Vienna Boys Choir

The Vienna Boys Choir is one of the oldest and most famous musical institutions in the world, and hearing them in Vienna, rather than on tour, is a memorable experience that costs far less than most people expect. The choir traces its roots to 1498, when Emperor Maximilian I established the court music, and for centuries the boys sang for the Habsburg court; Franz Schubert was a choirboy here, and Antonio Salieri and Anton Bruckner were among the musicians who served the court music. Today around a hundred boys, roughly between nine and fourteen years old, live and study at the choir's school in the Palais Augarten and form four touring choirs named after Haydn, Mozart, Schubert and Bruckner, which between them perform hundreds of concerts a year across the world. The traditional way to hear them at home is at the Sunday High Mass in the Burgkapelle, the Gothic Hofburg Chapel, where they have sung since the days of the monarchy. From mid-September to the end of June, and on Christmas Day, the Mass begins in the morning and is sung by the Boys Choir, or on some Sundays by the Vienna Girls Choir, together with men from the State Opera chorus and musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic, in a setting of Mass music by composers such as Mozart, Haydn and Schubert. It is a living church service, not a concert, which is a large part of its charm. The second option is a concert at MuTh, the choir's own modern hall at the tip of the Augarten, which seats around four hundred and presents the boys in programmes from sacred music and folk songs to pop arrangements and children's operas, including regular Friday afternoon concerts during the season. Both are excellent; the Mass is the more atmospheric, the concert the better way to actually see the boys perform.

How the Sunday Mass works: tickets are needed for the Mass in the Hofburg Chapel and are sold by the Hofmusikkapelle through its website, by email and at the box office, with a modest discount for Vienna City Card holders. The doors open well before the service begins. Be aware that the choir sings from the gallery at the back of the chapel, so from most seats you hear rather than see them; the boys traditionally come down to sing a final piece at the altar at the end. The cheapest places have limited views, and because this is a real Mass, dress respectfully, arrive early and stay for the whole service. Outside the season, the chapel is open for short free viewing slots on certain weekdays.

Concerts at MuTh: if you want to see the choir perform, book a concert at MuTh, Am Augartenspitz 1 in the 2nd district, a short tram ride or walk from the centre across the Danube Canal. The hall is intimate, with cinema-style seating, and programmes change through the season, so check the calendar for dates when the boys are in Vienna rather than on tour. Combine it with a walk in the Augarten park, Vienna's oldest Baroque garden, where the choir's school is based.

Who it suits: music lovers, of course; families, since children are often fascinated by the boys; and couples looking for a gentle, uplifting Sunday morning before brunch. History buffs will enjoy hearing music in a chapel used by the Habsburg court for centuries. The Hofburg Chapel sits in the Schweizerhof, right beside the Imperial Treasury, so a Sunday morning can flow straight from Mass to the crown jewels.