The Belvedere Palace in Vienna, with its ornate Baroque architecture and green domed roofs, reflecting in a large pond. A white statue of nymphs and sea creatures stands in the center of the water.

20 Best Museums in Vienna: Tips, Tickets, Tours

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If you love museums, then Vienna is your town!

You can easily fill several days visiting Vienna’s world-class museums.

You’ll find museums that cater to just about every artsy interest from painting to music to theater and much more.

In this post, I describe what I consider 20 of the best museums and art museums in Vienna for artsy travelers to visit while touring Vienna, one of my favorite European cultural capitals. 

A collage featuring Vienna’s museums, including the Kunsthistorisches Museum dome, the modernist Mumok building, the Belvedere Palace with a pond, and a colorful brick wall with glass bottles embedded in concrete. Bold white text reads "Best Vienna Museum Experiences" with the website "artsytraveler.com."

Vienna Museum Highlights at a Glance


Map Showing the Locations of Top Museums in Vienna

Use the map below to get your bearings when touring Vienna. It’s a very walkable city with most of the museums clustered in the museum district.

This map was made with Wanderlog, for making itineraries on iOS and Android

Vienna PASS

Once you’ve chosen the museums you want to tour in Vienna, consider purchasing a Vienna PASS. The Vienna PASS offers free access to up to 90 museums and attractions in Vienna including sites such as Schönbrunn Palace, the Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel, and the Hofburg Palace.

Almost al the museums in this post are covered by the Vienna PASS.

You can purchase the Vienna PASS in various durations: 1-day, 2-day, 3-day, and 6-day options. Depending on how much you want to see in Vienna, the Vienna PASS can be an excellent bargain.

Another less expensive option is the Vienna Flexi PASS that allows you to customize your itinerary.

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Touring Museums in Vienna

So let’s dig into my suggestions for the 20 best museum experiences in Vienna. As you’ll quickly discover, Vienna really is one of Europe’s best destinations for museum lovers.

The only trouble is that you need to pace yourself. All those long, marble-floored corridors are hard on the knees. Take your time! It’s better to enjoy fewer museums and enjoy yourself than try to see them all and be too exhausted to take in a concert in the evening and enjoy a plate of wiener schnitzel.

Assume you’ll return!

And while Vienna has some of the best museums in the world, it’s also a wonderful place to just sit back and watch the world go by. There’s a reason that Vienna consistently ranks in the top ten of the world’s most livable cities.

#1: Kunsthistorisches Museum

Start at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (#1), Vienna’s answer to the Louvre and considered by many to be one of the best museums in all of Vienna (and the world!).

Located at Maria-Theresien-Platz in the Imperial Palace complex, this fabulous (and HUGE) museum exhibits the art collection of the Habsburg family. They were also known as the House of Austria and for several hundred years ruled a large chunk of Europe.

Kunsthistorisches Museum at a Glance

Why Visit: Habsburg art treasures, Bruegel masterpieces, and spectacular Renaissance architecture.
Best for Classic art lovers, history buffs, and anyone dazzled by Renaissance grandeur.
Typical Visit Time: ~3 hours
Tickets: Skip-the-Line Ticket
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10 am–6 pm; Closed Monday
Website: khm.at
Guided Tour:

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The exterior of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, a grand building with domes, statues, and a manicured garden with a fountain in the foreground. This museum is one of the top museums to visit in Vienna.
Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna

The Kunsthistorisches Museum includes several collections. If you’re short on time, I recommend starting with the Picture Gallery to see masterpieces by Bruegel, Arcimboldo and more, and then checking out the antiquities. If you’re a musician, you won’t want to miss the collection of historical musical instruments. I spent a lot of time there!

Egyptian and Near Eastern

You’ll find one of the world’s most important collections of Egyptian antiquities at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Take a tour of the collection which includes more than 17,000 objects. I always enjoy a good Egyptian museum, and the collection here is first-rate.

Greek and Roman Antiquities

The collection spans 3,000 years. I’m particularly fond of the Greek vases decorated with scenes of Greek life.

Kunstkammer Wien: The Cradle of the Museum

This relatively new area of the museum (opened in 2013) contains over 2,200 fabulous artworks. The Habsburg emperors were busy collectors from the late Middle Ages to the Baroque Age. You’ll find sculptures, clocks, objets d’art, scientific instruments, automatons, and a lot more.

The list goes on. Have a good look. You won’t regret it.

The collection in the Picture Gallery is nirvana for the art lover. You’ll find pieces by Pieter Bruegel the Elder that you’ll probably recognize if you like 16th-century Dutch painting and if you’ve ever taken a European art history course. 

You’ll also find masterpieces by Caravaggio, Titian, Rubens, and one of my favorites, Arcimboldo, who really had a way with food.

We bought a jigsaw puzzle of one of the Arcimboldo paintings in the marvelous museum gift shop. I do like a good museum giftshop and the one at the Kunsthistorisches has a great selection.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo - Summer - Google Art Project
Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Collection of Historical Musical Instruments

I write about the incredible collection of historical musical instruments in Music Lover’s Guide to Vienna. On my solo trip to Vienna, I spent a happy afternoon enjoying the rooms full of pianos and harpsichords and various other instruments. The collection of Renaissance and Baroque instruments is reputed to be the finest in the world.

I was in heaven, particularly because this area of the massive museum was virtually empty. If I’d been so inclined, I could have played one of the pianos, and probably no one would have been the wiser.

Needless to say, I didn’t try. The prospect of even a short stay in a Viennese prison did not appeal, even if it’s likely to be well maintained and serve wiener schnitzel and torte.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum also includes the Coin Collection, an Armory, and lots more, but you get the picture. The museum is worth a good chunk of your day. Alternatively, pace yourself and space your visit across a few days. It depends on your stamina because plenty of museums await you in Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier (MQ).


#2: Natural History Museum

The architectural mirror image of the Kunsthistorisches Museum is the Museum of Natural History ( Naturhistorisches Museum) (#2) opposite it.

I have a soft spot for natural history museums, and Vienna’s is excellent, easily on par with the Natural History Museums in London, New York, and Washington.

Natural History Museum at a Glance

Why Visit: Dinosaurs, meteorites, minerals, and fascinating scientific exhibits under a grand dome.
Best for: Families, science enthusiasts, and anyone fascinated by dinosaurs and the natural world.
Typical Visit Time: 1.5–2 hours
Tickets: Skip-the-Line Ticket
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Wednesday–Monday 9 am–6:30 pm; Closed Tuesday
Website: nhm-wien.ac.at

The big draw is the squat statue of the wonderfully fecund Venus of Willendorf. She’s a clay figurine just 11.1 centimeters tall, reputed to have been made between 24,000 and 22,000 BCE, which is a long time ago on any calendar.

Although little is known about how or why she was made, you have to think her purpose had something to do with fertility.

I mean, seriously! Look at her!

Because she lacks defined facial features, some philosophers and archeologists view the Venus of Willendorf as representative of a universal mother.

Well, I certainly took to her. She’s displayed in a special, atmospherically lit case that will probably be surrounded by other museum-goers.

Figurine called the Venus of Willendorf on display at the Natural History Museum in Vienna.
Don Hitchcock, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creative
commons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0via Wikimedia Commons

Wait your turn and then spend a few minutes contemplating universal motherhood and also thinking about the people who made this exquisite figure.

How had they used her? Had she been cherished? I like to think so.

Animal Displays 

One of the museum’s many highlights being the massive second floor containing several high-ceilinged, ornate rooms stuffed to the ceiling with stuffed animals.

When we walked into the reptile room on our family trip, I had to sprint through it with my eyes closed.

Stuffed snakes in glass cages slithered every which way through the massive room. And I don’t mean the cute plush variety of stuffed snakes.

Oh no. I’m talking about very real, very menacing, very snakey snakes. Ugh!

Fortunately, the other rooms made up for the trauma of the reptile room. The Vienna Museum of Natural History gets top marks for taxidermy.


#3 Museums in the MuseumsQuartier (MQ)

Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier (MQ) (#3) in central Vienna is truly a remarkable cultural area. Housing over sixty cultural institutions, the MQ is one of the largest districts for contemporary art and culture in the world.

You’ll find museums and events devoted to art, architecture, music, fashion, theater, children’s culture, literature, dance, street art, photography, even gaming culture.

This is the place to be if you love the arts.

Highlights of the MQ directly related to visual art include viewing modern art at the Leopold Museum, MUMOK – the Museum of Modern Art, Kunsthalle Wien, and the remarkable Kunst Haus Wien–Vienna’s first ecological museum.

The MQ is always open and entry is free. Relax in the various courtyards and engage in some serious people watching.

The Meeting Place at the MuseumsQuartier (MQ) is one of the largest cultural quarters in the world. You’ll need another day to tour the MQ and also hang out in its public spaces.

The Museum Quarter in Vienna, bustling with people seated on modern red benches, with the Mumok building in the background.
Hanging out in the MuseumsQuartier (MQ) in Vienna

For more information about what’s on, including special events, check the MQ website and the websites for the individual museums. The range and breadth of cultural activities truly is breathtaking!

Here are four of the major art museums in the MQ.


#4: Leopold Museum

The Leopold Museum (#4) exhibits the world’s most important collection of paintings and works on paper by Egon Schiele.

Along with Gustav Klimt, Schiele is one of the best-known Austrian artists of the 20th century.

Painting of a woman in a striped dress by Austrian artist Egon Schiele on display at the Leopold Museum in Vienna, Austria, one of the 15 best museums in Vienna.
Egon Schiele, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Leopold Museum at a Glance

Why Visit: Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, and Viennese Modernism in a contemporary setting.
Best for: Modern art fans, Schiele and Klimt admirers, and lovers of Viennese Expressionism.
Typical Visit Time: 1–1.5 hours
Tickets: Fast-Track Ticket
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Daily 10 am–6 pm; closed Tuesday
Website: leopoldmuseum.org


#5: MUMOK – Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien

MUMOK (#5) is the largest museum of modern and contemporary art in central Europe (and that’s saying something!).

You’ll find an amazing collection that features works of classical modernism (my favorite) by artists such as Picasso, Mondrian, and Magritte to mention only a few, along with pop art, Fluxus, minimal art, and concept art, as well as Vienna Actionism and contemporary art.

The exterior of the Mumok (Museum of Modern Art) in Vienna, a large gray modernist building with a curved facade and a broad staircase leading to the entrance.
MUMOK in the MuseumsQuartier (MQ) in Vienna

MUMOK at a Glance

Why Visit: Warhol, Picasso, Lichtenstein, and avant-garde exhibitions in a sleek, modern cube.
Best for: Contemporary art explorers, avant-garde enthusiasts, and design lovers.
Typical Visit Time: ~1 hour
Tickets: Entry Ticket
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Daily 10 am–6 pm; Closed Monday
Website: mumok.at


#6: Kunsthalle Wien

The Kunsthalle Wien (#6) focuses on temporary exhibitions of contemporary art. I confess I’m not generally a fan of contemporary art, but if you are, check the website for rotating shows focused on social and political themes, experimental installations, and young contemporary voices.

Kunsthalle Wien at a Glance

Why Visit: Vienna’s leading space for cutting-edge contemporary art, performance, and thought-provoking exhibitions from global and Austrian artists.
Best for: Fans of cutting-edge exhibitions, conceptual art, and bold social commentary.
Typical Visit Time: 45–60 minutes per exhibition
Tickets: Entry Ticket
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 11 am–7 pm; Closed Monday
Website: kunsthallewien.at


#7: Kunst Haus Wien

Vienna’s first ecological museum, the Kunst Haus Wien (#7), features contemporary art with a focus on photography. You have to check out the building–it’s remarkable with colorful tiles, uneven floors, and irregular structures.

The museum also houses the Museum Hundertwasser which displays the largest permanent collection of works by Friedensreich Hundertwasser who designed the building for the Kunst Haus Wien and is also one of Austria’s most famous artists and visionaries.

Kunst Haus Wien at a Glance

Why Visit: Dedicated to visionary Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, showcasing his vibrant paintings, eco-architecture, and design philosophy.
Best for: Architecture lovers, photography fans, and anyone who appreciates eco-friendly, colorful creativity.
Typical Visit Time: 1–1.5 hours
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Daily 10 am–6 pm
Website: kunsthauswien.com
Tickets:

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#8: Belvedere Palace

You can’t visit Vienna and not visit the Belvedere Palace (#8)! It’s the home of the world’s largest collection of Klimt’s paintings, including his masterpiece, The Kiss, and the iconic Judith I.

You’ll also find an excellent 19th-century collection that includes work by Monet and van Gogh.

 Called The Kiss, this is a famous painting by Gustav Klimt depicting a couple embracing, covered in golden robes, surrounded by a field of colorful flowers. You can see this painting when you visit the Belvedere in Vienna.
Gustav Klimt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The baroque Belvedere Palace itself is worth visiting to see its magnificent ornamental gardens and the stunning views of Vienna.

Belvedere Palace at a Glance

Why Visit: Home of Klimt’s The Kiss, Baroque halls, sculptures, and fountains.
Best for: Klimt devotees, romantic souls, and travelers seeking Vienna’s most iconic art experience.
Typical Visit Time: 1.5–2 hours
Tickets: Timed-Entry Ticket
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Upper Belvedere
Opening Hours: Daily 10 am–6 pm
Website: belvedere.at
Guided Tour:

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#9: Albertina Museum

The Albertina Museum (#9) is located not far from the Vienna Opera House, and contains the world’s most important graphic collections along with works of art by Monet, Renoir, Chagall, Miro, Magritte, Munch, Picasso, and more. 

You can also visit the Albertina – Modern a few blocks away, which is Vienna’s new museum of modern art.

Albertina Museum at a Glance

Why Visit: Monet to Picasso, graphic arts, photography, and rotating exhibitions.
Best for: Impressionist fans, photography lovers, and visitors looking for a refined art fix near the Opera House.
Typical Visit Time: 1–1.5 hours
Tickets: Skip-the-Line Ticket
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Daily 10 am–6 pm (Wed & Fri until 9 pm)
Website: albertina.at


#10: Theater Museum Vienna

I always go out of my way to visit a museum dedicated to theater. My third novel, The Muse of Fire, is set in the theater.

The collection at the Theater Museum (#10) in Vienna includes over 1,000 stage models, 600 costumes, and a lot of props that bring the history of theater in Austria to life. So much to see!

Theater Museum at a Glance

Why Visit: A hidden gem inside the Lobkowitz Palace celebrating Vienna’s rich performing arts legacy — from Mozart’s Don Giovanni to modern stage design.
Best for: Theater lovers, performing arts students, and travelers intrigued by Vienna’s dramatic heritage.
Tickets: Entry Ticket
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Wednesday–Monday 10 am–6 pm; Closed Tuesday
Website: theatermuseum.at


#11: Jewish Museum of the City of Vienna

Billed as the world’s first Jewish Museum, the Jewish Museum Vienna is the place to learn about Vienna’s Jewish life from the Middle Ages to the present (#11).

The permanent collection showcasing the Jewish community in medieval Vienna is particularly compelling. For two hundred years beginning in the thirteenth century, Vienna was a center of Jewish knowledge and learning. In 1420/21, the members of this first Jewish community were expelled and murdered by order of Duke Albert V.

The recent discovery of the remains of the destroyed medieval synagogue drew attention to Vienna’s hitherto largely ignored medieval history. There are two locations: the main museum on Dorotheergasse with historical exhibits and artifacts, and the Judenplatz site featuring medieval foundations of Vienna’s synagogue and a Holocaust memorial.

Jewish Museum at a Glance

Why Visit: One of Europe’s most engaging Jewish history museums, telling the story of Vienna’s Jewish community: its vibrant cultural life, tragedy, and renewal.
Best for: History seekers, cultural travelers, and anyone interested in Jewish life and heritage in Vienna.
Typical Visit Time: 1–1.5 hours (allow extra if visiting both locations)
Tickets: Entry Ticket (valid for both sites)
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Daily 10 am–6 pm (Closed Saturday and Jewish holidays)
Website: jmw.at


#12: MAK – Museum of Applied Arts

The MAK Museum (#12) is a “museum for arts and the everyday world.” Its extensive collection focuses on the applied arts and the interface of design, architecture, and contemporary arts.

MAK showcases a special exhibition called « Vienna 1900 » with some of the most illustrious art nouveau designers.

MAK’s permanent   collection includes one of the world’s finest collection of lace and glassware, particularly Venetian glass (I’m a sucker for Venetian glass). You’ll also find a collection of textiles and carpets, and lots more.

MAK Museum at a Glance

Why Visit: A gorgeous blend of design, craftsmanship, and innovation — showcasing everything from Baroque furniture and Art Nouveau glass to contemporary design and digital art.
Best for: Design aficionados, architecture admirers, and lovers of Art Nouveau and craftsmanship.
Typical Visit Time: 1–1.5 hours
Tickets: Entry Ticket
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10 am–6 pm; Tuesday extended until 9 pm; Closed Monday
Website: mak.at


#13: Wien Museum Karlsplatz

I thoroughly enjoyed touring the Wien Museum with its displays showcasing the history and culture of Vienna over the centuries. The museum’s permanent exhibition is called “Vienna. My History” and provides the visitor with a chronological tour of the city — from the first settlement to the present day. 

When I was visiting Vienna to research A Woman of Note, I spent a long time in the Wien Museum getting a feel for what life was like in Vienna in the early 19th century.

I found the scale model of Vienna as it looked when it was still enclosed by a wall particularly interesting. In the 19th century, the wall was demolished and replaced with the Ring Road. 

A detailed scale model of Vienna, showcasing the city's historic architecture, winding streets, and bridges over a river. The model is housed in an octagonal glass case, highlighting intricate features such as buildings, city walls, and surrounding greenery. This model is a highlight of a visit to the Wien Museum in Vienna.

Wien Museum at a Glance

Why Visit: Brand-new galleries tell Vienna’s story — and it’s free!
Best for: Local history enthusiasts, urban culture fans, and travelers looking for a free, high-quality museum.
Typical Visit Time: 1–1.5 hours
Tickets: Free Entry
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes (Free)
Opening Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10 am–6 pm
Website: wienmuseum.at


Music Museums in Vienna

Vienna is the City of Music and home to an impressive number of the world’s most famous composers–Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, Strauss, and Mahler.

And several more composers stopped by to perform, including Chopin, Liszt, Schumann (Robert and Clara), and Brahms.

#14: Beethoven Pasqualati House

A highlight of my solo trip to Vienna was visiting Pasqualati House (#13) where Beethoven lived and worked for a while. He changed apartments a lot, apparently. Here, he composed iconic works including parts of his Fifth Symphony and Für Elise.

Carol Cram stands in front of Pasqualati House where Beethoven once lived. It is an historic building with tall windows and red-and-white striped flags hanging above a plaque.
Me in front of Vienna’s Pasqualati House, one of the places where Beethoven lived

Pasqualati House at a Glance

Why Visit: A small but evocative museum dedicated to Ludwig van Beethoven
Best for: Classical music enthusiasts, Beethoven devotees, and those seeking an intimate composer experience.
Typical Visit Time: 30–45 minutes
Tickets: Entry Ticket
Guided Tour: Self-guided visit with staff insights available
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Wednesday–Monday 10 am–1 pm and 2 pm–6 pm; Closed Tuesday
Website: wienmuseum.at

#15: The House of Music

Also known as the House of Sound (#14), this celebration of music–particularly classical music (my favorite)–is spine-tinglingly awesome! I could spend days here exploring five floors of first-rate, music-themed exhibits.

Try your hand at conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and find out it’s not as easy as it looks!

House of Music at a Glance

Why Visit: Interactive and playful introduction to Vienna’s musical legacy.
Best for: Music lovers, families, and anyone who enjoys interactive and playful exhibits.
Typical Visit Time: 1–1.5 hours
Tickets: Entry Ticket
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Daily 10 am–10 pm
Website: hausdermusik.com


#16: Mozarthaus Museum

Mozart lived in several houses in the city during his short and tumultuous life. The only one that survives is the Mozarthaus Museum (#15) at Domgasse #5, where he lived from 1784 to 1787.

The museum sprawls over 1,000 square meters on six levels and is a place of pilgrimage for Mozart lovers. Highlights of the museum include original manuscripts, interactive exhibits, and period furnishings that bring Mozart’s daily life and music to life.

Mozarthaus Museum at a Glance

Why Visit: The only surviving Vienna residence of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, where he composed The Marriage of Figaro and other masterpieces.
Best for: Mozart fans, classical music lovers, and travelers drawn to the composer’s everyday world.
Typical Visit Time: 1–1.5 hours
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Daily 10 am–6 pm
Website: mozarthausvienna.at
Tickets:

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For more information about these and other top music sites to visit in Vienna, read Music Lover’s Guide to Vienna.


#17 Imperial Treasury (Hofburg)

The Imperial Treasury (Kaiserliche Schatzkammer) (#17) exhibits one of Europe’s most dazzling collections of royal regalia and sacred relics. You’ll see jewel-encrusted crowns, lavish robes, the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Austrian Imperial Crown. This quietly atmospheric and beautifully curated collection is a must for anyone interested in history, art, and the grandeur of imperial Vienna.

Imperial Treasury at a Glance

Why Visit: Habsburg crowns, imperial jewels, and treasures of the Holy Roman Empire.
Best for: Royal history lovers, jewelry enthusiasts, and travelers fascinated by the Habsburg legacy.
Typical Visit Time: ~1 hour
Tickets: Skip-the-Line Ticket
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Daily 9 am–5:30 pm
Website: khm.at/visit/imperial-treasury


#18 Heidi Horten Collection

Opened in 2022, the Heidi Horten Collection is one of Vienna’s newest and most elegant museums showcasing the late philanthropist Heidi Horten’s private collection of 20th- and 21st-century art. Check out works by Warhol, Bacon, Basquiat, and Hirst.

Heidi Horten Collection at a Glance

Why Visit: A stunning new museum featuring modern and contemporary masterpieces from a world-class private collection.
Best for: Contemporary art lovers, collectors, and travelers who appreciate sleek, private art spaces.
Typical Visit Time: 1 hour
Tickets: Timed-Entry Ticket
Included in Vienna Pass: ❌ No
Opening Hours: Thursday–Sunday 10 am–6 pm
Website: hortencollection.com


#19 Weltmuseum Wien

Located within the Hofburg Palace complex, this museum presents one of Europe’s most important ethnographic collections. The galleries take you from Aztec featherwork to African masks and Asian textiles, all presented in beautifully curated displays. It’s visually stunning.

Weltmuseum Wien at a Glance

Why Visit: Fascinating ethnographic treasures and cultural artifacts from around the globe, displayed in a grand imperial setting.
Best for: Cultural travelers, anthropology enthusiasts, and anyone curious about world art and history.
Typical Visit Time: 1–1.5 hours
Tickets: Entry Ticket
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Wednesday–Monday 10 am–6 pm; Closed Tuesday
Website: weltmuseumwien.at


#20 Austrian National Library – State Hall

If you’re looking to check out some pure Baroque splendor, visit the Austrian National Library’s State Hal to see one of Europe’s most breathtaking interiors. Built in the early 18th century for Emperor Charles VI, the hall houses over 200,000 leather-bound volumes beneath a frescoed dome and marble statues of Habsburg emperors. Even if you’re not a bibliophile, this library is worth the visit—it’s a work of art in itself.

Austrian National Library at a Glance

Why Visit: A jaw-dropping Baroque library filled with rare books, statues, and ceiling frescoes in the heart of the Hofburg.
Best for: Architecture lovers, bookworms, and anyone seeking one of Vienna’s most photogenic interiors.
Typical Visit Time: 45 minutes–1 hour
Tickets: Entry Ticket
Included in Vienna Pass: ✅ Yes
Opening Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10 am–6 pm; Closed Monday
Website: onb.ac.at


Frequently Asked Questions about Vienna’s Museums

Which museums are included in the Vienna Pass?

Most of the big names, including the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Belvedere, Albertina, Leopold, and MUMOK, are covered. You’ll skip ticket lines and can save €30–50 in a full day of sightseeing.

Are any museums in Vienna free?

Yes! The newly reopened Wien Museum offers free admission year-round. Many other museums have free evenings or the first Sunday of the month; check each museum’s site before you go.

What’s the best Vienna museum if I only have two hours?

If you love classic art and grandeur, choose the Kunsthistorisches Museum. For a mix of modern art and atmosphere, head to the Leopold Museum in MuseumsQuartier.

Where can I see Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss?

At the Upper Belvedere Palace, in the Klimt Room—it’s the highlight of the museum’s permanent collection.

What’s the best museum for families or rainy days?

The Natural History Museum is hands-on and kid-approved. The Wien Museum and House of Music also work well on a drizzly afternoon.

Which museums are open on Monday?

Unlike many European cities, Vienna keeps a good Monday lineup—Belvedere, Albertina, Leopold, MUMOK, Wien Museum, and House of Music are open. Only the Kunsthistorisches Museum closes Mondays.

Is it worth buying skip-the-line tickets?

Absolutely during high season (May–September) and weekends. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Belvedere, and Albertina queues can easily add 30 minutes each.


Vienna Tours

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  1. Music Lover's Guide to Vienna - Artsy Traveler

    […] spend a week in Vienna and not run out of world-class museums to visit. Read my post about Museums in Vienna to find out about some of the top art […]

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