the film).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The whole experience took me around 40 minutes to complete, leaving plenty of time for other activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Booking service provided by Tiqets.com*, who I am an affiliate of)<\/p><div data-tiqets-widget=\"availability\" data-layout=\"full\" data-venue-id=\"165445\" data-partner=\"visitingvienna\" data-tq-campaign=\"AW_SisiAJVenue\"><\/div><script defer src=\"https:\/\/widgets.tiqets.com\/loader.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>For more 5D, multimedia, immersive, and\/or virtual reality fun, try <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/vr-multimedia-immersive\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"57016\">these suggestions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alternatively, simply cross the road to the sister attraction, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/time-travel-tour\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"16923\">Time Travel Vienna<\/a>, which offers a more varied and longer experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more of the empress herself, well\u2026I have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/empress-elisabeth\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"16956\">guide to Sisi locations<\/a> in Vienna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Actually, you&#8217;re quite close to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/winter-palace\/sisi-museum\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2539\">Sisi Museum<\/a>, which features biographical displays with many original items that once belonged to Empress Elisabeth. A ticket there also gets you into her suite of rooms in the Hofburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get there<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sisi&#8217;s Amazing Journey is just off the pedestrianised Graben street that forms the centrepoint of most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/transport\/walking-tour\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"50322\">walks<\/a> through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/transport\/walking-tour-city-centre\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"50618\">centre<\/a> of Vienna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Subway: two stations are close by. Stroll down either from Herrengasse (U3 line) or Stephansplatz (U3 and U1 lines).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tram\/bus: the 1A and 2A old town buses wind their way through the centre and stop at Habsburgergasse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Habsburgergasse 3, 1010 Vienna | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazing-sisi.at\/\">Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1asmHlbVpicbQLt1557vf6l4l0zQ\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ever wanted to take a boat ride through the Viennese underground waterways with the Empress of Austria? Of course you have. Welcome to the Sisi&#8217;s Amazing Journey 5D experience. Film &amp; VR boat ride (The location is right next to the pedestrianised centre) As a middle-aged history buff, I always approach virtual reality attractions with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51235,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-51237","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-footsteps","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51237"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82452,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51237\/revisions\/82452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}