365 Days of The Imperial Habsburg Collections
Bucket list museums for your next citybreak
Introduction
If you love everything arts, Vienna should be on top of your travel bucket list. Austria's capital is full of outstanding museums, showcasing famous masterpieces by the world's biggest and greatest from Klimt to Rembrandt, Rubens, and Bruegel, and most go way back to the Habsburger dynasty.
The Kunsthistorisches Museum is regarded as one of the most important museums in the world, with objects spanning five millennia, from Ancient Egypt and classical Greece to the end of the 18th century, while the Imperial Treasury Vienna houses exceptional goldsmiths’ works such as Benvenuto Cellini’s famous "Saliera".
But its not just about the collections and exhibitions, the buildings they're housed in will leave you equally in awe. Get ready to be inspired and amazed!
Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
The Kunsthistorisches Museum, built by Emperor Franz Joseph to house the collections of the Habsburgs, ranks high among the world’s greatest art hotspots. It brings together artworks spanning 5,000 years of history, and outstanding masterpieces by the likes of Dürer, Raphael, Rubens, Rembrandt, Titian, Vermeer, and Velázquez in its Picture Gallery.
A particular highlight is the world’s largest Bruegel collection, including iconic works such as "The Tower of Babel", "The Hunters in the Snow", "Children's Games" and "The Peasant Wedding".
New in 2026 are the special exhibitions Canaletto & Bellotto (24 March - 6 September 2026) and the themed trail "A Bite of Art" (from Easter 2026).
Special tips: the Café-Restaurant in the museum's Cupola Hall and its dinner events on Thursdays, and the monthly Kunstschatzi afterwork parties featuring cocktails, art and music.
Location: Maria-Theresien-Platz, 1010 Vienna
Opening hours: Mon-Sun 10 AM - 6 PM, Thu until 9 PM
Imperial Treasury Vienna
The Imperial Treasury, located within the Vienna Hofburg Palace, offers a close-up look at the power and pageantry of centuries of empire. Its highlights include the Imperial Crown and the Crown Jewels of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Holy Lance associated with medieval legend, as well as an extraordinary collection of regalia. Other highlights include the "Saliera" by Benvenuto Cellini, the treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece and parts of the immensely rich Burgundian treasure from the 15th century, featuring gemstones, and sacred objects that once symbolised divine and imperial authority.
What makes the Imperial Treasury especially compelling is how vividly it brings history to life. These are not just beautiful objects behind glas, they are items that shaped European history, used in coronations, diplomacy, and religious ritual.
Location: Schweizerhof, Hofburg, 1010 Vienna
Opening hours: Daily excl. Tue 9 AM - 5:30 PM
Imperial Carriage Museum Vienna
The Imperial Carriage Museum at Schönbrunn Palace is the best-preserved princely carriage collection in Europe. Alongside the historic vehicles of the Habsburg dynasty, it displays riding harnesses and ceremonial costumes that illustrate the splendour and symbolism of the imperial court. From richly gilded state coaches to more intimate travel carriages, the collection reveals how power, prestige, and daily life were expressed on wheels.
The museum follows the lives of figures such as Empress Maria Theresa, Emperor Franz Joseph, and Napoleon Bonaparte through the objects that accompanied them on state occasions and personal journeys. A special focus is devoted to Empress Elisabeth (“Sisi”), often called the "Lady Diana of the 19th century". Visitors can dive into her life through videos and objects such as her wedding carriage, dresses, and riding saddle.
Location: Schönbrunn Palace, 1130 Vienna
Opening hours: 15 March to 30 November: daily 9 AM - 5 PM,
1 December to 14 March: daily 10 AM - 4 PM
Weltmuseum Vienna
The Weltmuseum Vienna in the Vienna Hofburg is one of the world’s most important ethnographic museums. Its highlights stem from more than 500 years of collecting by the Habsburgs and reflect Europe’s long engagement with cultures beyond its borders. Among the must-sees are pieces once owned by Emperor Rudolf II, the Aztec feather headdress known as the “Penacho”, the Benin court figures, the world-famous collection of the British explorer Captain James Cook, and objects brought back from major voyages of discovery of the 19th century.
The Weltmuseum combines the pieces on display with storytelling about global history, cultural exchange, and colonial encounters. The exhibitions present artworks, ritual objects, and everyday items from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania, helping visitors understand how people lived, believed, and expressed identity.
Location: Heldenplatz, 1010 Vienna
Opening hours: Daily excl. Mo 10 AM - 6 PM, Tue 10 AM - 9 PM
Palais Lobkowitz Vienna
Just off the famous Ringstrasse, Lobkowitz Palace is one of Vienna's most elegant Baroque palaces and a hidden gem for visitors interested in art, music, and aristocratic life. Still owned by the Lobkowicz family, the palace houses an impressive private collection that includes rare paintings - most famously Canaletto’s panoramic views of 18th-century Vienna - as well as decorative arts, manuscripts, and historical furnishings that reflect the refined tastes of the Bohemian and Austrian nobility.
The audio-guided tour allows visitors to discover the unique history of this magnificent city palace and its close connection with two of the most important Viennese artists – Gustav Klimt and Ludwig van Beethoven.
Special tips: The exhibitions Gustav Klimt: The Naked Truth (from November 2026) and Bernini: Painter and Sculptor (2 December 2026 - 4 April 2027).
Location: Lobkowitzplatz 2, 1010 Vienna
Opening hours: Currently closed for renovations, reopening in November 2026
Neue Hofburg Vienna
The Vienna Court Hunting and Armoury Collection is the most diverse and valuable collection of its kind in the world. It comprises around 3,800 objects, each of which is a work of art in its own right. The suits of armour were created in connection with military campaigns, coronations, or weddings and served as highly visible symbols of the elevated status of their wearers.
On the first floor, visitors will find the world’s most important collection of Renaissance and Baroque musical instruments, including those played by renowned musicians and composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, along with other exceptional objects from music history.
Special Tips: The exhibition Crime Scene Ephesus: Cleopatra and Rome (20 October 2026 - 29 March 2027) and the House of Habsburg Tour (all year).
Location: Heldenplatz, 1010 Vienna
Opening hours: Daily excl. Mo 10 AM - 6 PM, Tue 10 AM - 9 PM
Ambras Castle Innsbruck
Ambras Castle, perched on a hill overlooking Innsbruck, is one of Austria’s most distinctive Renaissance castles and a rewarding destination for everyone interested in art, history, and atmosphere. Built in the Middle Ages but modified in the 16th century by Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol for his love Philippine, the castle is famous for housing one of the world’s earliest museums.
Highlights include the Spanish Hall, an impressive Renaissance banqueting room with a richly decorated wooden ceiling, and the Chamber of Art and Curiosities, filled with scientific instruments, exotic objects, portraits, and oddities that reflect the Renaissance fascination with the wider world.
Location: Schlossstrasse 20, 6020 Innsbruck
Opening hours: Daily 10 AM - 5 PM (closed in November)
Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
Maria-Theresien-Platz
1010 Vienna
Phone: +43 1 525 24 0