Guided visits to Viennese museums

Enjoy a private tour in one of the numerous museums and palaces in Vienna. Some suggestions for Guided visits to Viennese museums:

• Schönbrunn Palace, the No. 1 attraction in Vienna

The former summer residence of the Habsburgs was originally built by Emperor Leopold I in the 17th century according to plans by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. Maria Theresa, Emperor Franz Joseph, Empress Elisabeth, also known as Sisi and the last Emperor of Austria Karl I, resided in the palace. In the originally furnished imperial state rooms you get an insight into how the Habsburgs once presented themselves to the world.

With me, your private city guide in Vienna, you will be able to visit rooms in the palace that are not accessible to tourist masses. Schönbrunn Palace is surrounded by an enormous park with flowers, lawns, statues, fountains, an obelisk and artificial ruins. The Gloriette on the hill stands majestically and offers a beautiful view over the city.

• The Imperial Treasury

See objects of the highest material and historical value. Exposed are the insignia and the jewels of the Holy Roman Empire, including the Imperial Crown and the Holy Lance, the most important relics of the Medieval Period. Highlights are the crown of Emperor Rudolf II (1552-1612), the later Austrian imperial crown, the treasures of the Order of the Golden Fleece and one of the largest emeralds in the world of over 2000 carats.

• The Imperial Apartments of the Hofburg and the Sissi Museum

The Hofburg was the city residence of the Habsburgs in Vienna from the second half of the 13th century until the end of the monarchy. Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth, also known as Sisi, lived in the piano nobile of the Reichkanzlei wing. In the originally furnished Imperial Apartments you get an insight into the life of the Habsburgs towards the end of the monarchy.

• The collections in Belvedere Palace, Upper Belvedere

The palace was the former summer residence of the famous general Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736). Today the Austrian Gallery is located there. Numerous art works from around 1900 of Austrian artists are exposed here. The most admired painting is Gustav Klimt‘s (1862-1918) Kiss. Enjoy there also one of the most important collections of paintings from the Biedermeier period.

• The Kunsthistorisches Museum, one of the most important museums in the world

Built in 1891 according to plans by Carl von Hasenauer (1833-1894) and Gottfried Semper (1803-1879) to house the private collections of the Habsburgs. Worth seeing are the following sections in the magnificent building on Vienna’s Ringstrasse:

The Kunstkammer Wien, a unique Cabinet of Curiosities with more than 2000 objects of the highest artistic quality from the Medieval Period to the Baroque. The highlight is the Saliera by Benvenuto Celini (1500-1571).

The Picture Gallery gives you an idea about the passion for collecting art of the Habsburgs. You can admire masterpieces by Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthonis van Dyck, Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Raffael, Caravaggio, Velázquez and others.

The Antique Collection presents unique antique cameos, including the famous Gemma Augustea, treasures from the Migration Period and the early Middle Ages such as the gold treasure from Nagyszentmiklós and others.

Entrance fees: as of 18 EUR/person/museum.

See here, which are my favourite pieces of art in Vienna. Get to know more about the top sights in Vienna on my Walking City Centre Tour Vienna or Half Day Tour Vienna.