Exploring Austria: Belvedere Palace in Vienna

Vienna is home to nearly a hundred museums so if you're only visiting the city for a few days, it would be impossible to see all of them.

As recommended by a local, I visited the Belvedere Palace, also known as Schloss Belvedere in German. It's said to be the best museum in Vienna as it is one of the biggest and it holds more than 18,000 works of art, including paintings and sculptures, across the two palaces and the other galleries.

I was lucky enough to know someone in the city so I was able to get some information before I visited the Belvedere Palace. Here are some things to know before you go:

• About Belvedere Palace
• What to See in the Belvedere Palace
• Where to Get Tickets to the Belvedere Palace
• How to Get to the Belvedere Palace
• When to Visit the Belvedere Palace

About the Belvedere Palace

The Belvedere is a historic building complex located in Vienna - the city capital of Austria. It consists of two Baroque-style palaces: the Upper and Lower Belvedere, the Orangery, and the Prunkall Stables.

The palace grounds are landscaped in Baroque style with tiered fountains, Baroque sculptures, hedge mazes, and lush gardens, all enclosed in wrought iron gates. 

The Baroque-style architecture of the Belvedere Palace

The Baroque palace complex was built for Prince Eugene of Savoy as his summer residence. The buildings were completed between 1714 and 1724, and they were designed by Austrian architect Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt.

The stunning main staircase of the Upper Belvedere

What to See in the Belvedere Palace

As mentioned previously, the complex consists of four structures: the Upper Belvedere, the Lower Belvedere, the Orangery, and the Prunkall Stables. Each of these structures is home to exhibits featuring thousands of artworks.

The Upper Belvedere

Completed in 1724, the Upper Belvedere palace houses most temporary exhibits and the majority of the semi-permanent displays, which include works by Klimt, Funke, Schiele, Messerschmidt, and van Gogh.

The Upper Belvedere

Some of the semi-permanent displays include the History of Belvedere, the Medieval Masterpieces featuring gothic religious art and remarkable altar panels, Baroque portraits and landscapes, Modernism, and Avant-Garde. 

The Medieval display in Upper Belvedere

The Lower Belvedere

Having been completed first, the Lower Belvedere was made to be the functional residence in the complex. Now it houses some temporary and semi-permanent exhibits, a cafe, and a souvenir shop, plus it grants access to the Orangery and the stables. 

The Lower Belvedere

This palace houses the Marmorsaal or Marble Hall, which acts as the centerpiece of the palace. It's a large two-story hall that feels like Prince Eugene’s personality depicted in marble and stone.

The Lower Belvedere also features some galleries with modern paintings, sculptures, and digital art installations.

The Orangery and the Prunkall Stables

While these two areas are accessible from the Lower Belvedere, they can be considered separate sections.

Once known to house citrus fruits, the Orangery now houses a changing selection of special art displays. Meanwhile, the stables have been converted into a gallery and it now houses a vast collection of gothic religious and medieval art. 

The Medieval gallery in the Prunkall Stables

Where to Get Tickets to the Belvedere Palace

The Belvedere Palace is a huge complex with buildings, sprawling palace grounds, and small private gardens.

It's free to enter the grounds but you have to purchase tickets to enter the palaces and the art galleries. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office near the main entrance to the complex. Here's how much the tickets cost when you purchase them on the day of your visit.

• Lower Belvedere - €13.90
• Upper Belvedere - €15.90
• Combination of Lower and Upper Belvedere - €26.00

Students get a discount if they present a valid student ID. Also, children and youth below 19 years old get to enter for free.

Cupid and Psyche by Theodore Friedl

Generally, it would be cheaper to purchase the tickets online in advance. In addition, if you get a Vienna Pass, which is an all-inclusive sightseeing card, you get to enter the palace for free.

How to Get to the Belvedere Palace

Even though the Belvedere Palace is not in the city center, I found it accessible by walking and following directions from Google Maps. It was 1.3 km away or a good 20-minute walk from Karlskirche, which didn't seem that far as I found the walk quite enjoyable while taking in the sights in the city.

The Carlone Contemporary room featuring the Hybrid Monkeys sculpture by Rona Pondick

By tram, you can take the D Line to the Schloss Belvedere stop which is right outside the palace. You can catch the D from any of the tram stops on the west side of Vienna's old town. Alternatively, you can take the 18 or O Line to Quartier Belvedere and walk for 7 minutes.

By subway, you can take the U1 and get off at Hauptbahnhof station and then walk for 15 minutes to the palace. If you don't want to walk, you can catch the D Line tram from Hauptbahnhof to Schloss Belvedere.

When to Visit the Belvedere Palace

The Belvedere Palace is open daily. The Upper Belvedere is open from 10 am to 6 pm while the Lower Belvedere is open from 9 am to 6 pm.

Take note that there are time slots to enter the Upper Belvedere. So if you're given a later time slot, you can enter the Lower Belvedere first.

The Belvedere Palace grounds

When visiting the palace complex, I'd highly recommend spending at least half a day here. It's such a huge place and you would definitely need more than a couple of hours to explore the palace and take in all the art.