Art history museum Vienna – Tickets & Info

The Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna opened in 1891 and brought together the centuries-old imperial collections of the Habsburgs, ranging from antiquity to the late Baroque period, at a new location on Vienna's Ringstrasse. The monumental building in the Italian Renaissance style was constructed on the initiative of Emperor Franz Joseph I based on a design by Gottfried Semper and Carl von Hasenauer and is still considered a world document of significant art history in terms of both architecture and content.

How can I visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna?

If you would like to see all the exhibits in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, you should definitely allow plenty of time, as there are five fascinating permanent exhibitions in total. A standard ticket for the Kunsthistorisches Museum costs €23 (€21 online), and children and young people under the age of 19 have free admission to the museum.

Visiting the Kunsthistorisches Museum is particularly easy with the Vienna PASS and Vienna FLEXI Pass. Both sightseeing passes offer free admission to the museum, and pass holders can also look forward to “fast-track” entry – long waiting times are now a thing of the past! Simply have your pass scanned at the ticket control and start your tour of this historic museum.

Opening hours:

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (until 9:00 p.m. on Thursdays). During the summer months of June, July, and August, the museum is also open on Mondays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Please note that last admission is 30 minutes before closing time.

What exhibitions are there in the Kunsthistorisches Museum?

The museum is divided into several leading permanent exhibitions:

Marvel at works by some of the most important artists in art history, including masterpieces by Bruegel, Rubens, Dürer, Caravaggio, and many more. The Picture Gallery at the Kunsthistorisches Museum is not only one of the largest but also one of the most important collections of European painting. A total of over 770 works can be experienced up close here.

Immerse yourself in the world of the pharaohs! The Egyptian and Oriental Collection houses over 18,500 exhibits from Egypt, neighboring Nubia, Mesopotamia, and the Arabian Peninsula. The pieces date from a period of around 5,000 years – from the Predynastic Period around 4500 BC to the early Christian era. Among the outstanding highlights are royal statues and reliefs, elaborately decorated coffins, grave goods, and an original cult chamber from an ancient Egyptian official's tomb in Giza.

The Collection of Antiquities features works from over 3,000 years of history – from Bronze Age ceramics from Cyprus (3rd millennium BC) to early medieval artifacts. The permanent exhibition features around 2,500 unique objects, including impressive treasure finds, finely crafted cameos, architectural fragments, mosaics, ornate vases, and marble sculptures. These objects bring ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and numerous neighboring cultures to life in fascinating diversity.

The Kunstkammer in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna is one of the most important of its kind in the world. Its impressive collection includes objects from the late Middle Ages to the Baroque period. Over the centuries, the Habsburgs collected extraordinary works of art and curiosities made from precious materials such as gold, silver, ivory, and gemstones, as well as exotic natural materials such as ostrich eggs, coral, and shark teeth. Today, around 2,200 of these unique pieces are on display in the exhibition. Among the outstanding exhibits are Benvenuto Cellini's famous Saliera and technical masterpieces: artistically crafted automatons, precision clocks, and historical instruments from the fields of science and technology.

The Coin Cabinet is located on the second floor of the Kunsthistorisches Museum and is one of the world's largest and most important collections of its kind. Over 600,000 objects document the history of money and medal art from antiquity to modern times. The exhibition impresses not only with its extraordinary numismatic exhibits, but also with its impressive historical presentation in magnificently designed rooms.

In addition to the existing permanent exhibitions, there are regularly changing special exhibitions that address different themes and are limited in time.

How do I get to the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna?

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is located directly on Maria Theresien Platz in the 1st district, nestled between the Natural History Museum and the Hofburg on the Ringstrasse – centrally located and very easy to reach.

• Public transportation: Metro U2 & U3 (Museumsquartier, Volkstheater stations), tram lines 1, 2, 71, and D (Burgring/Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring stops), bus 57A Burgring.
• HOP ON HOP OFF buses: The Kunsthistorisches Museum is particularly easy to reach with the HOP ON HOP OFF buses from Vienna Sightseeing – just get off at stop no. 2!

Vienna City Card holders also benefit from discounts on admission and free travel on public transport.