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.

No single artist embodies the spirit of Vienna more than Gustav Klimt, the late 19th century and…read moreearly 20th century painter and fresco artist who helped found Vienna's Secessionist movement. Klimt's finished frescoes can be seen all over the city... but it is here that you can find the sketches for so many of those frescoes and many of the paintings that have led to his fame. His magical blend of Art Nouveau/Art Deco realism mixed with decorative art, abstraction, and gold leaf, is inspiring. It is well worth a visit.

I found the Technisches Museum Wien to not be very well organized in terms of the visitor…read moreexperience. There were large walls/dividers that made it unnecessarily difficult to get around -- they would block movement between sections, for no apparent purpose, since they weren't leading the visitor to look at exhibits in any particular sequence that made sense. Note that this museum is more of a History of Technology museum than a Technology/Technical museum. Some parts of the museum just feel like an old department store from a few decades ago; it feels like they haven't updated the exhibits on some tech in 30 years. There are some interactive exhibits, although some of them do not appear to work properly. More interactive exhibits would be better. They do have many impressive artifacts on display, including trains, automobiles, & musical instruments. A particular highlight was the train car of Empress Elisabeth. Unless you have a special interest in a particular exhibit, or you are already in the area and have nothing better to do, I would not think it's worth making the trip.

Expansive museum exploring a range of topics including transportation, energy, automation, and…read moremovement. There are enough interactive exhibits to engage kids, but it's not a US-style science center that's entirely for kids; there's much more informational displays that adults can learn a lot from. And unlike some museums in this part of the world that have literal walls of text, the information is presented in just the right depth and spread around artifacts. Who knew I'd be interested in European train coupling or the evolution of domestic cleanliness? Where at all possible, content is local, so the museum has a strong sense of place. For example, there's some depth around how Austria specifically generates & distributes electricity, and the Vienna Airport growth is a case study in transportation challenges. To explore everything in the museum could take 4 hours; 2 hours would be a more manageable visit. As you get further from the center core, some of the less-visited exhibits could be skipped, unless you have a particular interest in for example printing presses.

Quainter than I expected. The Sigmund Freud Museum on my…read morenice-to-visit-but-won't-cry-if-I-run-out-of-time itinerary. After visiting Mozarthaus, I enjoyed a long walk exploring Vienna and walking all the way to visit here. Walking through Sigmund Freud's apartments and office where he practiced felt clinical, which made sense, given his line of work. When I told the guy working at the ticket counter I was a student and qualified for a student discount, he asked me for my age. Rude, you don't ask a lady for her age. A nice history museum to visit while in Vienna.

Hmm.. it was a nice experience but not exactly what we expected…read more We learned that Sigmund Freud fled Austria and took virtually all of his things with him... so the museum were just the bones of his apartment with placards throughout with information on them... The energy was good, I'm glad we went, but I probably wouldn't go out of my way again.

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.

Klimt fans, this is a must do on your Klimt tour of Vienna. It's in an unobtrusive, residential…read morearea - close to the Schiele atelier, and also the house where Schiele died. it's not his actual atelier, rather, it is a villa that is built around the original structure. They have recreated his studio in one of the rooms. There's an exhibit about Klimt, his works, and the times that he lived in that is quite interesting. The exhibit design is somewhat strange, as it's printed on sheets of glass that you slide over to read. And it's a bit hard to read. The information is interesting, though. The caretaker is a friendly guy, and he'll give you a little background information on the history of the building to the present. There's a gift shop with all sorts of Klimt gee gaws for the 75 year old woman on your gift list. The upstairs is not always open, I was lucky enough to be able to check it out on my visit. It's a beautiful performance space for receptions and small concerts, overlooking the back garden. A really serene, nice spot.

I'm really glad Vienna was able to save and then re-create Gustav Klimt's last atelier in Vienna…read more Though a villa has long since been built around it, one still can feel some of the spirit of Klimt as you move through his Unter St. Veit studio. I like the natural lighting that enhanced colors in his studio and also seeing the link between 19th century Japanese paintings and Klimt's flamboyant style. This is not an exciting destination ... and it is def pricey for basically a one floor atelier tour. The guy who works the front desk is however really friendly and gives a great introduction to your self-guided tour, And it's always interesting to me to try to uncover more influences behind the creative process. I'm glad I made the visit this one time.

This is a square. There is not that much special about it, except that it is near some art museums…read more It's also near various restaurants and places to buy snacks and food. It's spacious and comfortable and has some seating.

This place is amazing. Couches, food and great museums. The Leopold was our favorite but the mumok…read morewill be a hit with anyone who likes more Avant garde art. It can be very hot here so I'd avoid the outside on very hot days. There is a little shade but it's at a premium. There are often events here and it's a great place to hang out with a group.

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.

Okay, what was I doing in a chocolate museum last week? I don't really like chocolate very much…read more(give me fruits or nuts any day) but the people I was giving a tour of Vienna to had read about the Schocko Museum at the Heindl and Pischinger Chocolate Factory located in Liesing in the deep south of Vienna and wanted to go. It's kind of hard for me to rate this experience. Here's what you see. You visit two production rooms in the factory itself which you view through glass panels. Okay this part is not like visiting Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Then there is a movie as much about the history of Heindl's as it is about making chocolate. But the best part of the museum is the exhibition on the history and production of chocolate. In the middle of this exhibition is a chocolate fountain where you can taste the flowing assortments of dark, milk, and white chocolates. For me I found that chocolate tastes better as a liquid flowing from a fountain than it does in a cake or ice cream. There were lots of Heindl's and Pischinger's chocolate candies around to sample and there's also a company store where you receive a discount if you show your museum ticket. Most importantly, the people I was providing a tour of Vienna to enjoyed themselves at the Schocko Museum so that made me happy as well.

Another tourist trap! The tour is 5 euro a person...unless you want it "guided" which consists of a…read morestaff person reading from the German or English signs located throughout the museum for an extra 2 euro (NOT WORTH IT). You see a movie which is pure advertising for the company and little history about the actual chocolate process. Then you go through 2 small rooms that display pictures of the actual process of chocolate making and molds of the different shapes of chocolates made, also here you can sample drips of chocolate from encased fondue fountains of white, milk, or dark. You go through the door to another small area of the factory where there is minimal work being done..a few people are putting chocolates in bags from the conveyer belt. They give you a 10% coupon to visit their shop to so you can spend more money on their chocolate. This place is over advertised and expensive for what is seen. The chocolate is not fair trade..which I find disappointing.