Vienna is an art-lovers paradise. So needless to say I spent three days in heaven! I was extremely lucky to be staying only 10 minute walk from the Kunsthistorisches Museum. I would have happily made this museum my home.
Our first day in Vienna I woke up pumped for a day exploring the galleries of the museum district (yes, there are so many museums and galleries in Vienna there is a museum district) Unfortunately Adriana and Lucy seemed to have come down with the virus I had finally shaken off, so I headed to the Kunsthistorisches Museum alone.
Upon entering this museum you will be tempted to spend an hour exploring the building as the interiors are stunning. But don’t get too distracted by the building because the artefacts and art that fill it deserve your full attention!
On my first trip to this museum I explored the Hofburg Collections. I didn’t know much about the Habsburg Empire and this collection was the perfect introduction to the monarchy that ruled Austria for several centuries. I then returned the following day to feast on the Picture Gallery. The Picture Gallery has one of the finest collections of paintings I have been lucky enough to see. Even though I went early the gallery was busy (full of tourists looking to get an early start like me!) There is a wide selection of artists on display including Titian, Ruben, Van Dyck, Holben and Arcimboldo. I highly recommend dedicating a whole day to exploring the Kunsthistorisches Museum, as the two small trips I paid were not enough to explore the entire museum.
Opposite the Kunsthistorisches Museum is the Natural History Museum. The museum features 39 exhibit halls feature everything you want in a natural history museum; excitant animals, meteorites and a Digital Planetarium. So much fun!
Everything in Vienna felt like art, from the stunning buildings to markets.
There are several palaces in Vienna that are open to the public and if you are limited on time it can be hard to know which to priorities. We explored the exterior of the Hofburg Imperial Palace but chose the Belvedere as our palace to explore more thoroughly.
Why the Belevedere? Because it is packed full of art of course! But before I get to the beauty inside lets talk about the palace gardens. You can see that the Habsburg’s knew how to impress as the palace is surrounded by beautiful gardens full of flowers and fountains.
We arrived too late in the day to explore both the upper and lower gallery so we headed to the lower gallery as Lucy and I were particularly interested in seeing the Klimt exhibit.
I loved that I was exposed to artists I was not previously familiar with like Makart, Hoffman and Moser as well as though that I already loved, Millet, Monet (of course!) and Dobrowsky.
