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Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum Day Admission Ticket
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The Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Art History) in Vienna is one of the most important and prestigious museums in the world, housing priceless art collections accumulated by the Habsburg dynasty over more than five centuries. The museum was specially built along the Ringstrasse to house the extraordinary imperial collections that until then had been stored in the Hofburg Palace and Belvedere Palace.
Founded by Emperor Franz Joseph (yes, Sissi’s husband) in 1891 for the purpose of preserving the imperial collections, it holds a priceless artistic heritage comprising not only paintings but a vast array of objects created over five millennia.
The jewel in the museum’s crown, however, is the Picture Gallery, which holds artistic treasures including works by painters of the calibre of Rubens, Rembrandt, Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto, Caravaggio, Canaletto, Dürer, Cranach, Holbein, van Dyck and Velázquez. The Picture Gallery also houses the most important collection of paintings by Bruegel the Elder in the world, put together by Rudolf II.
Admire the elegant façade, the original marbles, the stucco on the ceiling, the extraordinary pictorial cycle on the stairwell (in which a very young Klimt also participated). Needless to emphasise the magnificence of the architecture and decoration of the palace: the Habsburgs, as we know, spared no expense.
Known as the Museum of Art History, the Kunsthistorisches Museum brings together five extraordinary collections in its main building on the Ringstrasse, which we present below.
Other collections are exhibited in the museum’s separate branches, such as the Imperial Treasury in the Hofburg, the Vienna Imperial Carriage Museum at Schönbrunn Palace and the Ephesus Museum in Neue Burg. A different ticket must be purchased for each of these museums.
The Picture Gallery, located on the main floor, is the best known and most visited section of the Kumsthistorisches Museum: you could spend a whole day just visiting its fifteen rooms devoted to great pictorial masterpieces from the 15th century to the 19th century.
When you visit the Kumsthistorisches Museum’s picture gallery, you can admire some of the most significant works of German, Dutch, Flemish, Italian, Spanish and French painting, including Raphael’s Madonna of the Meadow, Arcimboldo’s Summer and Vermeer’s Art of Painting.
Here you will find Bruegel’s famous Tower of Babel, one of 12 paintings by the Flemish artist kept in the museum, which constitute the world’s largest collection of his works.
The Numismatic Cabinet of the Kunsthistorisches Museum ranks among the five most important coin collections in the world.
The museum’s collection comprises half a million items: the 2500 coins and medals on display to the public, which also include some absolute rarities, make it possible to trace the history of money from antiquity to the present day.
Reopened to the public after extensive renovation in 2013, the Kunstkammer of the Kunsthistorisches Museum exhibits an impressive collection of more than two thousand precious objects, including precious vases, sculptures, bronze statuettes, clocks and jewellery, assembled over the centuries by Habsburg emperors and archdukes.
The centrepiece of the collection is Benvenuto Cellini’s Gold Saliera, a masterpiece of goldsmith’s art made by the artist for the King of France, Francis I.
We go back in time in the ancient art section, where works of art from the Greek and Roman periods are exhibited, including sculptures, urns, and vases, as well as some examples of Etruscan art.
The highlight of this collection is the Gemma Augustea, a finely inlaid onyx cameo dating back to the 10th century BC; also don’t miss the Nagyszentmiklós Gold Treasure, an extraordinary collection of solid gold vases and cups from the medieval period.
The Egyptian-Oriental Collection presents over 17,000 objects covering more than four thousand years of history, from Ancient Egypt to the civilisations of the Near East. The highlight is the funerary chapel of Ka-ni-nisut, originally located near the pyramids of Giza and transported to Vienna in 1913.
The rooms are masterfully decorated with papyrus columns and Egyptian motifs that create an evocative atmosphere, displaying mummies, sarcophagi, papyri, statues and funerary furnishings.
Tickets for the Kunsthistorisches Museum can be purchased either online at this page or directly at the museum ticket office.
You can choose to visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum on your own, perhaps with the aid of an audio guide, or take part in guided group or individual tours.
Online purchase is strongly recommended to avoid queues, especially during peak tourist season and at weekends when the museum can be particularly crowded.
Particularly advantageous combination tickets are also available: the Habsburg Treasury includes access to both the main museum and the Imperial Treasury Chamber in the Hofburg Palace, while other combos also allow you to visit the Leopold Museum with a single ticket at a reduced price.
The admission ticket to the Kunsthistorisches Museum offers several savings options: it is completely free for Vienna Pass holders, while those with the Vienna City Card can take advantage of a discount on the standard adult price. This distinction is important to consider when choosing between the tourist cards, as the Vienna Pass includes free admission to more than 90 attractions, while the Vienna City Card offers discounts on more than 200 partners as well as unlimited public transport.
The Kunsthistorisches Museum has different opening hours depending on the time of year. From September to May, the museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended hours on Thursdays until 9 p.m. On Mondays the museum is closed. From June to August, during the peak summer season, the museum is open daily, including Mondays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Thursdays until 9 p.m.).
Last admission is 30 minutes before closing time, so it is important to plan your arrival early enough. Thursday evenings are a particularly attractive time to visit the museum: attendance is generally lower and the evening atmosphere in the artificially lit rooms gives the works of art a special charm.
For a complete visit that includes all the main collections, at least 2-3 hours is recommended, although art enthusiasts could easily spend a whole day exploring the different sections. Those with limited time can concentrate on the Picture Gallery and the Kunstkammer, devoting about 90 minutes to the most famous works.
The Kunsthistorisches Museum is located on Maria-Theresien-Platz along the famous Ringstraße in the heart of Vienna’s 1st district. The nearest underground station is MuseumsQuartier on the U2 line (purple), from which the museum is only a 3-minute walk across the square. This station takes you directly into the heart of Vienna’s museum district.
Alternatively, from the Volkstheater station (lines U2 and U3) the museum is a 5-minute walk away. Tram lines 1, 2, D, 46 and 49 stop at the Dr. Karl Renner Ring or Schmerlingplatz stations, both within walking distance of the museum entrance. Buses 2A, 48A and 57A offer direct connections with stops in the immediate vicinity.
The museum’s central location makes it perfect to combine with visits to other attractions in the Ringstraße: the Natural History Museum is directly opposite, while the Hofburg Palace is only a 5-minute walk away. The MuseumsQuartier with the Leopold Museum is 2 minutes away.
The Kunsthistorisches Museum is located on Maria-Theresien-Platz in the heart of Vienna's historic centre, along the Ringstraße between Volkstheater and Museumsquartier.
City Card allow you to save on public transport and / or on the entrances to the main tourist attractions.
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