Museums and Palaces in Vienna

Vienna Museum of Art History (Kunsthistorisches Museum)

I entered the Vienna Museum of Art not so much for its contents, but to see the interior beauty of the building. Actually, there are so many beautiful buildings in Vienna that I’m not sure if visiting Art History Museumfor the beauty of the architecture is necessary, especially considering the entrance fee. If you’re not an art lover and have visited museums in other countries, I think it’s not a must.

After coming straight from the National Museum in Prague, I noticed many artworks by Prague artists. One room featured German and Dutch artists, while another had works by Spanish and Italian artists. There was also a temporary exhibition mostly related to Christian history. Besides the beauty of the building, I also loved the museum’s design. The choice of room colors and the comfortable couches in the middle where you can sit and observe the artworks are excellent examples of museum design. The lighting was also chosen to allow the artworks to be seen more clearly.

You’re required to leave your backpack or similar items at the entrance. You need to insert 1 or 2 euros into the lockers, but since I didn’t have any change, I asked at the cloakroomi Thankfully, they gave me a yellow coin to use. They don’t allow you to carry water around, even if it’s empty (or rather, no one said anything until the last room, where they asked me to throw it away), so I suggest leaving it in your bag. By the way, the café, located in the most beautiful spot in the middle, looked quite charming.

Right across from the Vienna Museum of Art History is the Natural History Museum (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien), which I didn’t visit, but I wanted to mention it for those interested.

Belvedere Museum

Now, let’s talk about the famous painting “The Kiss,” located in the Upper Belvedere Museum. However, it would be a great injustice to the museum to associate it only with this painting. I loved many of the artworks I saw here, and in fact, “The Kiss” paled in comparison to some of them. By the way, “The Kiss” is not a small piece like the Mona Lisa, so you can take a photo even if there are crowds in front of it. Actually, some of the other pieces of Klimmt impressed me way more than the “Kiss”.

If you’re not planning to visit the Lower Belvedere or the other sections, you don’t need to buy a ticket just to see the gardens. I definitely recommend walking around the garden and sitting down to take in the view. Unfortunately, they day I visited was quite windy, I couldn’t spend much time in the gardens even though the atmosphere was quite peaceful.

You can buy tickets online for Belvedere so that you do not wait in line at all and also, there is a slight discount if you buy online. You can enter the museum with you QR code.

MuseumQuarter

As the name suggests, MuseumQuarter is an area where several museums are gathered together. It is located a bit below the Museum of Art History. In this area, you’ll find the Leopold Museum, Mumok, Kunsthalle Wien, and centers for theater and dance. If you want to visit all the museums here collectively, you can do so with the FAB 5 ticket.

There are also cafes in the garden area, so you can spend time here even if you don’t visit the museums. I decided to skip the exhibitions due to the high prices and the sheer number of museums to choose from.

Palais Daun-Kinsky

This palace is really delightful, both for its grandeur and the fact that it’s free to visit. At first, you might wonder which direction to go, as it’s not actually a spot designed for tourist visits. Enter through the doors on the left and don’t hesitate to go upstairs—you’ll truly feel like you’re in a palace. The motifs on the walls and ceilings, as well as the statues that seem to have sprung from a museum wherever you turn, are dazzling. After visiting this place for free, even the Vienna Museum of Art seemed ordinary—well, at least normal for Vienna. It’s like every building is a palace here!

Justizpalast (Palace of Justice)

Yes, another amazing piece of architecture for you, and another free architectural feast: the Palace of Justice. Firstly, this is not a tourist spot, so the security measures might seem a bit strict since people work here, but you can pass through easily. The first two floors are open to visitors, and there’s also a café on the upper floor, but the café doesn’t really have that palace atmosphere and the view wasn’t that appealing, so I didn’t sit there.

Schönbrunn Palace (Schloss Schönbrunn)

We visited Schönbrunn during our first trip to Vienna, which was in 2010. I remember the beauty of the garden and the exterior of the palace, but interestingly, I had forgotten the interior. If my two friends who toured with me hadn’t insisted that we went inside, I wouldn’t have believed we did! Even though I thought maybe the interior wasn’t that impressive and that’s why I don’t remember it, looking at the photos now, it’s still a very beautiful palace. The garden is free to visit, and I recommend you see it; photographing the palace from the outside is also nice, but entrance to the interior is ticketed.

Sisi Museum – Hofburg

Even if you don’t visit the Sisi Museum, I recommend going to the square and photographing the palace, though it’s not easy to do right now due to ongoing road construction. Inside the museum, you’ll find items belonging to Empress Elisabeth, such as clothes and bags, reflecting both her official and daily life. There’s also a collection of silver and porcelain. If the museum tickets were more affordable, I would definitely go because I love seeing period costumes; hopefully, next time.

Freud Museum

The Freud Museum was something I definitely wanted to do when I came to Vienna in 2010 as a budding psychology student. Although my friends had nothing to do with the subject (one was a biologist, the other an industrial engineer), I dragged them to the museum with me. Luckily, they didn’t complain since the entrance fee was reasonable. After leaving the museum, we were like, “What did we even see?” or “Was it really necessary?”. Even as a psychologist, I don’t think it was essential. So, if you have a special interest in Freud, go ahead, but if not, I wouldn’t recommend it.

You can also visit “Vienna Travel Guide” for my impressions of the city and general information on Vienna.