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Vienna · Austria

Kunsthistorisches Museum

Known locally as Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien

Vienna’s Museum of Art History presents Habsburg collections in an imposing nineteenth-century Ringstrasse building opposite the Natural History Museum.

Plan a trip here Website / visitor information
Kunsthistorisches Museum Hubertl / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical visit
2 hours 30 minutes
Region
Vienna
Last checked
8 Aug 2026

Why visit

Visit for old-master paintings, antiquities and court collections in one of Vienna’s most rewarding indoor cultural stops.

What you will see

  • Prioritise one or two collections rather than rushing the whole museum.
  • Look up at the monumental stair hall and dome.
  • Allow a substantial indoor block on bad-weather days.

History

The museum was created in the late nineteenth century to house and display imperial collections in a purpose-built monumental building as Vienna’s Ringstrasse transformed the former city fortifications.

Photographs

Kunsthistorisches Museum

Hubertl / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 · full attribution on the image credits page.

Visitor tips

  1. 1

    Use Maria-Theresien-Platz entrance as the practical arrival point.

  2. 2

    Prioritise one or two collections rather than rushing the whole museum.

  3. 3

    Check the official source on the day for closures, events or changed access arrangements.

About Vienna

Austria’s capital combines imperial landmarks, major art collections, music institutions and an easy-to-navigate historic centre.

Open the Austria guide

Combine it with

More to see around Vienna

All of Vienna
Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens Vienna · Austria Former Habsburg summer residence with state rooms, formal gardens and a vast landscaped estate on Vienna’s western side. St. Stephen’s Cathedral Vienna · Austria Vienna’s landmark Gothic cathedral dominates Stephansplatz with a patterned roof, tall south tower and centuries of ecclesiastical history. Hofburg Imperial Palace Vienna · Austria The Hofburg is Vienna’s sprawling imperial palace complex, linking courtyards, museums, ceremonial rooms and institutions around Heldenplatz and the old centre. Belvedere Palace Vienna · Austria Upper and Lower Belvedere form a Baroque palace ensemble with formal gardens and major Austrian art collections. Albertina Museum Vienna · Austria The Albertina combines celebrated graphic-art holdings, changing exhibitions and historic state rooms in a central palace above the old city. Vienna State Opera Vienna · Austria Vienna’s principal opera house is both a working performance venue and an architectural landmark on the Ringstrasse.