The Belvedere museum has to be a highlight of any trip to Vienna with its priceless collection of art and home in a baroque palace complex. Oh, and is that one of the world’s most famous paintings on the wall?
- Housed in two 18th-century palaces
- Prestigious in-house art collection
- World-leading Klimt collection
- Upper palace has Klimt’s The Kiss
- Regular special art exhibitions
- Book tickets for Belvedere*
- See also:
Say thanks to Eugene
(Front view of Upper Belvedere Palace)
When you successfully tweak the noses of the Emperor’s enemies, you can expect more than a thank you note and a bottle of wine.
Which is why the military commander and all-round national hero, Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663 – 1736), managed to accumulate enough wealth to construct two of Vienna’s most impressive buildings; his upper and lower Belvedere palaces sit at either end of a set of landscaped gardens.
Fast forward 300 years, and today’s Belvedere is a complex of historical and modern buildings that double up as world-class art museums.
Main palace and gardens
So what can you find at this storied location? The main area features…
Upper Belvedere palace
The Upper Belvedere ceremonial palace has suitably-impressive interior architecture (don’t miss the Marble Hall) and permanent displays drawn from the prestigious Belvedere state art collection.
This is where to see all those paintings by Gustav Klimt (including The Kiss), as well as works by Egon Schiele and others of similar standing. The palace also hosts occasional special art exhibitions.
Lower Belvedere palace
The more functional Lower Belvedere palace also has some lovely interiors of its own (functional does not mean plain in the baroque world) and forms the main venue for special art exhibitions.
Lower Belvedere also includes:
- The Palace Stables: now showcasing Belvedere’s medieval art
- The Orangery: now converted into more exhibition space
- The Privy Garden: small gardens adjoining the Orangery
Belvedere Gardens
Palace owners don’t want to look out the window and see a car park and discarded supermarket trolleys.
The landscaped Belvedere gardens connect the upper and lower palaces and feature fountains, clipped hedges, flower beds, and similar. Like a (very) small version of Versaille.
Elsewhere
The Belvedere area and/or institution also includes (or included) one or two other delights. For example:
- Belvedere 21: a museum of contemporary art a little further south of the palace complex. The modern building hosts a series of special exhibitions through the year. No prize for guessing the eras covered
- The Alpine Gardens and University Botanical Garden: not officially part of Belvedere, but both border the grounds of the main complex
- The Winter Palace: Eugene’s “little” place in the centre of town. Now part of the Federal Ministry of Finance, so closed to visitors, unfortunately.
Ticket and visitor tips
Follow the individual links above for location-specific visitor and ticket tips from me, but some general advice for you:
- The main gardens cost nothing to look around, but you need a timeslot ticket* to enter either of the two palaces or Belvedere 21 and see the architecture and art inside
- The permanent exhibition featuring the Klimt paintings and other highlights of the Belvedere art collection is in the upper palace. So this is the one you normally give priority to
- Do check the special exhibitions at Lower Belvedere, though, for some temporary treats that might catch your eye
- If you’re not sure where to focus, here are my should-do suggestions involving photo opps, character busts, Napoleon and more
- Both palaces (and Belvedere 21) have ticket counters and shop areas. Expect more Klimt souvenirs than you can shake a paintbrush at
- Note that the on-site ticket office at Upper Belvedere is not at the entrance but in an outbuilding slightly to the west of the palace
- In many parts of the main complex, look for a board in German and English describing the decor and, perhaps, the history of the room or area you’re standing in, together with a relevant picture from the early 18th century
(An anteroom at Upper Belvedere drawn by Salomon Kleiner around 1730; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 106965; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)
A chap called Salomon Kleiner produced a series of copper engravings of the interior and exterior of Belvedere in the 1730s, so we have a pictorial record of what the original palaces and gardens looked like.
- Be warned that with the turnover of exhibitions, one or two areas may be closed temporarily for set up
- Belvedere is also a dynamic, contemporary institution, so paintings can move as displays get reorganised, new acquisitions come in, or items go on loan for exhibitions elsewhere. Though I can’t see The Kiss ever leaving…
- Visit in November and December to experience the utterly delightful Christmas Market; the location makes for some astonishing photos
- Prince Eugene also owned the lovely Schloss Hof palace and estate. The location can be a challenge to reach for visitors to Vienna, though: over an hour’s drive away out in the country
- And, if you want to complete your Eugene bingo card, he has a huge equestrian statue on Heldenplatz square in the centre of town
How to get to Belvedere
Ah, there’s a whole page of advice for that. But it’s quite central and just a short tram ride or walk from the old town.
Address: Prinz Eugen-Straße 27, 1030 Vienna | Website