Hofburg, Kunsthistorishes Museum and Natural History Musem

This might be barely doable in one day , but it would be a mad dash through all of them . Since you have a day planned for Schönbrunn , you could skip major parts of The Hofburg . The interiors at Schönbrunn are better , in my opinion . However , two sections of The Hofburg should not be missed . The Schatzkammer ( Treasury ) is one of the best in Europe and worth a fair amount of time . The other is The Prunksaal ( State Hall ) of the National Library - https://www.onb.ac.at/en/museums/state-hall , As far as the other two museums The Kunsthistoriches is one of the world's great museums . On each of my visits to Vienna , I easily spend a whole day there . You could split your time between the art and natural history museums , if you wish . The Kunstkammer in the art museum is a must . Among the holdings are the famous solid gold salt cellar by Benvenuto Cellini , the Forentine goldsmith , and a fabulous collection of work by the Miseroni family of Milanese jewelers . https://www.khm.at/en/ Also worth noting - In the art museum , go upstairs to the main floor and look at the spandrels that frame the various passageways on the floor below . There you will find a series of paintings by Gustav Klimt , the renowned Viennese artist. These were done early in his career as a decorative artist in the early development of Ringstrasse architecture .

... look at the spandrels that frame the various passageways on the floor below . There you will find a series of paintings by Gustav Klimt ...

Better take a binocular with you. :-)
You have to look from a rather far distance and there is not much light.

Once in a while the KHM has put up a scaffold to enable visitors to climb up and view the paintings closely. Until then most people - including locals - were not aware of those paintings of Gustav Klimt (and his brother) among others.

Hofburg - don't bother with the interior unless you are a huge Sisi fan. If you have to google Sisi, you're not a fan. I agree with Steven that the National Library and Treasury are worth your time. I honestly prefer the Albertina and the Belvedere to the KHM, but the KHM is iconic and the building itself it just as lovely as the artwork it houses. The Natural History, hmmm. I've been so many times with my kids and the rooms and rooms of dead, stuffed animals just isn't my thing. If you beeline to the Venus of Willendorf and maybe buzz through the rocks/minerals, it is worth that at least.

Overall - Library: 30 minutes; Treasury: 1.5 hours; KHM: 3 hours (including a cafe pause); Natural History: 1 hour.

Hi Julie-

My wife and I agree with Emily--we prefer the Belvedere and the Albertina. The Belvedere has the added benefit of forcing you to take a short break from the museums near the Hofburg to travel the (short) distance there and pass through its lovely gardens. But you will enjoy any of these museums mentioned here. With a short amount of time, at least you will leave wanting to return to Vienna. (It worked for us--we returned for another visit just a few years after our first.)

Thanks for the tips. I have the Belvedere planned for a different day. I'll look into the Albertina more. I do know who Sisi is but would not classify myself as a fan. I'm trying to get my days pined down so I can make reservations at the museums. I thought these might all be doable on the same day as they are so close together. I'm also staying in that area.

There is no need to reserve anything in advance except Schönbrunn. Just walk up and buy the tickets.

When we visited in 2011, my children (21, 21, 24) chose the museum to visit. One chose the Belvedere, the other 2 the natural history. Yes, dead animals and minerals. But the Venus of Willendorf was what I wanted to see. Of course it is small and not particularly visually striking. But it is very old, and important archeologically. So I didn't mind missing the Belvedere.

Here you find a folder issued by the Vienna Tourist Information for short-time visitors, i.e. how to see all the important sights in three days.

It is up to you what you skip to use the time within museums.