The BEST 12 Museums you need to visit in Vienna, Austria Travel Guide (Update 2024)

by gregor

Last Updated on January 19, 2024 by gregor

If you want to feed your adventurous self, then Vienna, Austria is the place to go. Vienna has many art galleries, museums, imperial palaces, and more historic sites. In Vienna, you want to learn more about the diversity of Austria, plan a trip to its capital and visit its museums.

The BEST 12 Museums you need to visit in Vienna, Austria – Travel Guide

Natural History Museum – Naturhistorisches Museum

With a spectacular collection of approximately 30 million natural objects, it’s a site worth visiting. Founded by Emperor Franz I of Austria between the years 1872 and 1891, the comprehensive museum artifacts include minerals, insects, pterodactyls, and gemstones. The collections are showcased using advanced technology.

The museum also has a prehistory section, with artifacts, dating from the Stone Age era along with large dinosaur displays and rare fossils. Children have a playroom where they can engage in fun activities.

Read the Complete Visitor’s Guide: NATURHISTORISCHES MUSEUM WIEN – SIGHTSEEING INFO AND TIPS

Natural History Museum, Vienna

Art History Museum – Kunsthistorisches Museum

The Art History Museum is one of the most renowned art museums in the world. It was built adjacent to the Imperial Palace and showcases the history of the Imperial family. It possesses the largest collection of Bruegel’s paintings and his most precious works.  The Art History Museum is opposite the Natural History Museum and they were both built in 1891; therefore, you can visit the two museums on the same day.

Read the Complete Visitor’s Guide:THE KUNSTHISTORISCHE MUSEUM WIEN IN VIENNA, TRAVEL GUIDE

Art History Museum, Vienna

Book your Ticket here: Kunsthistorisches Museum Ticket

Belvedere Palace Museum

The Belvedere Palace is not only beautiful but also houses a magnificent painting collection. Built in the eighteenth century, the palace has an upper and a lower section and a French garden. The Austrian arts housed at Belvedere come from the middle ages to the present date. The top Belvedere section has the largest collection of Gustav Klimt works. His master paintings include golden images such as The Kiss and Judith. Touring the lower Belvedere section gives you an experience of the lavish residential home of Prince Eugene of Savoy. The most incredible rooms of the palace are the golden chamber and the marble gallery.

Read the Complete Visitor’s Guide:VIENNA BELVEDERE PALACES AND BELVEDERE MUSEUMS, ULTIMATE VISITOR GUIDE

Belvedere Museum, Vienna

The Hofburg Palace and the Sisi Museum

The Sisi Museum found in the heart of Hofburg Palace, is a dedication to Austria’s royalty members. It offers an insight into Empress Elisabeth’s (Sisi) privileged life. The museum showcases items like clothes, including the dress she wore during her swearing-in and her baptism dress. Visitors can also see the death mask, made after her assassination.

Read the Complete Visitor’s Guide:THE HOFBURG IMPERIAL PALACE COMPLEX IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA

THE EMPRESS SISI MUSEUM IN THE HOFBURG IN VIENNA

Hofburg Palace the Sisi Museum, Vienna

Albertina Museum

The Albertina is in the First District of Vienna. It has one of the largest printing rooms in the world, with the most extensive and treasured graphical collection covers spanning over a period of 500 years. Founded by Duke Albert, the son-in-law of Empress Maria Theresa in the year 1776, the Albertina has a collection of more than 60,000 prints and drawings from the best European schools. It displays the works of famous artists such as Francisco Goya, Edvard Munch, and Pablo Picasso. Special collections in the Albertina include caricatures, playing cards assortment, portfolios, and illustrated books.

Book your Ticket here: Albertina Museum Ticket

Read the Complete Visitor’s Guide:THE ALBERTINA MUSEUM VIENNA COMPLETE GUIDE (UPDATE 2023)

Albertina Modern

This second location of the ALBERTINA Museum, which opened on May 27, 2020, holds a collection of more than 60,000 works by 5,000 artists. On over 2,000 m², ALBERTINA MODERN presents wide-ranging exhibitions of modern and contemporary art that start from the museum’s own holdings—most prominently among them masterpieces from the Essl Collection, which has been held by the ALBERTINA Museum since 2017.

Read the Complete Visitor’s Guide: ALBERTINA MODERN MUSEUM IN VIENNA – SIGHTSEEING INFO AND TIPS

Albertina Modern

Technology Museum – Technisches Museum

The museum gives visitors an experience of the past and future technologies. You will also learn about Austria’s contribution to the industrial, commercial and technological development of modern times. The museum has displays related to energy, musical instruments, nature, mining, communication, and astronomy. There are so many scientific things to see, and fun experiments to do, that touring the museums takes the whole day.

Read the Complete Visitor’s Guide:TECHNISCHES MUSEUM WIEN, VIENNA – VISITORS INFO AND TIPS

Technology Museum, Vienna

Book your Ticket here: Belvedere Ticket

Museum of Modern Art – Mumok

Located in the Museum’s Quarter, an area for art museums, it features detailed art collections from the 20th and 21st centuries. It has contemporary artwork by Claes Oldenburg, Yoko Ono, and Pablo Picasso just to mention a few. A photorealism and pop art collection will give visitors a taste of modern art.

Visitors can enjoy a collection of social art and reality-based performances. This collection has paintings, installations, graphics, architectural works, and films. Fans of modern and contemporary art should visit the Mumok museum.

All about the Museum of Modern Art in Vienna CLICK

Museum of Modern Art, Vienna

Leopold Museum

It is also located in the Museums Quarter and has hundreds of master arts including oil painting, watercolors, prints, and drawings. Dr. Rudolf Leopold founded the museum in 1950; he was an art lover, and the brains behind the collection of the modern arts. The design of the museum makes an intriguing contrast to the ensemble of the imperial court stables.

Read the Complete Visitor’s Guide:LEOPOLD MUSEUM IN VIENNA, SIGHTSEEING INFO AND TIPS

Leopold Museum, Vienna

Kunsthalle Wien

It’s a sight to behold, with modern architecture featuring irregular patterns, and bright areas with lots of lush plants overgrowths. It’s also part of the Museum Quarter and was designed by the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The museum features a permanent exhibition of Hundertwasser’s arts and temporary works from other artists.

All about the Kunsthalle in Vienna CLICK

Kunsthalle, Vienna

Architecture Center Museum

The museum, which opened in the year 1993, has an excellent reputation among architectural sites in Austria. Its exhibition of contemporary architecture gives you a new perspective on the historical and future buildings.  The museum is a thriving center for research, knowledge, design collection, and information. People meet to discuss various design topics and several exhibitions happen during the year. If you are a fan of architecture, visit the Vienna Architecture Centre for useful professional services.

All about the Vienna Architecture Center CLICK

Architecture Centre, Vienna

The Ephesus Museum

The museum has a collection of the most valued Austrian archaeological artifacts excavated by archaeologists from the Asia Minor coast. It’s housed in Hofburg’s New Palace with magnificent statues, reliefs, and bronzes from the ancient trading city. Visit the Ephesus Museum for the best archaeological information about the region.

All about the Ephesus Museum in Vienna CLICK

Ephesos Museum, Vienna

Bonus: ZOOM Kindermuseum (the Children’s Museum)

ZOOM Children’s Museum is all about asking questions, touching, exploring, and playing. Here, children can
uncover the world around them using each of their senses. They can touch things and try them out, literally
getting a better grasp on things.

All about the ZOOM Kindermuseum in Vienna CLICK

ZOOM Kindermuseum, Vienna

MAP of the BEST Museums in Vienna


Please check for actual COVID-19 situation updates on the museum websites!. (see links provided below)

Vienna has plenty of cultures to offer, and many more historical places are available for visitors to see.

More about Vienna, theviennablog has several Blog posts dedicated to your travel guide to Vienna

Where to go in Vienna

TheViennaBlog has thoroughly studied all the wonderful attractions but also hidden secrets to uncover in Vienna. Click the links below to get to the information:

Here is the Vienna Ultimate Top 50 Bucket List

Here is the Best of Vienna in 4 hours

Here is the Best of Vienna in 4 hours (Summer Edition)

Here are the Best 5 things to do in Vienna the most liveable city in the world

Here are the Vienna Old Streets in Historic Center

Here is the Spittelberg Village in Vienna

Plan your Trip to Vienna?

  • 🏨 Find the perfect accommodation on Booking.com
  • 🎡 Book the Best Guided Tour on GetYourGuide
  • 😍 Get more emotions from your trip with Tripadvisor
  • 🚘 Rent a car on Rentalcars
  • ✈️ Buy the cheapest flight tickets with WayAway
  • 🚂 🚌 ✈️ Best prices for Train, Buses, Cars, Ferries, and flights Omio