Minoritenkirche concert: how to book

What the ticket is

The ticket admits one person to a classical concert of about 70 minutes in the Minoritenkirche, the Gothic church on Minoritenplatz in Vienna's first district. It includes entry and a programme sheet. It does not include food, drink or a tour of the building, and nobody leads you round it. You pick a date in the calendar, and your confirmation gives the start time. The concerts are presented by Klangkultur Entertainment GmbH, a concert company that is separate from the church. The booking page marks the concert as wheelchair accessible, and the concert is not suitable for children under 6. Check the booking page for the exact option before you pay, since the meeting point and the language can vary with the option you select.

Who organises it

Klangkultur Entertainment GmbH runs the concert series, and its name appears on the booking page as the activity provider. The church is a separate matter: it is an active church with services of its own, and the concerts are guests in it. This site is an independent guide with no link to either. Questions about the building, such as prayer times, belong with the church. Questions about a concert, such as the programme, the performers or a refund, belong with the booking page for that date. Keeping the two apart saves you from asking the wrong people the right question. If a practical detail is unclear on the night, the confirmation for your booking is the document to follow.

Which date to choose

The programme changes with the date, so the date decides what you hear. Vivaldi's Four Seasons appears among the programmes, and there are seasonal evenings for Easter, Advent, Christmas and the new year. Some dates are chamber music for a small group, such as a cello ensemble or a string quintet. Others bring a choir and orchestra for a requiem. If a particular piece matters to you, choose the date that names it. If you simply want an evening of live strings in a Gothic hall, nearly any date will do, and you can fit it around the rest of your stay. The entry for a date often names the performers, which helps if you follow a particular ensemble or soloist.

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Reading the programme before you book

Travellers who rate the concert highly praise the skilled musicians, the acoustics and the calm of the church. The one recurring complaint is that the programme and format were not always clear in advance. So read the entry for your date on the booking page, note whether it names a small ensemble or a large choir, and look at the pieces. The ticket includes a programme sheet, which you can read in the quiet minutes before the music begins. A chamber evening and a choral requiem feel quite different, and it is better to choose between them than to be surprised. If the details are thin for the day you want, look at a nearby date with fuller information.

Seats and arrival

Seating is not numbered. Admission begins 30 minutes before the concert starts, and there is no need to arrive much earlier. Staff wait at the entrance, which is under the arcade of the church, to welcome you and guide you to suitable seats. That also means you cannot reserve a particular row, so if you want a choice of place, arrive inside the admission window and not at the last minute. The booking page says the meeting point may vary with the option you select, so confirm it for your date when you book. Arriving inside the window also leaves time to read the programme sheet and look at the Last Supper mosaic on the wall.

Cancelling and paying later

A cancellation made through GetYourGuide costs nothing if it arrives a full 24 hours ahead, and the fare need not be paid at the time of booking. That is useful when a trip is still taking shape. Hold a date, then drop it if a flight or a train changes. Keep the cancellation terms straight: they belong to a booking made through GetYourGuide, and a deal made directly with the concert company would carry its own terms. Cancel inside the final 24 hours and you should not expect the refund. Check the cancellation line on the booking page for your date before you rely on it. That flexibility is the main reason to hold a date early rather than late.

How it compares with other church concerts

Vienna has many church concerts, and two others sit in the same part of town. One is in St. Anne's Church, a Baroque church where a string ensemble plays on period instruments for about 70 minutes. The other is in St. Peter's Church, a Baroque church built in the early 18th century, where the Classic Ensemble Vienna plays for about an hour. The Minoritenkirche is the Gothic one, and it is the one with a mosaic copy of the Last Supper on its wall. Choose by the room as much as by the music, because the room is what you will remember. St. Anne's may suit listeners who care most about the sound of period instruments, while the Minoritenkirche suits those who care about the building.

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Is it right for a first concert?

A 70-minute programme in a church is a gentle way into live classical music. You need no background, no knowledge of the pieces and no special clothes. The music is the sort most people have heard in some form, and the programme sheet names each piece. Older children who can sit quietly for the length of the concert will manage, though the concert is not suitable for children under 6. If you are travelling with a teenager who has never been to a concert, a chamber programme of strings is the easiest first step, and a requiem is a more serious evening. Whichever you pick, read the programme sheet first and let the first piece set the pace.

What to bring and what to leave

Nothing to eat or drink may be brought in, and smoking and alcohol are out too, so eat before or after. Photography inside, flash and video recording are not allowed either. Keep the phone in your pocket and silent, and take the photograph of the square outside instead. The church is built of stone and can feel cool outside summer, so a light layer is sensible. You do not need to dress up, though smart-casual fits the setting. If you want to see the mosaic properly, use the minutes before the music begins, while you wait for the start. Have your ticket ready on your phone before you reach the door, so that you can show it without searching.

What travellers say

The concert is rated very highly by travellers who have been. The praise is steady: skilled musicians, resonant acoustics and a serene atmosphere in an old church. Visitors come from Austria and from many other countries, and the comments are warm in several languages. The note of caution is about advance information. A few travellers would like clearer programme details ahead of time. Read that as a reason to check the entry for your date, not as a reason to stay away. The music itself draws the compliments. Treat the reviews as a guide to the room and the standard of playing, which both come up again and again.

Who this isn't for

Look elsewhere for a guided tour of the church: the ticket is for a concert. It is also the wrong ticket for dinner with your music, because nothing to eat or drink may be brought in. Leave it if you need a fixed programme guaranteed in advance, because the programme changes with the date. And leave it if you hoped to photograph the Last Supper mosaic, because photography inside is not allowed. If any of those is the point of your evening, look for a different format, and book this one for the music in the room. And if you hope for a seat in a particular row, remember that seating is unnumbered.