Belvedere Palace, Vienna

Belvedere Palace, Vienna (must see)

Originally designed as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy, who apparently felt a standard palace simply wouldn't cut it, this lavish complex was built after Vienna stopped fending off Ottoman invasions and started flexing its imperial muscles in stone, stucco, and cascading fountains.

The Belvedere isn鈥檛 just one palace鈥攊t鈥檚 a full-on ensemble performance: Upper and Lower Belvedere, an Orangery for your fancy citrus needs, and palace stables fit for horses with noble bloodlines. All of it is wrapped in a park so meticulously designed, you鈥檇 think every hedge was hand-trimmed by a powdered wig.

Construction kicked off in 1712 with the Lower Belvedere, but things really got dramatic in 1717 when the Upper Belvedere was added鈥攂asically a Baroque ballroom with serious diplomatic swagger. Frescoes, gilded ceilings, and artwork by the who鈥檚 who of 18th-century painters helped Eugene throw parties that whispered, 鈥渆mpire鈥� with every flute of champagne.

After Prince Eugene passed in 1736, the place got a second act as a Habsburg hangout, hosting royal refugees escaping the French Revolution and later transforming into one of Europe鈥檚 earliest public museums, thanks to Maria Theresa and Joseph II.

Fast forward to the 20th century: the Belvedere went national after World War I, becoming the proud home of Austria鈥檚 classical and modern art collections. World War II wasn鈥檛 kind to it鈥攂ombings left their mark鈥攂ut meticulous restoration from 1945 through the '90s brought the glory back, detail by plastered detail.

Today, the Belvedere is a major world-class museum. Its galleries span centuries, from medieval devotionals to cutting-edge modernism. And yes, Gustav Klimt鈥檚 "The Kiss" lives here too, alongside his equally iconic "Judith." You鈥檒l also find a respectable crowd of French Impressionists and Biedermeier charmers holding court on the walls.

It's in equal measure for those who appreciate architecture, arts, or just seek to pretend they鈥檙e 18th-century nobility strolling through your summer garden... The Belvedere delivers all of this with a flourish. So go ahead鈥攚ander, gaze, and maybe channel your inner prince or princess.

Tip:
If you don鈥檛 enjoy queuing in the sun, grab your tickets online. And for the love of Baroque opulence, don鈥檛 skip the gardens鈥攖hose cascading fountains and smug statues have been waiting centuries for your admiration...

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Vienna. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The 黑料吃瓜网 App

Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Belvedere Palace
Sight Location: Vienna, Austria (See walking tours in Vienna)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Vienna, Austria

Create Your Own Walk in Vienna

Creating your own self-guided walk in Vienna is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Vienna Old Town Walking Tour

Vienna鈥檚 Old Town鈥攖he historic core of Austria鈥檚 capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site鈥攊s where cobblestones gossip, rooftops sparkle, and emperors still seem to whisper from the walls. Indeed, this is the kind of place where every alley seems to have a PhD in European history.

Once wrapped in medieval walls鈥攂efore they rolled out the grand Ringstrasse boulevard in the 19th... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles

Vienna's Historical Music Venues

Austria is synonymous with classical music almost to the point of obsession, and to call Vienna the "Musical Capital of the World" would be hardly an exaggeration. Indeed, over the past centuries, the city served as the home and workplace for many great musicians like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Strauss, Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, and others.

Among the... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles

Vienna Introduction Walking Tour

A city of green parks, opulent architecture, elegant shopping, crowded theaters, and boulevards for leisurely sauntering 鈥� Vienna, the capital of Austria, embodies a blend of regal tradition and contemporary vibrancy. The origin of the city's name is rooted in Roman times, stemming from the Celtic word Vedunia, meaning 鈥渇orest stream鈥�, which later evolved into Vindobona, a Roman... view more

Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.6 Km or 2.9 Miles

Old Town Churches Walking Tour

"Vienna is the city of miracles and music" 鈥� Whoever said that must have emphasized Vienna's close association with the Christian faith. The intertwining of Christian heritage and artistry in the Austrian capital finds expression primarily in its magnificent churches.

Sitting at "the crossroads of Christian traditions", Vienna is home to various Christian... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles

Vienna's Art Nouveau Architecture Tour I

Vienna鈥檚 flirtation with Art Nouveau鈥攌nown locally as Jugendstil鈥攗nfolded in the late 19th, early 20th centuries. The so-called Vienna Secession movement, which emerged in 1897, was led by a group of rebellious artists and architects like Otto Wagner, Gustav Klimt, and Koloman Moser, who turned their backs on historicism in favor of bold, modern aesthetics. As the new language for buildings,... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles

Old Town Chocolate Stores

Vienna is famous for its love for sweet indulgence. And when it comes to chocolate, it stands tall among other locally-made mouth-watering confections.

Vienna's chocolate scene is deeply rooted in a rich culinary tradition. It has been sustained by several historic chocolate houses, located in the Old Town, that have been serving decadent treats for generations.

Landmark... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.2 Km or 0.7 Miles

View all walking tours in Vienna, Austria

Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip

Top 15 Austrian Things to Buy in Vienna

Vienna stool, Viennese schnitzel, Viennese waltz, Vienna sausage, Viennese apple strudel... There's so much Vienna to it, that you might think you've heard it all. Luckily, chances are that you haven't and there's much more in store left to be discovered about this fascinating...

7 Ultimately Austrian Foods to Taste in Vienna

Once the center of the vast Hapsburg Empire, stretched from France in the West to Russia in the East, Austria has embraced many ethnic influences in its cuisine over the course of centuries. Many of the country's distinctive dishes reflect its multinational heritage. Coffee culture, for...