Vienna is the capital of art and culture in this world. Therefore, you ought to visit the best museum in Vienna on your upcoming trip to the city.
We have visited a set of Vienna museums over the years. You can add our favorite museums to your bucket list!
Below, you can see our choice of museums that you should visit next time you are in Vienna.
Most are art museums, or talk about the history of the former empire, country, or the city of Vienna, yet a few talk about science and nature.
At the end I mention a few more that are top-class museums but that we haven't visited yet. We will be planning a few trips to Vienna, where we will make it a point to visit these museums thoroughly.
Traveling to Vienna? Read up on our guides to the region (yep, Vienna is a region):
Kunsthistorisches Museum
The Kunsthistorisches Museum, also called KHM or the Vienna Art History Museum, is one of the most prestigious museums of its kind in the world.
The late emperor, Franz Joseph of Habsburg, commissioned the buildings, together with its twin, the National History Museum, in honor of the late Austrian empress Maria Theresia.
Lavish marble, gold leaf, and stucco decorations from the hands of skilled craftsmen, such as the infamous Gustav Klimt and his brother Ernst Klimt, make the inner rooms of the museum a sight in itself.
In 1891, it was opened to the public.
The permanent exhibitions include the Picture Gallery, the Kunstkammer, the Coin Collection, the Roman and near Greek collection, and the Near Eastern Egyptian collection.
Famous artworks such as the disputed painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, “The Fight Between Carnival and Lent,” and “The Four Seasons” by Giuseppe Arcimboldo can be spotted in the KHM.
You will also have the opportunity to explore artworks created by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Peter Paul Rubens, and Albrecht Dürer.
Naturhistorisches Museum
The Naturhistorisches Museum, NHM or natural history museum, is a museum with a vast collection dedicated to the natural sciences.
Having been built together with the Kunsthistorisches Museum, it was inaugurated in 1889 by the late emperor.
Fossils, plants, minerals, and more are part of the permanent exhibit, which was restructured in 2012.
One of the most famous artifacts in the collection includes the Venus of Willendorf, an over 25,000-year-old figurine of a woman that was found in Austria at a Paleolithic digging site in 1907.
This museum is a popular hangout for families, so you can expect to see many more children in the NHM.
A little heads up: if you are planning to visit in June, it can get crowded when schools from all over Austria bring teenagers on a tour to the NHM.
Sisi Museum
The Sisi Museum tells the tale of Austria's, and the world's, most favorite empress.
Better known as Sisi (or Sissi), Empress Elisabeth has been celebrated as a beauty during and after her tragic assassination in 1898.
Born as Elisabeth, Duchess of Bavaria, she, instead of her sister, ended up marrying her cousin, the Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph.
A self-guided tour through the Sisi Museum will give you a glimpse into her life. Her personal belongings and infamous dresses are on display in the Hofburg, the imperial palace.
Included with the Sisi Museum are the 19 rooms of the imperial apartments. The emperor and empress used these rooms as their personal and official space.
It is said that the emperor would get up early in the morning and that his day was well-structured and busy.
Rococo and stucco-decorated walls with furniture period pieces of the Belle Époque bring you back into the time when Vienna was the center of the world.
We were able to imagine the way the emperor and empress governed the empire before it crumbled due to WWI.
Vienna Museum of Science and Technology
My wife visited the museum of science and technology years ago, and she was absolutely smitten by the exhibition space.
In her opinion, the massive technology-focused museum is only outdone by the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany.
The sheer size and multitude of exhibitions and topics will keep you busy the whole day. So, if you plan a visit, keep that in mind or pick a topic or floor that you would like to see.
Interactive displays help to understand how things work. A mix of permanent and temporary exhibitions are spread out on 4 floors.
Smart technologies, including AI, but also artifacts of the past, are bundled, presented, and explained in a thoughtful way.
Truthfully, the demonstrations and simulations are not only for kids but also for adults.
Weekends are definitely busier with families and kids, but you can almost have the museum to yourself on a weekday.
Imperial Treasury
This is another museum that Marina Helene visited, and then too twice.
Situated at the Hofburg Palace in the city center, this exhibition is certainly one of the most secure places in Vienna.
The Habsburg monarchy was one of the greatest of its time, and the imperial treasury captures the 1000-year reign.
You can get an audio guide at the entry, and the museum is situated on the first floor.
You'll get to learn about the Austrian Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, Burgundian heritage, and the Order of the golden fleece.
But the true essence, and why you will want to visit the imperial treasury, is to get a glimpse at the Habsburg crown jewels.
The collection also includes original royal baptism artifacts, heirloom relics, as well as items from the ecclesiastical treasury.
Belvedere Palace
The Belvedere is a baroque palace just outside the main ring road in Vienna. It was a gift of the Habsburgs to Prince Eugene of Savoy, a noble Frenchman who bravely fought for the Habsburg monarchy.
Good allegiance was always rewarded well in the Austrian empire (i.e., the Esterhazy palace and family), and Prince Eugene found a home and respect in Vienna while he was shunned in Paris. His mother, Olympia Mancini, was involved in a murder plot.
The area consists of 2 palace structures, the lower and the upper Belvedere, and well-manicured gardens, including fantastic fountains and statues, which connect the two structures.
Both palace structures can be visited. The lower Belvedere talks about the life of Prince Eugene, and they have a fantastic café there.
Yet, the true reason why people flock to the Belvedere is the art exhibition in the upper Belvedere.
Here you can see the original “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt and other notable paintings by Egon Schiele, Caspar David Friedrich, Monet, Oskar Kokoschka, Jacques-Louis David, and Van Gogh.
Museum of Military History
With Europe's tumultuous war history and Austria's core involvement in WW1 and WW2, it is no surprise that you can visit a museum dedicated to military history in Vienna.
The museum of military history is called the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum in German, and yes, it's a mouthful.
Housed in the former city's arsenal, which are brick stone buildings, it is one of the most important museums documenting the history of European wars.
The 30-year-long war, the two sieges of Vienna by the Ottoman troops, the Napoleonic French wars, and many more topics are addressed in detail in the vast rooms and halls of the museum.
Yet, the highlight of the exhibition is the car in which Franz Ferdinand (the crown prince) was assassinated, which kick-started WW1.
Large artillery and various large tanks are part of this tremendous exhibition, and SIL took a picture with one of the tanks when it started to snow.
Schönbrunn Palace
The imperial summer residence of the Habsburgs was the grand Schönbrunn Palace, just outside downtown Vienna.
Eloquently decorated baroque rooms with lavish frescoes, golden stucco, and period furniture pieces await you in this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Empress Maria Theresia built and remodeled the palace and lived there with her 16 children, including her daughter Maria Antoinette, who'd become the last French queen.
The last emperor of Austria, Kaiser Franz Joseph, was born in Schönbrunn and spent most of his years between the Hofburg and Schönbrunn.
When we visited Schönbrunn years ago, we could only access the main exhibition rooms.
SIL and BIL visited in December 2023, and they were able to book the Grand tour of the Schönbrunn Palace, which includes the newly renovated private quarters of Maria Theresia and the apartments of Franz Joseph and Sissi.
Unfortunately, photography isn't permitted in the indoor rooms.
We also highly recommend venturing out into the gardens in spring and in the summer months.
Go see the maze, the orangerie, and the Roman ruins, and take in the beauty of the place in the Gloriette Café!
Besides, the world's oldest zoo, the Schönbrunn Zoo, is just a stone's throw away.
Secret Tip: You can book a suite in the Schönbrunn palace and live like royalty for a day!
Haus des Meeres
The Haus des Meeres, translated as the house of the sea in English, is technically not a museum but an aquarium and terrarium all in one. We had to add it to the list for various reasons.
Housed in a former WW2 flak anti-aircraft tower, a visit here brings you closer to sea animals, reptiles, and lemures.
You can take part in a shark, piranha, or reptile feeding and then enjoy the view from the tallest building in downtown Vienna.
A short exhibition at the top talks about the tower and its military use during WW2.
Sarah and Christoph (SIL & BIL) visited in December 2023, and they recommend an early morning visit.
Needless to say that the Haus des Meeres is a popular family destination, so the earlier you visit, the better, if you want to skip the crowds.
More Top Museums
Here are some more amazing museums that you absolutely should add to your list of must-see Vienna museums.
We haven't visited them yet, but we are planning to do a few in the coming months. Once we have, we will update this post with new info.
- Austrian National Library with papyrus and globe museum.
- Leopold Museum, where you will find the largest collection of Austrian Art.
- Secessions, where the Art nouveau movement (aka Jugendstil) was born in Austria.
- Albertina with 20th century paintings.
- Klimt Villa, where Gustav Klimt lived.
- Palmenhaus, a 19th century greenhouse, home to exotic species.
- Jewish Museum that talks about the Jewish history in Vienna.
- MUMOK, a contemporary art museum.
- Sigmund Freud Museum, dedicated to the man who came up with the Psychoanalysis.
- Vienna Clock Museum with 600 years of clock making history.
- Vienna Furniture Museum because elegant furniture has a long history in this country.
FAQs
Should you get the Vienna Pass?
The Vienna Pass gives you access to a large collection of museums mentioned in this guide. We tried to make sense of the price for a short, 2-day trip. We came to the conclusion, while comparing prices, that the Vienna Pass is worth your money if you intend to stay more than just 2 days in the city.
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