Vienna, the museum capital of Central Europe, has concentrated an immense number of cultural institutions on its streets, which are simply impossible to explore in one trip. In addition, attending all exhibitions in a row does not make sense. Therefore, before traveling to the capital of Austria, it is important to decide which Vienna museums will be of interest to you. You should also take care of purchasing the Vienna City Card , which opens the doors to more than 60 famous sights of the city. You should definitely start your walk in the capital with the Museum Quarter of Vienna, where several famous objects are located at once. And to make it easier for you to figure out which places deserve your attention, we decided to compile a selection of the best museums in the city.
Hofburg + Imperial Treasury
Hofburg Palace can rightfully be considered the most ambitious museum in Vienna in Austria. Spread over an area of more than 240 thousand m², the castle occupies an entire area of the capital. Here visitors are given the opportunity to visit the numerous palace rooms and apartments where the representatives of the Habsburg dynasty once lived and worked. Also in the castle you can visit the Imperial Treasury, which, despite the plunder after the fall of the monarchical system, managed to preserve the most valuable exhibits of porcelain and silver. You can find detailed information about this museum in Austria in our separate article .
Gazebo
The Belvedere Palace and Park Complex is another majestic historical monument in Vienna, which acquired the status of a museum. In addition to the lush exterior and interior interiors, the castle attracts visitors to Austria with its exhibits of art paintings. In addition, a cascading three-level park, decorated with fountains, hedges and sculptures, surrounds the building. There is also a research center in Belvedere dedicated to the conservation of great works of art in Austria. For Vienna City Card holders, admission to this Vienna Museum is free. Detailed information about the Belvedere can be found by clicking on the link .
The Third Man Museum
This is a private museum dedicated to the old film “The Third Man”, which tells about the history of Austria in 1945-1955. At that time, the country was divided into occupation zones, and the inhabitants did their best to survive in conditions of complete devastation. The spy thriller has long become a classic of world cinema and even received an Oscar figurine for best cinematography. For many years, a frequent collector named Gerhard Strassgschwandtner collected unique items that are somehow related to the film. And today in the Museum of the Third Man, you can see pictures of the creators of the picture, genuine advertising posters, letters, newspapers and much more. Before visiting the gallery, you should see the picture, otherwise the visit risks being of little interest.
- Address: Preßgasse 25, 1040 Vienna, Austria.
- Opening hours: the facility is open only on Saturdays from 14:00 to 18:00.
- Entrance fee: adult ticket – 8.90 €, children’s ticket – 4.5 €.
Albertina Museum
Among the best museums in Vienna, the Albertina Gallery holds a place of honor, where the largest exposition of art paintings and graphic drawings is collected. The collection contains more than a million works covering the medieval and modern periods. All halls of the gallery are arranged in chronological order and show pictures of specific schools. Of interest here is the architectural collection, where you can look at a variety of drawings and layouts. All the details about the Albertina Museum can be found in our separate article .
Museum of Art History
For all lovers of the beautiful, a real find will be the Museum of the History of Art in Vienna in Austria. The main part of the exhibits presented here comes from the private Habsburg collection, which from the 15th century collected and stored original art objects. Among them, you can see masterpieces of painting, antique artifacts and relics found during archaeological excavations. The pearl of the museum is the art gallery, where works by Flemish, Dutch, German, Italian and Spanish artists of the 15-17th centuries are exhibited. If you are interested in an object and would like to know more details about it, click here .
Museum of Natural History (Natural History Museum)
Vienna as a city of museums never ceases to amaze with its rich variety of cultural institutions. One of them is the Museum of Natural History, which will be interesting to visit for both adults and children. The collection on the ground floor features a large collection of minerals, meteorites and precious stones. Here you can also look at the skeletons of dinosaurs and wax figures of primitive people. On the second floor are shown stuffed animals of all kinds.
It is noteworthy that the gallery hosts many interactive events for children, including the game of dinosaur hunting. Tourists who are here are advised to take the whole day to visit the gallery. They also recommend buying an audio guide, through which a walk around the institution will be truly fascinating and informative.
- Address: Burgring 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
- Opening hours: daily from 09:00 to 18:30, on Wednesday – from 09:00 to 21:00, Tuesday – a day off.
- Entrance fee: 12 €. Persons under 19 years of age are entitled to free admission.
Leopold Museum
The Leopold Museum has about 6 thousand artworks, among which there are exhibits that are most important for Austrian art. The founder of the collection is a married couple of Leopolds, who for five decades has been collecting unique paintings by artists from Austria, whose work has long been considered forbidden. Today, the museum displays two exhibits. The first of them is dedicated to the activities of the well-known Austrian artist Gustav Klimt. The second collection presents the work of the Austrian painter and graphic artist Egon Schiele.
Many tourists acquainted with the collection note that it lacks the most iconic paintings of artists. They also claim that other galleries in Vienna, for example, such as the Albertina Museum, aroused much greater interest in them. Therefore, if you plan to visit the Leopold Museum and want to get a positive experience, it is most reasonable to put it first on your tour list.
- Address: Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna, Austria.
- Opening hours: daily from 10:00 to 18:00. On Thursdays – from 10:00 to 21:00. Tuesday is a day off. From June to August, the facility is open every day.
- Entrance fee: 13 €.
Vienna House of Arts (Hunderwasser Museum)
If you decide which museums in Vienna to go to, then we recommend that you turn your attention to the Vienna House of Arts. The gallery is dedicated to the work of the outstanding Austrian artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Here visitors will appreciate the unique architecture of the museum building and enjoy its original interiors. In addition, the gallery exhibits the largest collection of Austrian master paintings. And in the “Green Museum” you will get acquainted with the progressive environmental ideas of the artist, who liked to experiment with landscaping roofs and decorating houses with the help of living trees. Also in the territory of the house of art you can always visit temporary exhibitions.
- Address: Untere Weißgerberstraße 13, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Opening hours: daily from 10:00 to 18:00.
- The cost of visiting: museum + temporary exhibitions – 12 €, only a museum – 11 €, only temporary exhibitions – 9 €.
Sisi Museum
If you are interested in getting to know such a historical figure as Elizabeth of Bavaria (in the circle of the Sisi family), then you should definitely visit the museum dedicated to the Empress. At one time, the queen was considered the most beautiful and extraordinary ruler in Europe. It was Elizabeth of Bavaria who played a key role in the truce between Austria and Hungary. However, the empress’s personal life was full of difficult trials. The dislike of the mother-in-law, separation from children, the death of her son and prolonged depressive states turned a cheerful and kind girl into a haggard and enclosed sovereign. The death of the empress became dramatic: during an ordinary walk, an anarchist attacked Elizabeth and mortally wounded her with a sharpening. The dying sovereign so completely could not understand what happened to her.
Currently, more than 300 exhibits are displayed at the Sisi Museum, among which the Empress’s personal items are presented. These are her toilet articles, photographs and luxurious outfits. At the exhibition, you can even see the car in which Elizabeth traveled. The price of the entrance ticket includes an audio guide, which will tell in detail about the life of one of the most mysterious rulers of Austria.
- Address: Michaelerkuppel, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
- Opening hours: from September to June, the institution works from 09:00 to 17:30, from July to August – from 09:00 to 18:00.
- Cost of visit: the object is included in the Hofburg palace complex, the total cost of the visit to which is 13.90 € for adults and 8.20 € for children (from 6 to 18 years old).
House of Music
The huge museum, occupying 4 floors, will tell you about the history and development of music and make it clear why Vienna is such a musical city. The first tier of the museum is dedicated to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the creator of which is the famous conductor and composer Otto Nikolai. Expositions on the second floor tell about research in the field of sound phenomena: here you will find out what sounds consist of and how they add up to music. This part of the gallery is full of interactive exhibits and allows visitors to hear the sounds of galaxies, meteorites and even the baby in the womb.
The third tier of the museum is dedicated to the work of outstanding Austrian composers. Here you can find out about their personal belongings, historical documents, tools and costumes. In the interactive room, everyone has the opportunity to perform as an orchestra conductor. And on the 4th floor, a virtual stage awaits guests, where, using a variety of gestures, visitors create their own unique music.
- Address: Seilerstätte 30, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
- Opening hours: every day from 10:00 to 22:00.
- Entrance fee: 13 €. For children from 3 to 12 years old – 6 €.
Technical Museum
The museum, founded in 1918 in honor of the 60-year reign of Franz Joseph, today has more than 80 thousand exhibits. Among them, you will see objects related to heavy industry, transport, energy, the media, music, astronomy, etc. Here visitors have the opportunity to track the formation and development of the technical industry in Austria, starting from the very first inventions and ending with innovative developments.
Special attention should be paid to the locomotive hall, where life-size models are presented. The museum’s collection is truly immense, so at least one day should be allocated for its visit. It is important to keep in mind that in the first week of every month, many Vienna museums are open for free on Sundays. These include the Technical Museum.
- Address: Mariahilfer Str. 212, 1140 Vienna, Austria.
- Opening hours: Monday to Friday – 09:00 to 18:00. On weekends – from 10:00 to 18:00.
- Entrance fee: 14 €. People under the age of 19 are provided with free admission.
All prices and timetables on the page are for March 2019.
Output
So, we tried to present in this collection the best museums in Vienna, focused on a variety of interests and hobbies. Many of them will be curious both for adults and children, will increase erudition and feel a taste for art. And some will make you look differently at the outside world and seemingly familiar things.
