Kunsthhistorisches Museum

Rick's guidebook for Vienna includes notes for a self-guided highlights tour of just the Painting Gallery/Gemaldegalerie (both northern and southern Europe sections) on the first floor. This time, he doesn't say how long to allow, but most of his tours can be done in about 2 hours, so you may have time to sprint through another section, as well.

The Kunsthistorische Museum has a wonderful website (in English, too), outlining their various collections. I would pick one, in my case the picture gallery. Even 2-3 hours will give you at least an overview and perhaps the opportunity to contemplate a favorite work.

We added the Kunthuhistoriche to our top ten world wide museums unanimously. Go. We spent about three hours which is an hour over my usual two hour limit for museums. We would go back in a heart beat. Yes you can hit the high lights and delve a little deeper two hours. But you won't see it all. Not to worry. Most of us stop seeing any museum in about two hours anyway.

Thanks for all the great advice. Now I'm looking forward to it !

It is a great museum and it also has a good restaurant,it is world class.
Mike

This is one of my favorite museums in Europe!
Head straight for the beautiful stairway, admire the stunning Mucha paintings at the tops of the pilasters at the ceiling, and then head straight for the picture galleries at the top floor. They are just what you want a gallery of great paintings to be...at least to me!

I would strongly recommend you plan some time with the Bruegels. It's an extraordinary collection of pictures--unique in the world.

For a limited visit, pick the few things you are really interested in, and then just plan to come back to see the rest. :-) Don't try to see it all as you will see nothing with that strategy.

Also, if you can find it there is a terrific documentary made when they were putting the Schatzkammer up:
http://thegreatmuseum-thefilm.com/

And the extraordinary 'Museum Hours', much of which was shot there:
https://youtu.be/Wp79a2A3BuM

Enjoy!

Most welcome! The interesting thing about that movie was how UGLY Vienna was. I think they went out of their way to shoot the grungiest, most boring streets they could find and stayed away from any and all frothy Habsburg stuff. A very interesting choice, I thought. The museum is beautiful of course and the guard character's observations about art and people were great. Super film.

Anita , The spandrel paintings that you refer to in the museum are by Gustav Klimt , not Mucha . Some were executed by Klimt' s partner at the time , Franz Matsch , during the initial phase of Ringstrasse decorative painting . See Carl Schorske " Vienna - Fin de Siecle , Politics and Culture " ( 1980 )

...ugh! You're right...I totally misspoke!

Anita , it's great that you pointed out the paintings , most visitors miss them entirely . Seeing these early Klimt works enables a deeper understanding of his art .