Visit These 15 Best Museums in Vienna

Last updated on January 17th, 2025 at 05:12 pm

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 the 15 must-see museums for artsy travelers to visit while touring Vienna, one of my favorite European cultural capitals. 

Vienna Museum Highlights at a Glance

• Paintings by Bruegel & Archimboldo at the Kunsthistorisches Museum
• The Kiss by Klimt at the Belvedere 
• Venus of Willendorf at the Natural History Museum
• Music-themed exhibits at the House of Music
• Vienna history at the Wien Museum

Map of 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.

Touring Museums in Vienna

So let’s dig into my suggestions for the 15 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 weiner 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.

Here are my suggestions for 15 museums to visit in Vienna.

National Museums

#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.

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.

Skip the line by purchasing your tickets online before you leave. You save time and are guaranteed entry into this marvelous museum.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum includes several collections.

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.

Picture Gallery

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.

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 Museum Quarter.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is open daily except Mondays from 10 am to 6 pm and on Thursdays from 10 am to 9 pm.

Here’s an option for that includes a guided tour:

#2: Natural History Museum

The architectural mirror image of the Kunsthistorisches Museum is the Museum of Natural History of 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.

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.

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.

Museums in the Museum Quarter

Vienna’s Museum Quarter (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 and Kunsthalle Wien, and visiting 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.

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.

#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.

#6: Kunsthalle Wien

The Kunsthalle Wien (#6) fcouses 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 current exhibitions.

#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.

Here’s an option for purchasing tickets to the Kunst Haus Wien:

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.

Other Top Museums in Vienna

#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.

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

Here’s an option for visiting the Belvedere that includes a private guided tour:

#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.

#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!

#11: Jewish Museum 

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.

#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.

#13: Wien Museum

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. 

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: Pascqualati 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.

Another good choice of Beethoven lovers (and who isn’t?!) is the Beethoven Museum. 

#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 sepnd 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!

#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. Here’s an option for purchasing tickets.

https://www.getyourguide.com/vienna-l7/vienna-tickets-for-mozarthaus-vienna-with-audio-guide-t35669/?ranking_uuid=d319443f-af37-4fc9-8491-1e4a19ab494f

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

Museum Passes

If you enjoy touring museums and have two or more days in Vienna, consider purchasing a Vienna PASS.

You’ll be able to skip the line to popular attractions, get in free to more than 60 attractions, including the Belvedere Palace and St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and ride the hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus. It’s a pretty good deal and it saves you time.

Another option is the Vienna City Card.

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

Vienna Tours

Here are some GetYourGuide tours of Vienna.

Vienna Walking Tours

GuruWalk lists pay-what-you-please walking tours that connect tourists with tour guides all around the world. Check out their tours of Vienna!

Other recommended posts about Austria and Vienna:

• Novels Set in Austria Perfect for the Artsy Traveler
• Visit Vienna & Salzburg: Best Tips for Artsy Sightseeing Options
• A Music Lover’s Guide to Enjoying Music in Vienna

Have you been to Vienna? What are your favorite museums? Let us know in the comments below.