The Belvedere Palace Vienna, together with the gardens, is one of the most important tourist attractions in the city. The palace was built in a baroque style the 17th century as a summer residence for the royal family, but in the middle of the 18th century, Maria Theresia decided to use it as the house of the royal art collection. Nowadays, the palace hosts the largest collection of Gustav Klimt, including the famous “The Kiss”.
The Belvedere Palace Vienna – Upper Belvedere
But let’s start from the beginning. First of all, I think I’ve been to the Belvedere Palace Vienna at least three times. You simply cannot go to Vienna and not to see it. After the Stephan’s Dom, the Imperial Court and the Schonbrunn Palace, it is the most important attraction in the city. The palace is located close from the city center, and even if you are not into art, you can visit the gardens and admire the beautiful building for free.
On the other hand, the palace is an art museum, and it has the largest Gustav Klimt collection in the world, plus masterpieces of Schiele and other Austrians painters of the 19th century.
The Belvedere complex consists of two palaces, Upper Belvedere and Lower Belvedere; between them, you can admire a beautiful garden, designed in a French style, with symmetric flower plots and minimalistic cut bushes.
Upper Belvedere
The Belvedere Palace Vienna
The Upper Belvedere Palace Vienna is the main attraction of the complex. Built in a beautiful Baroque style, you can spend minutes admiring its façade and statues. In from of it, you will see a beautiful big fountain, flowers, threes, benches – everything you need if you want to spend a relaxing day outside. To the right, you can enter the botanical garden of the complex, where many Viennese people like to go jogging or to read on a bench in a hot day.
Lower Belvedere
The Lower Belvedere Palace Vienna is not as impressive on the outside as the Upper one, but the inside will fascinate you for sure. You can admire here the Marble Hall and Gallery, the Golden Cabinet, and many more.
However, for those who do not want to pay the entrance fee, which is not cheap at all, the French gardens will be the most impressive thing to see. You can spend a nice day here admiring the flowers, getting lost between the labyrinth bushes, or simply relax on a bench in the shadows. The gardens are full of people and joy during the summer, while during winter, they are quiet, but still beautiful.
Klimt, Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt is one of the most famous Austrian painters in the world, and his largest collection is hosted by the Upper Belvedere Palace Vienna. People from all around the globe come here to admire it, and even if you are not into art, you have probably seen “The Kiss” somewhere. In Vienna at least, if you walk on the streets, you will see it for sure on many souvenirs, magazines, T-shirts, and many more. But the collection also includes masterpieces of Auguste Rodin, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, and many others. Despite its entry fee, I recommend you to see it!
The Gardens of Belvedere Palace Vienna
Useful info to visit the Belvedere Palace Vienna:
- The Gardens and the Museum are opened every day, between 10 am and 6 pm. Keep in mind that Wednesday is a long day, and the complex is opened till 9 pm.
- A ticket for the whole complex costs 30 euro, while if you want to see only the Upper and the Lower Belvedere you will pay 19 euro. Several discounts apply for seniors, students, and groups.
- For only 4 extra euro, you can get an audio guide, and you will understand much better the entire exhibition.
- I recommend you to plan spending there an entire day if you want to visit the museums; otherwise, you will need 1-2 hours to enjoy the park and admire the palace.
- Have fun!
Belvedere Palace Vienna by night
