What museums and other sites in Vienna really require advance tickets

I never bought any ticket in advance. The lines at the ticket counter are not very long, normally. And if there is a timed entry (e.g. Belvedere, Schönbrunn) and you don't get an immediate time slot, you can entertain yourself during the waiting time in the vicinity, e.g. gardens, other museums, cafés.

If you arrive at the sight and think that the lines are too long, you can still try to buy a ticket online using your mobile phone.

Upper Belvedere has timed entry. https://www.belvedere.at/en/tickets?

All of the Imperial museums also have timed entry https://www.imperialtickets.com/en.

Generally, you don't have to buy tickets in advance, but you could arrive to find all slots for a time are filled/sold. So I think it best to buy in advance to reserve your time slot, even if you only do it the day of your visit. Also, ticket lines are usually longer than entry lines.

I might buy in advance for Schonnbrun. I was there about the first of May and it was quite busy. The first time slots available were mostly several hours later. There seems to be a somewhat bewildering variety of tickets/routes you can choose, at different prices. I did explore the gardens.

You should definitely buy tickets in advance for the Belvedere if you are going during the busy season. We just returned from a trip to Vienna. The city, while wonderful, was packed with tourists. We went to the Belvedere on the morning of August 15, and discovered that tickets were already sold out until late in the afternoon; luckily we were able to buy tickets for another day. August 15 was a local holiday, so maybe it was busier than usual, but the museum was very crowded on the day we did visit. I did not realize how popular Klimt is--his painting "The Kiss" is almost as popular with tourists as the Mona Lisa.

Hi Moss, I'm reading this post and comments with interest because I have the exact same question and we'll be arriving there in early Oct. Please let us know what you decided and how it worked for you. Thanks so much.

Hello Moss, I am also interested. We'll be there end of September. Thank you in avance!

For the Belvedere and the Imperial Museums, I'd buy tickets at least the day before. I was there in May and the Sisi Museum was sold out on the day of our visit. Fortunately, I had purchased tickets ahead of time. At the Belvedere we also bought tickets ahead of our visit. When we got there, we found long lines for people without advance tickets trying to get in. As reported earlier, they had to wait an hour or two before their entry time came up. By the way, if you want to eat at the Café Central, I recommend getting a reservation. We just showed up and waited in line for about half an hour. The cakes and the ambiance were worth the wait.

Thanks for all the input. I’m back from Vienna now. The city was pretty empty. Advance tickets weren’t necessary for anywhere I went. Did get a ticket in advance for the Gloriette at Schonbrunn Palace (did not do an inside tour of the palace), but it was not necessary.

moss, thanks for reporting back. Good to hear as I'll be there soon.