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A Few Questions about Vienna Sightseeing

Posted by (Washington DC) on

I'll be in Vienna this summer for at least ten days, probably longer. I'll have a friend with me for the first week or so. I anticipate a deep dive into the museums (especially the art museums). My online research has left me with some questions related to sightseeing. It would be nice to get them resolved before arrival, so if anyone has thoughts or info, I'd appreciate them. (I've mined this forum for lots of helpful comments on Vienna--thank you all, especially Emily, of course.)

  • The Wien Museum has an annual ticket good at all its (many) locations, including special exhibitions. Does this ticket allow multiple entries? I can’t find a statement either way.

  • The Belvedere has a one-day ticket covering all three buildings. Is it practical to see them all in one day? I am not one of those people who can only manage 2 or 3 museum hours per day; I'm good for a full day if necessary. However, I would be really unhappy if I bought that ticket and ran out of time.

  • The pricing of the Belvedere tickets is somewhat odd. Is it just that entry costs are a bit higher during peak season? I've seen that elsewhere, but this looks as if it could be something different.

  • I haven't found as many options for reasonably priced, public walking tours as I was expecting, just a Third Man tour by Vienna Walks and some walks run by Good Vienna Tours. I suspect there are others I've overlooked. Any suggestions? By "reasonably priced" I'm thinking something roughly in the €20 to €30 range if the tour is 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours.

Posted by
2609 posts

I was absolutely thrilled with the museums in Vienna--plenty of art from my favorite era--Art Nouveau, Jugendstihl, Secession, Mloda Polska--whatever it's called in any country I gleefully go straight for it. Favorite discovery was Schiele at the Leopold. My first visit I did the Belvedere upper main building, 2nd visit I did just the lower for a special exhibit of Lawrence Alma-Tadema's works--together both could easily take up most of a day.

The Third Man is my favorite movie so I am a bit biased, and will suggest a visit to the excellent museum devoted to it; it's a labor of love for a charming couple, and it's not just full of movie ephemera and props (though I was very happy to see Anton Karas' zither) but delves deep into post-WWII life in Vienna. Probably takes a solid hour to tour it.

The Third Man walking tour was also quite interesting and might be of interest if you don't find anything else. Again, not just buildings and sites from the movie (I found the Harry Lime door on Schreyvogelgasse all by myself) but includes info about the city during that era.

Posted by
27225 posts

Thank you, Christa. I'm looking forward to at least seeing the museum and may also opt for the tour; I'm glad you enjoyed both. I'm very interested in 20th-century history in addition to the many art museums and the Jugendstil architecture.

Posted by
211 posts

The Belvedere has a one-day ticket covering all three buildings. Is it
practical to see them all in one day? I am not one of those people who
can only manage 2 or 3 museum hours per day; I'm good for a full day
if necessary. However, I would be really unhappy if I bought that
ticket and ran out of time.

This will depend upon any special exhibitions taking place on the day you visit, the art genres you enjoy and how long you like to linger while enjoying art.

I did the one-day ticket and timing was fine. I am not a huge fan of modern art and "walked through" Belveder 21. Conversely I sat and lingerd in some of the rooms at the Upper and Lower Belvederes. Still had plenty of time and there was no museum overland. Please make sure you spend some time in the gardens.

Posted by
27225 posts

That's good news, and I'm glad you enjoyed the gardens, too, because I like gardens a lot.

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