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The domed Kunsthistorisches Museum on Maria-Theresien-Platz, Vienna

No. 65 Top 100 Most Visited Art Museums 2025 · 1,153,000 visitors in 2025

Kunsthistorisches Museum

Vienna, Austria · City guide: Vienna

Vienna's palace of old masters, with the world's largest group of paintings by Bruegel.

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Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is No. 65 in The Art Newspaper's survey of the world's most visited art museums, with 1,153,000 visitors in 2025; no comparison with 2024 was published. It opened in 1891 to house the art collections gathered by the Habsburgs over centuries.

The building on Maria-Theresien-Platz, facing its twin, the Natural History Museum, has a grand staircase, a domed hall and marble-lined galleries. Its picture gallery is one of the finest in the world.

The grand staircase of the Kunsthistorisches Museum
The grand staircase of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Photo: Dguendel, CC BY 4.0, source

Best time to visit

Weekday mornings are the quietest. Check the official website for opening days and late openings.

Highlights & collections

  • 1

    Pieter Bruegel the Elder

    The world's largest group of his paintings, including The Tower of Babel and Hunters in the Snow.

  • 2

    Vermeer and the old masters

    Vermeer's The Art of Painting, with works by Raphael, Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt and Velázquez.

  • 3

    Kunstkammer

    The Habsburgs' treasures of art and curiosities, including Benvenuto Cellini's gold salt cellar.

  • 4

    Egyptian and Near Eastern collection

    Including a decorated tomb chapel.

  • 5

    The staircase

    Canova's Theseus group, and paintings by the young Gustav Klimt between the columns.

  • 6

    Cupola Hall café

    Coffee and cake beneath the dome.

Getting there

The museum is on Maria-Theresien-Platz, opposite the Hofburg. The nearest U-Bahn stations are Museumsquartier (U2) and Volkstheater (U2 and U3).

Visiting tips

Tickets & hours
Buy tickets online or at the museum. Check the official website for prices and hours.
Time needed
Three hours or more.
Currency
Euro (EUR). Cards, including contactless, are accepted almost everywhere.
Visa & entry
Austria is in the Schengen Area. Many visitors, including citizens of the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) now records non-EU travellers' entries and exits at the border, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is due to follow. Check the official EU site travel-europe.europa.eu and your own government's travel advice before you go.

Official information: Kunsthistorisches Museum (official website). Check opening hours, prices and entry rules there before you go.

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