It's an interesting building as there are hardly straight walls. I liked the exhibitions though not…read moreoverwhelming except for the alpine exhibition in the basement.

The new building of the Landesgalerie Niederösterreich is a creative addition to the European art…read morescene. Designed by the brothers Bernhard and Stefan Marte, it has instantly transformed the Lower Austria State Museum in Krems an der Donau into a destination museum. From outside it appears almost like a canonical head piece. The inside gallery spaces are open, there is a top floor terrace overlooking the Danube River, and the public spaces on the ground floor are invitingly done. Especially wow is the cafe with lots of windows and yet a cool lighting and design scheme. Oh yes there is also the art. The permanent collection is small but of course has paintings by the world-famous favorite son of Niederösterreich - the great Egon Schiele. And there will always be several special exhibitions going on at any one time. Krems is about an hour northwest of Vienna right on the Danube River. It has always been a pretty city to visit with great local wines. Now there's another reason to head to Krems!

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.

This museum is not to be missed. Arrive early to avoid the crowds and enjoy the exhibits at a…read morerelaxed pace. Be sure to have lunch at the café--the service was excellent despite how busy it was, and our server was friendly and attentive. The café's beautiful dome was especially captivating and made the dining experience even more memorable.

This was the final stop of our Austria drive before we hit Vienna for our flight home. I made sure…read moreour travels included a stop at the abbey since it was a large UNESCO site, high above the Danube River and had some impressive rooms inside. The signage throughout the city of Melk was plenty and clearly directed us to the parking lot above the abbey. Remember to take your parking ticket for free validation at the ticket office. It was around a 10 minute walk from the parking lot to the main ticketing desk. Don't go to the garden ticket booth unless you have a ticket or only want to pay for the garden visit. Admission included access to the church (amazing detail), museum, library (open but under renovation), gardens (with a must see interior of the Pavilion main hall), bastion (panoramic views above Melk and Danube) and the Marble Room (beautiful ceiling paintings). We joined the English guided tour for 4 Euros per person (Skippable IMO) and ended in the library as the guides were not allowed into the final stop, the church. From the guided tour one of the most important highlight was the famous Melk Cross, with a splinter of the true cross, had been stolen twice and fought over (Vienna and Melk) but now was no longer on display due to its condition. Since this was an active abbey photos were not allowed once inside by policy. Sometime the docents would stop you but other times not (ie. adult chaperones overseeing a school field trip). Guided tour took almost one hour but by the time we wrapped up our visit a storm moved in. We missed taking photos from the city of Melk to show just how large this complex was. If you're visiting Vienna then take a side trip out here. It will be worth it.

Melk Abbey Visited…read morethe abbey on an all-day tour starting in Vienna, then heading to Hallstatt and Salzburg. We were only there for 45 minutes, so I just had time to run in and admire the beautiful church. That was more than enough to know I have to return to Austria to properly explore the abbey and the entire Wachau Valley. What a place!!!

Frau Redl ist ein Juwel als Kulturvermittlerin. Die Geschichte des Thronfolgers und seiner Frau…read morewurde so lebhaft und menschlich dargebracht. Selten wurde Geschichte so gut vermittelt.

In the wonderful Niberlungengau of Austria (a scenic less-touristy region along the Danube River…read morethan the Wachau), lies the castle belonging to the Hohenberg family and the final resting place of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. Yes That Franz Ferdinand! This peaceful setting is a far cry from the dusty streets of Sarajevo where he was assassinated in 1914 - a murder that led to the Great War or World War I. This is a beautiful castle surrounded by a pleasant park. The museum is filled with memorabilia about Franz Ferdinand and his family - his descendants still live here. The tombs of the Archduke and Duchess are here to be visited underneath the lovely church. And when you are finished touring, the cafe is a perfect place for a bite to eat and some local wine to drink....especially on a warm sunny day when you can sit out on the terrace overlooking the Nibelungengau and Danube River. Schloss (Castle) Artstetten is def worth a visit - and you'll learn some history at the same time!

This museum was incredible. The lady who let us in told us they had privately collected the…read morevehicles, all Czech made, over at least 3 generations. They put a lot of love into the display, with colorful (but creepy) mannequins everywhere. We definitely were not expecting finding something this cool when randomly picking a small town to visit in the Czech Republic. Any car buff traveling through through the area should consider stopping in. We were very impressed.

Museum dedicated to Roma culture in Brno. Elaborate exhibit that is an excellent education into the…read morehistory of Roma in Czechia. The museum is situated in a neighbourhood that was rundown and depopulated as a result of the war. The neighbourhood is still recovering, but don't let that keep you from checking out this important museum.

This is a truly special museum, with a mix of Romani (Gypsy) history/traditional handicrafts and…read moremodern Romani arts. They do a very good job on their temporary exhibits and have nice gift items to boot. Highly recommend!