This is pretty much the main reason why I went to Vienna. I've been a fan of Pieter Bruegel since…read morehigh school and this museum has the largest collection of his art in the world. I pretty much spent an hour sitting and looking at their exhibition of his paintings. While most of the art here is Renaissance or just after (and mainly Dutch, German, Italian, and French), there's other good stuff as well. If you like Spanish paintings, there's a lot of Diego Velasquez. Many of the exhibits have German and English descriptions of the art, but there are some that just have German, especially the ancient Greek/Roman and Egyptian parts of the museum. Of course, there are exhibits on relics from the Austro-Hungarian empire. The second (or kinda third) floor of the museum does not have much in terms of exhibits but has an extensive coin collection from that former empire. I liked some of the model ships they had to entertain the royalty during their long dinner parties. Knowing that I would go to other museums, I opt-ed for the 7 Museums annual pass for 53 Euros (as of this writing). It's worth it only if you go to at least two other museums. Just going to the Neue Hofburg across the street and the Imperial Treasury further down will equal the price you paid. I went to those, along with going to Kunsthistorisches another time and Imperial Carriage Museum at Schoenbrunn Palace. You also get re-entry privileges in case you wanted to get some food, because the cafe seemed pretty "touristy" here. Note, this pass does not get you into the Sisi Museum (or related ones) There aren't a ton of restrooms at this museum, so plan accordingly. You could probably cover this museum in about 90 minutes.

We visited this museum in the afternoon of the same day when we had visited the Belvedere Museum in…read morethe morning. If I had it to do over again, I think I'd split up the two art museums on different days. This museum is adjacent to the Hofbrug palace. It was designed as a museum originally, and the Hapsburgs spared no expense on the interior decor. I think I bought tickets in advance, but they were not assigned a time (or even a date). It was just 'one entry'. I suppose that is thanks to the museum's interior size - rooms are generally huge so crowding probably isn't much of an issue. You enter from the front stairway and have your ticket checked. As at the Belvedere, you need to check large bags in lockers that cost 2 Euros but which return your coin at the end. The lobby is a circular tower. There is a hole up through several floors. The 2nd level is a cafe and you can take an elevator up to a 3rd level and have interesting views back down to part of the ground floor. The layout of the museum is on 2 floors. Most people ascend to the upper floor first as that is where the more famous works are located. Here you'll find paintings from the 1600s forward. You'll see works by Velazquez, Caravaggio, Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Reubens (among others). The audio guide here had the 'select a number' when you encounter a numbered work you wanted to learn more about. It was worthwhile. The rooms are large and the paintings are spread out enough to allow a good flow. I never felt claustrophobic in here. The main stairway up to this floor is breathtaking as well. The ground floor had Egyptian, Greek, and Roman stuff on one side. This also had the largest collection of Roman jewelry I've seen too (maybe the only large set of it). There was at least one room dedicated to all manner of rings, necklaces, etc.). On the other side / wing of this floor is an odd collection of small statues and other odds and ends from the Hapsburgs. This was my favorite art museum in Vienna. I would definitely recommend a visit.

We loved it when we visited the Museums Monet van Gogh etc…read moreLower Belvedere too (2 blgs) down the hill We would visit again

We entered through the gardens and immediately I was in awe. You must walk through here and admire…read morethe baroque fountains, statues and landscaping. We were there in November so the flowers weren't in bloom, but I am sure that in the summertime the colors are magnificent. The gardens are free to the public and have been since 1780. This was an absolutely beautiful palace and a truly unique experience. A UNESCO World Heritage site that's known for its Baroque Grandeur. We purchased tickets to both the upper and lower houses to view the extensive art collections. If you like Gustav Klimt, this is where you will be able to see his most famous work The Kiss as well as some of his other paintings. It also houses paintings from Monet, and Van Gogh a magnificent Rodin sculpture.

It's not a huge museum, but the Albertina packs a lot of world-class stuff. If you're into…read moreImpressionist art, you'll find a good amount here. The "Monet to Picasso" exhibit is well-curated and you'll definitely enjoy their collection. The special exhibit they had during my visit was a modern art one, which isn't much my interest but definitely a change from their regular exhibits. Additionally, the museum has staterooms from the old Habsburg days. If you only have time for one small museum in Vienna, this one would be a very good choice.

Cute museum in Vienna We enjoyed the art- it was enjoyable…read moreto see. Took a few pics- Enjoy!

Time spent visiting a natural history museum in any city is never time wasted, especially one of…read morethis size and spectre. Prices were reasonable for entry and the exhibits were very well done, with not a lot of dinosaur skeletons on exhibit, you can see a wonderful selection of rocks and minerals.

This is the Science museum and they have a lot of different options and fun facts…read more It was cool to see the dinosaurs skeleton and other science items that are worth seeing.

Leopold Museum, which has the biggest collection of Egon Schiele's works. Egon Schiele was…read moreinteresting. I did not know he was such a narcissistic twat until he went off to WWI and was humbled and matured by the soldiers he met. He really loved his wife, Edith, though who's to say if he would have stayed faithful if they both lived to old age. I had no idea he died at age 28, and he and his wife died within days of each other, and he died on Halloween 1918. There's a painting by Klimt I wanted to see, Death and Life, but unfortunately two of their floors were closed for some renovations, so I was disappointed that I was unable to view it during my visit to Vienna. Very easy to find in MuseumsQuartier, a short walk from Hofburg Palace.

Some construction in the museum, recommended to start at floor 4 and come down…read more Pluses 1. Great early Klimt- death is here- and early Austrian artists with furniture, including Klimt's original furniture he used 2. Open spaces 3. Clean bathrooms but must use ticket to enter by the cafe 4. Cafe available 5. Great gift store Areas to improve 1. Info about each art work is difficult to read, very small print so headphone guides with info may be helpful 2. Elevators very small and doors wouldn't open for a while so be patient Highly recommended and good value.

A fantastic military history museum in a complex of historic and beautiful buildings. The only…read moreexception is the Panzerhalle where many of the tanks in the museums extensive collection are stored / displayed. This collection was my primary reason for visiting this museum. The Panzerhalle is a utilitarian warehouse where the tanks and armored vehicles are parked tightly in two long rows. A few have step ladders next to them that allows visitors to look down thru open hatches on the tops of the tanks. On Sundays only, you can actually enter some of the tanks. The lighting in the Panzerhalle isn't ideal for photography since its strongly yellow tinted and distorts the true colors of the vehicles and isn't contrast to the natural lighting coming thru the windows. There are dual-language (German / English) signs in front of each vehicle that provides very basic info and stats of that vehicle. There weren't any docents available to answer any questions, just a couple of guys that were apparently there for security? They didn't know anything about the tanks and rudely just said read the signs and then walked away. That may not be the case in the other buildings or collections where I didn't try to ask questions about the displays. Outside the main museum building, there are some more tanks in desperate need of restoration and protection scattered about a yard. I stark contrast to the tank collections poor condition and questionable curation, most of this extensive museum has fantastic displays of armor, weapons, uniforms and a nice variety of other technologies and paraphernalia covering several centuries of Austrian military history. Despite my critical comments of the tank collection here, which could be remedied with better preservation and curation, I highly recommend this museum. It truly is a world-class museum.

The Vienna Museum of Military History was a super interesting stop we made while in Austria!…read more We popped in while on vacation and it was in the middle of the day during the work week, so it was very light in attendance. That was actually quite nice, as we got to go at our own pace without crowds rushing us along. I'm not too sure how crowded it gets, but the collection was quite nice so hopefully they get busier than what we saw. The museum itself is gorgeous in its architecture and design. The Hall of Fame, right when you come into the main entrance, has beautiful arches and rich red carpets - you truly feel like you're at a royal wedding or something, it's so magnificent. Some of the highlights were the tank garden, the giant French war balloon, and the car in which Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, spurring the beginning of WWI (you can even see the bullet holes still showing on it). Oh, and one thing to note about the archduke's car - it appears to just be sitting in the open air on a platform, but there are motion sensors around it so don't get too close. My husband did just that and it set off sirens and some guards came running, but they saw we were just English tourists who didn't read the German sign that said not to get too close! LOL Definitely orientate yourself with the map of the museum, because some things are sort of hidden. In particular, once we thought we were done seeing everything and were about to leave, we thought "Hmmm....where was the WWII stuff?" while we were walking through the gift shop/cafe. Then we looked to the room beyond the gift shop, and voila - there it was. So if you're looking for the WWII information from Austria's point of view (the "War of Persuasion" was what was emblazoned above this area), then that is this area. If you haven't looked at the map, it's sort of "hidden" behind the gift shop. If you're a fan of European history, and especially military history, then I think you will definitely enjoy this museum!

The Wien Museum located in Karlsplatz near Karlskirche (St. Charles' Church) is a free museum in…read moreVienna where it goes through the history of the city (until present day!). The permanent exhibition spans 3 floors where they describe and highlight the city's history in chronological order quite thoroughly. The exhibits can be interactive as well and there are many items on display (artifacts, paintings, etc.). The museum also has temporary paid exhibits for a small fee which rotate. The Wien Museum has a restaurant on the ground floor as well as a cafe on the 4th floor overlooking St. Charles Church with ample seating and nice views of the city for you to relax after your museum visit. The museum is modern where the washrooms are clean. We easily spent a few hours here going through the vast exhibit of Vienna's history. Extremely informative and well put together! A definite must visit if you do visit this city!

I visited the Wien Museum at Karlsplatz a week or so ago when I was visiting Vienna with a friend…read more It's a huge museum, but the reason we were there is for the exhibit, "Vienna. My History." It's the museum's permanent exhibit, and it's free to visit. (When you walk into the the museum, just walk straight, and you end up entering the exhibit. You don't have to pay for admission if you're just visiting for that exhibit. And - wow. What an exhibit. I'm so glad we visited on what was my first visit to Vienna, because the exhibit is incredibly comprehensive. It includes over 1,700 objects, from prehistoric to contemporary times. It spans three levels of the museum and 35,000 square feet. I learned so much about Viennese and Austrian history from the exhibit - it's a great exhibit to visit early on in a visit to Vienna, because it will give context to so much of what you'll see as you walk and explore the city. I highly recommend visiting for this incredible exhibit - what a wonderful thing to make free for visitors!

MAK is an excellent Museum of Applied Arts. They do an excellent job getting guest curators and…read moreartists to engage with the collection in inventive and dynamic ways to highlight various items & how they relate to each other. This makes the collection come alive, and it becomes much more interesting to experience, compared to the standard, more static, approach I see in many museums. One highlight was the stunning 1907 gesso panels, Seven Princesses by Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh. You need to see it in person to appreciate its subtle beauty and impressive scope. Apparently, the Seven Princesses only survived WW1 because a curator hid the piece to keep it safe. The curator brought it down to the museum's basement, put the panels into three crates along the wall, then built a brick wall in front of them, which was painted to match the existing walls. They stayed hidden like this until they were discovered in 1990. Another highlight was an installation from Superflux called Invocation for Hope, which featured hundreds of dead trees burned from a forest fire that were installed around some live plants & moss around a 'pool'. When I visited, they also had a lot of environment & sustainability related projects on display -- there were some really interesting projects there. The building itself also has lovely architectural features.

I happened to go to MAK on free night which is Tuesday from 6 PM to 10 PM so I had a really good…read moretime. Does it compare to the Victoria & Albert in London, NO.... but then again what does. Also this museum building has a lot of space, a lot of space that they don't really utilize very well. There could be a whole lot more on display. But anyway my favorite part was the permanent collection which is on the top floor, lots of decorative items from around 1890 into 1940's.

Mozarthaus (the apartment building where Mozart lived) was a worthwhile visit on my last day in…read moreVienna. It was on my nice-to-visit-but-won't-cry-if-I-run-out-of-time itinerary. It was interesting to see that this was where he lived. There were multiple rooms and displays with information about his life and career. While I enjoy classical music, I'm not terribly well-versed, though I'm sure Mozart nerds will enjoy exploring the rooms. Was able to walk through Mozarthaus under 1 hour. It's a short walk from St Stephen's Cathedral and easy to find with the help of Google Maps.

I visited the Mozarthaus with a friend a few weeks ago when we were in Austria on vacation. Mozart…read morelived in this house from 1784-1787, and it is his only surviving Viennese residence. Today, the house is a museum and houses historical exhibits and audio-visual installations. It's probably worth visiting if you're a big Mozart fan, but I wouldn't say it's a must visit for the more casual Mozart listener. We spent a few minutes in each room, but I didn't find it the most compelling museum, and I would probably skip it in favor of other attractions in Vienna if I had a do-over. I learned a bit about Mozart, but it wasn't one of my favorites from our time in Vienna.

I don't know I'd go out-of-my-way for this museum, unless you're really interested in the subject…read morematter, but it was a very nice spot to see artifacts and bling from the Holy Roman Empire and until the Austro-Hungarian empire. I thought the crowns and the various ceremony attire displayed were the most interesting of the items. The museum also contains several religious relics as well. I had the multi-museum pass, so that was the main reason why I came. While I thought this was an interesting visit, if you're pressed for time, you can skip this one.

There are several different museums within the Hofburg complex, all of which are close to each…read moreother but require separate admissions. This was one of them. It seemed like it might be interesting, and online photos play up the 'crown jewels' type aspects. I bought tickets online. This was not one where you had a timed entry, so it had some flexibility. I don't recall if they required you to check backpacks, as we left ours at the hotel that day due to another associated museum's prohibition on them. My verdict on this was that it was not as interesting as I'd hoped. Their breakdown is roughly: 20% crowns, swords, and jewels. 25% religious items like reliquaries. 50% robes (coronation, etc.). 5% miscellaneous. By far, the most common thing you'll see are robes / clothes. They did have a good audio guide (for a nominal extra charge). But if I'd known exactly what to expect, I don't think I'd have come here. It depends on what you are personally interested in, of course. However, given that most trips have a limited time budget, I think I'd have spent that time at some other museum / attraction instead. We spent about an hour touring the whole place, which was not small.