Belvedere vs Albertina: Which Vienna Museum First?
Two of Vienna's most-visited museums, both Habsburg palaces, sharing almost no overlap. The Belvedere is built around Klimt. The Albertina is built around drawings and Impressionists. Here's how to pick, or how to do both in one day.
Two of Vienna's most-visited museums, both Habsburg palaces, both south of the Ringstrasse, sharing almost no overlap. The Belvedere is built around one painting — Klimt's The Kiss — and a strong Austrian collection that surrounds it. The Albertina holds the largest graphic art collection in the world (65,000 drawings, a million prints) plus a permanent collection of Impressionist and 20th-century paintings most visitors don't know is there. Here's how to pick, or how to do both in one day.
What's actually in each museum
The Belvedere (Upper Belvedere, 10 minutes south-east of the Hofburg). 24 Klimt paintings, headlined by The Kiss (1908) — the painting on every postcard, fridge magnet, and Vienna marketing campaign. Strong Schiele collection one floor down (the room hits harder than most visitors expect). Monet's The Cook, Renoir's Bathers, plus a survey of Austrian medieval, Baroque, and 19th-century painting. The Lower Belvedere across the gardens hosts rotating temporary exhibitions on a separate ticket.
The Albertina (at the tip of the Hofburg, on Albertinaplatz). 65,000 drawings, 1 million prints — Dürer's Young Hare and Praying Hands, Schiele's works on paper, Klimt's drawings, Michelangelo, Rubens, Rembrandt. Note that the most fragile works (the Dürers especially) are mostly shown in facsimile or on rotation; the originals come out for specific exhibitions. The Batliner Collection on the upper floor is the surprise: Monet's Water Lily Pond, Picasso, Magritte, Chagall, Rauschenberg, Beckmann. The 20 Habsburg state rooms upstairs are worth the visit on their own. The Albertina Modern (a separate building at Karlsplatz, separate ticket) covers contemporary art.
How they feel
The Belvedere is the event. The Upper Belvedere is a Baroque palace in a formal garden with the best free skyline view of Vienna. The Klimt room is a destination — visitors arrive specifically for it, photograph it specifically, and the energy of the room is closer to a film set than a museum. Crowded between 10 AM and 2 PM in any season.
The Albertina is the slow museum. It's smaller, calmer, more chronologically structured. The Habsburg state rooms feel like a private palace tour. The Batliner paintings on the upper floor are hung in residential-scale rooms. You can spend 90 minutes here and not encounter a tour group. The atmosphere is closer to the Frick than to the Belvedere.
Who should pick which
Pick the Belvedere if you want to see The Kiss in person. If your Vienna trip is built around Klimt and Vienna 1900. If the gardens and the skyline view are part of what you came for. If you'd rather have one big experience than two careful ones.
Pick the Albertina if you care about drawings, prints, or the technical side of art. If you've already seen The Kiss and want a less-crowded morning. If Impressionists and 20th-century painting interest you more than Austrian Symbolism. If the state rooms of a Habsburg palace are part of the appeal.
The Schiele exception. If you came to Vienna for Schiele specifically — drawings, watercolours, the raw psychology of the self-portraits — the Albertina has the works on paper, the Leopold has the paintings. The Belvedere has only a handful of Schieles and they're not the strongest. See our best art museums in Vienna ranking for the Schiele-first version of the trip.
Tickets and what's included
The pricing is similar but not identical. Worth knowing before you book.
Where to book — Belvedere
Our take: Same €19.50 either way. GYG offers free cancellation 24h before — useful if your Vienna day shifts. The Upper Belvedere ticket is the one you want; the Lower Belvedere is a separate ticket for temporary exhibitions only.
Albertina: €19.90 adult, under 19 free. Buy on the official site or at the door — queues rarely exceed 10 minutes outside Klimt anniversary years. The Albertina + Albertina Modern combo is €27.90 if you want to add the contemporary art building at Karlsplatz.
Three Museums Pass. €50 for any three of the major Vienna art museums (Kunsthistorisches, Belvedere, Leopold, Albertina, MUMOK, Kunstforum, MAK). Valid one year, one entry per museum. Pays for itself the moment you commit to a third museum — the maths is in our Vienna Museum Pass guide.
The Belvedere + Albertina one-day route
Both museums in the same day is comfortable. Don't rush either.
10:00 AM · Albertina. Smaller, calmer, easier to enter cold. Start with the Habsburg state rooms upstairs (most visitors save these for last, then run out of energy). The Batliner Collection — Monet's Water Lily Pond, Picasso, Chagall — fills the next hour. Out by 12:00.
12:30–13:30 · Lunch around the Hofburg. Café Central if you want the historic café experience (the queue at peak times runs 30 minutes — book ahead). Café Tirolerhof near the Albertina is the locals' answer for a faster, cheaper sit-down. Trześniewski for stand-up sandwiches and a pilsner if you want to be efficient.
13:30–14:00 · Walk or tram to the Belvedere. Tram D from Schwarzenbergplatz to Schloss Belvedere is 10 minutes. The walk through Stadtpark is 18 minutes and is the more pleasant option April–October.
14:00–16:00 · Belvedere. Upper Belvedere first. The Klimt room is on the upper floor — go straight there before tour groups arrive at 14:30. Spend 30 minutes around The Kiss and the 23 other Klimts in the room. Drop down a floor for the Schieles, which most visitors miss because they think the visit ends at the Klimt room.
16:00–17:00 · Belvedere gardens (free). The formal Baroque garden between the Upper and Lower Belvedere has the best free skyline view in Vienna — the Salesianerkirche, the Stephansdom in the distance, the city laid out from a low hill. Walk down through the gardens to the Lower Belvedere if a temporary exhibition tempts you.
For the version that adds the Kunsthistorisches the next morning, see our best art museums in Vienna ranking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the Belvedere and the Albertina?
The Belvedere holds the world's largest Klimt collection — 24 paintings including The Kiss — plus Schiele, Monet, Renoir, and a strong Austrian art survey. The Albertina is famous for drawings and prints (Dürer's Hare, 65,000 drawings total) plus a permanent collection of late 19th- and 20th-century paintings.
Which is better, the Belvedere or the Albertina?
Neither is better in absolute terms. The Belvedere is essential for The Kiss. The Albertina is better for drawings, Impressionists, and the Habsburg state rooms. First-time visitors usually pick the Belvedere.
Can you visit the Belvedere and Albertina in one day?
Yes — they're 15 minutes apart. Albertina at 10 AM, lunch around the Hofburg, Belvedere at 1:30 PM. The gardens between the Upper and Lower Belvedere are worth 30 minutes between the rooms.
Are the Belvedere and Albertina free for children?
Both are free for under 19. Students under 26 get reduced rates. Adults pay €19.50 (Belvedere) and €19.90 (Albertina). The Vienna Museum Pass and the Three Museums Pass cover both.
How far apart are the Belvedere and Albertina?
About 1.4 km, 18 minutes on foot or 10 minutes on Tram D. The walk through Stadtpark is the more pleasant version April–October.
Last verified: April 2026
The Belvedere and the Albertina don't compete — they cover different formats and different centuries. If you only have one morning, pick the one that matches the trip you wanted to take. If you have a day, do both in the order above. Still comparing? See the best art museums in Vienna for the full ranking, or the Kunsthistorisches review if you're choosing between the city's three heavyweights.