kaiser villa

As another reviewer mentioned, it is indeed poignant to see the table on which Emperor Franz-Josef signed the declaration that commenced World War I. As a keen history lover, that sight alone would have been worth a visit, not to mention learning about the conscientious yet austere routine of the Emperor and how he consequently neglected his Queen, Sissy. For all of Franz-Josef's dedication to his country and countrymen, his estranged wife was killed in Italy by a mad anarchist, his son became crazy and thereafter his appointed heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand killed and prompted him to write the above-mentioned declaration to the war that ultimately tore his country apart. Such is the sad and poignant life of Franz-Josef.On another note, we left our baggages with the really kind ticket lady at the entrance of the Kaiservilla park and her genuine smile of happiness when we offered her a humble keychain for her troubles was, simply, unforgettable.

A splendid hunting lodge set in Royal Park, with an alpine backdrop. As you enter the Villa you are simple taken aback by the hunting trophies on the walls. The guided tour is even more fascinating, giving you a feel for the furniture, art, sculptures, carving’s and yet again the Kaiser’s hunting trophies. Apparently during his life he accounted for over fifty five thousand animals of various types. The Villa depicts the classical division in society at that time in Europe. As well as the sense of Frans Joseph and Sissy’s love story, that ended so tragically.Standing next to the desk that the declaration of WWI was signed on almost 100 years later had a surreal feeling to it. Although the tour was conducted in German our young guide made a point of translating some of the more interesting facts for us in English, which complimented the notes we were handed. Having a small discussion with him before the tour started probably helped. Once you have completed your tour the grounds of the villa are worth taking a meander through. If you walk towards the pagoda on the hillside it will bring you back via Sissy’s Cottage. This today is both a Photographic Museum and memorial to her. Walk around and you will be able to read some of the poetry she wrote while here.This is well worth the entrance fee and if you are in Bad Ischl or even Salzburg this is well worth the trip.

This lovely hunting lodge in a vast and groomed park make a great visit for all ages and interests. There's art, stuffed animals, pictures, costumes and furniture galore and the gardens are beautifully landscaped. The history of the era is fascinating and here you see the social context well illustrated by the tour guides (self-guided leaflets in languages other than German). A good spot in a really pretty town.

In a beautiful place the "real home" of Franch Josepf and Sissy.The real house of the last Austro-Hungarian monarchs. Recommented

On our travels around Europe have been visiting various places associated with the Hapsburgs and this is a great visit. An authentic tour of a Villa located in a beautiful spot which really brings the history alive. The park is great for a stroll and coffee and cake on the terrace is perfect.

The Kaiser Villa is located in the centre of Bad Ischl and has a large free car park within easy walking distance. We found the Villa park was quite good value but the villa tour was another 9.50 euro each. We had just arrived before a two hour lunch closure and had to rush up the hill as the last tour was starting in five minutes. We were given English translation sheets as the guide conducted the tour in German only. At first we had hoped that the English translation sheets would keep up with the commentary but our guide soon veered off and we found that we missed a lot of the additional information. We understand some German but the guide spoke too quickly which made it difficult to translate. The tour covered various salons and bedrooms of Franz Josef and Sisi. There were numerous trophy kills on display. The final chamber contained Sisi's death mask and a model of her favourite dog. Nor were we allowed to take photos inside the Villa.The park like grounds are fairly plain. There was a fountain but it was not running. There is a grassy hill and some forest with a path winding through this but there is little else to the grounds.Overall it was a rather lacklustre tour and certainly unnecessary after doing several other Sisi related museums. For a better overall experience visit Schonbrunn in Vienna.

Very disappointed with this villa.Our guide Ms Thomas Cook spoke English at the beginning of the tour to tell us she Wouldn't speak our language during the tour....go figure?There were 16 in the group and half spoke English.Expensive when you can't understand the story of the Kaiser Villa.

Nice guide tour in the villa, a bit expensive to my opinion, 13.5 EUR for person. Is you don't speak german you will be board (the guide speak german and you get a page in your language).The villa is very nice and the park also.

Interesting history Franz Josef must have nearly exterminated the entire population of Chamois whilst living there.

The Kaiservilla is a must when visiting this town.The gardens are lovely but the villa and state rooms worth looking at.One word of note if you don't like seeing dead animals then avoid as there are thousands mounted on the walls.This was wear the declaration of the First World War was signed.

The Kaiser Villa might not look like one of these medieval castles, but is still worth visiting. Some great events have happened within these walls. English tour guide was a little hard to organise, but they happily supplied brochures in English for a self guided tour. So it’s not really a problem. Exposition is good.Another good attraction in the area is the photo museum in 300 metres. It will cost you extra two euros and you’ll be impressed by some vintage cameras, photos, etc.

You have to join tour at Villa for visit inside. And no photo is allowed inside the villa. But you can visit those beautiful paintings and historical furniture without boundary. It makes history more real.

I have visited the Kaiservilla last summer but I remember it quiet well.The weather was nice so I thought I would take a walk through the park. And I must say, it was worth it. When you walk up the hill you will have a really nice view over the town of Bad Ischl. It only takes a few minutes, so don't miss it. There are students walking you through the Kaiservilla itself. However, non-German speakers don't have to stay with the group all the time. As far as I have heard, they have information sheets in different languages where you can look up the important stuff. The tour takes about a good half hour and there's really a lot to see, although the Kaiservilla is much smaller than the buildings in Vienna. But here, everything feels more personal, less crowded and much more real. They have some furniture there and Elisabeth's dresses as well as Franz Joseph's shoes for example. The whole experience was like walking next to Sisi.

This is a surprisingly small house and would rate with minor Natonal Trust properties in the UK. It reminds me of a railway station but it was obviously of great importance to the Austrian Royal Family. We would like to have gone round it but at the time we were relatively short of time and a tour had just gone in and the next was not for another 40mins so we explored the park instead. The cottage was interesting with good explanatory panels in the windows so we felt we knew a lot about Sisi and her love of the place. The two little pavilions were rather sweet with their views across the house and town.Our dogs loved the park

We were lucky the day we visited the KaiserVilla. The sky was incredibly blue, it was a lovely day. We were the only non German speakers on the tour and were given printed notes, but the tour guide immediately allowed us to wander off ahead of the group and explore on our own, I guess we must have looked like responsible people (and we are!). The villa is fascinating and it is easy to see why Franz Josef liked this place so much, such a contrast from the Hofburg or Schonbrunn in Vienna. It is much more intimate. We had a lovely walk through the park after the tour. It is such a pretty area, particularly on such a pleasant day.