Museums in Vienna: Which One Is Worth It for Whom?

Vienna has more than a hundred museums. If you're in the city for three days, you might manage four of them, and most people then pick by fame rather than by interest. Time and again, that means people spend four hours in the Kunsthistorisches Museum even though Old Masters only mildly excite them, and miss the museum that would really have thrilled them.

That's why this guide isn't sorted by importance, but by one question: what are you interested in?

If You Only Have Time for One

Kunsthistorisches Museum

The Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts) is the classic, and rightly so: its Bruegel collection is the largest in the world, plus Vermeer, Caravaggio, Velázquez and Dürer. The Egyptian collection and the Kunstkammer (the Habsburg cabinet of art and curiosities) are first-rate too.

Realistically: Allow three hours if you're interested in painting. The building itself and the café under the dome are part of the experience. If you'd only be ticking off the Old Masters out of duty, you'll be happier elsewhere.

Belvedere

The Upper Belvedere has Klimt's "The Kiss", and that's exactly what most people come for. The rest of the collection is stronger than its reputation: Austrian art from the Middle Ages to the present, with plenty of Schiele and plenty of Viennese Modernism. Add to that the Baroque garden between the two palaces.

Realistically: two hours. The crowds in front of "The Kiss" are considerable; go early or late.

If You Like Modern Art

The MuseumsQuartier is a complex, not a single museum. When the weather's good, half of Vienna sits in the courtyard on the Enzis, the colorful furniture blocks, no ticket required.

• mumok: modern and contemporary art in a dark basalt cube. Pop Art, Viennese Actionism, Fluxus. It divides opinion.
• Kunsthalle Wien: no collection, only temporary exhibitions. Worth it if the current program appeals to you.
• Architekturzentrum Wien (Architecture Center Vienna): for anyone who wants not just to look at Vienna, but to understand it.

A little off the beaten track is Belvedere 21 in the former Expo pavilion: contemporary art in a building that's worth seeing in its own right.

If You Like Prints, Drawings and Photography

The Albertina has one of the largest collections of prints and drawings in the world; Dürer's Young Hare and Praying Hands are kept here. For conservation reasons, it mostly shows temporary exhibitions, alongside the permanent collection from Monet to Picasso and the Habsburg state rooms.

Practical: The Albertina is right behind the State Opera and fits easily into a walk through the city center.

If You're Interested in Vienna Itself

Sigmund Freud Museum

Berggasse 19, where Freud practiced for almost fifty years. The museum deliberately shows empty rooms: the original furnishings are in London, where Freud had to flee in 1938. This emptiness is the real content. If you're expecting a cozy tour of an apartment, you'll be disappointed; if you engage with it, you'll take away more than from many a big museum.

Third Man Museum

A privately run museum about the film "The Third Man" and postwar Vienna. Small, packed and made with obvious passion. Limited opening hours, so check before you go.

Jewish Museum Vienna

Two locations: Dorotheergasse and Judenplatz, where the foundations of the medieval synagogue lie beneath the memorial. One ticket is valid for both.

Funeral Museum

At the Vienna Central Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof), and genuinely one of the most interesting museums in the city. The Funeral Museum (Bestattungsmuseum) explains Vienna's relationship with death: the "schöne Leich" (the lavish, beautiful funeral), the coffin trumpet meant to prevent people from being buried alive in a state of apparent death, the ornate hearses. It sounds morbid, but it's entertaining and explains a piece of the city's character.

If You're Traveling with Kids

• Technisches Museum (Vienna Technical Museum): big, lots of hands-on exhibits, good for rainy days. Easily half a day.
• ZOOM Children's Museum in the MuseumsQuartier: for little ones, with timed-entry tickets. Be sure to book ahead.
• Prater Museum: small, quirky, and afterwards you're right in the Prater.
• Tram Museum and Remise: historic trams to look at, and some you can climb aboard.

If You Like Music

Vienna thrives on its musical legend, and its composers' apartment museums are surprisingly low-key:

• Johann Strauss Apartment: where the Blue Danube waltz was written.
• Schubert's Birthplace: a tiny room in a suburban house that tells you more about the living conditions than any biography.
• Beethoven Museum Probusgasse: in Heiligenstadt, easy to combine with a visit to a Heuriger (wine tavern).
• Theatermuseum (Theater Museum) in Palais Lobkowitz, whose Eroica Hall alone is worth the admission.

Practical Tips

Mondays Are Tricky

Many Viennese museums are closed on Mondays, including Belvedere 21 and several smaller ones. The Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Albertina, on the other hand, are open. If your city break includes a Monday, plan it deliberately.

Combination Tickets

The Belvedere has combination tickets for the Upper and Lower Belvedere, the Jewish Museum has one for both locations, and the MuseumsQuartier offers combinations of several venues. Whether they pay off depends on how much you actually manage to see: for most people, two big museums in one day is one too many.

Make Use of Late Openings

Several museums stay open late one evening a week. These are the quietest hours of the week, especially in front of the famous paintings.

The Trick Is in the Order

Go to the museum that interests you most in the morning, when you're fresh and it's empty. You'll only half take in a second museum in the afternoon anyway. Better: spend the afternoon in a coffee house, on a walk or in a park.

You'll find a complete overview of all museums in our category Museums & Exhibitions.

Opening hours and admission prices change regularly, so check them on each museum's page before your visit.