Light show or concert?

Three evenings, three rooms

All three evenings take place in a Vienna church, and they could not be less alike. The Light of Creation show is projection and an orchestral score inside a neo-Gothic church, lasting about half an hour. The St. Stephen's Cathedral concert is classical music in a Gothic cathedral, running one to one and a half hours. The Capuchin Church concert is a string quartet, also running one to one and a half hours, in a church known for the Habsburg Imperial Crypt. Choose by what you want to be doing for the evening: watching, or listening.

The light show

The show suits travellers who want the building as much as the music. The booking page lists no performers, and the organiser calls it a light show with an original orchestral score. It admits children from six, but not babies, and it is listed as unsuitable for people with epilepsy and for visually impaired people. The church has no restroom, is unheated in winter and not air-conditioned. In its favour: it is short, it needs no knowledge of music, and its Genesis theme is easy to follow.

Read next: Light of Creation: booking

The cathedral concert

St. Stephen's Cathedral stands on Stephansplatz and is Romanesque and Gothic in form, with a south tower of about 136 metres. Mozart was married there in 1782, and his funeral was held there in December 1791, according to Wikipedia. The concert is sold in options with different programmes, including Mozart and Bach, and an organ-concert option. Seats are assigned within your chosen category, and in categories 3 and 4 you will not see the artists, so read the option before you pay, not after.

The Capuchin concert

The Capuchin Church stands on the Neuer Markt, and since 1633 its Imperial Crypt has been the main burial place of the Habsburgs. The concert is played by the Emperor Quartet Vienna, and the programme names Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert among the composers. The church is heated, which matters in winter, and a combination ticket adds entry to the Imperial Crypt. If you want a small ensemble, a historic setting and a warm room, this is the evening that fits. A Christmas-season programme is also offered of festive trumpet music and carols in the heated church.

How to choose

Ask three questions. Do you want live musicians? Then choose a concert. Do you want to see something happen on the walls as well as hear it? Then choose the show. Are you travelling with a child under six, or someone sensitive to flashing light? Then the show is closed to you, and a concert is the safer choice, subject to each booking's own age rules. If you are still unsure, the show is the shortest and the quickest to fit into an evening that also includes dinner.

Booking more than one

You can take two of these in one stay, and they complement each other because they offer such different things. A short projection show one evening and a concert on another gives you the building and the music separately. Each is booked through GetYourGuide, and the three bookings share terms at the time of writing: cancel 24 hours or more ahead for a refund, or reserve now and pay later. Check each calendar for your own dates, since availability and seat options differ between them, and keep every confirmation until the evening is over. Try the show on an evening when you are tired from sightseeing, since it asks only that you sit, and a concert on one when you want to listen properly.