Upper Belvedere Vienna Tour: Skip-the-Line Klimt & Palace

The Grand Staircase opens onto centuries of art in a single afternoon.

A guided tour of Vienna's Upper Belvedere art gallery with skip-the-line tickets, a reserved entry slot, and a 5-star art history guide speaking your chosen language. The tour covers the palace's permanent collection (Klimt, van Gogh, Schiele and Kokoschka among them) plus the Baroque gardens and the palace's history as Prince Eugene of Savoy's residence. Groups stay under 24 people. The tour runs 2 hours and includes free admission to the Belvedere Gardens. Temporary exhibitions are separate.

Step-by-step itinerary

Guided tour of Upper Belvedere

• Meet guide at Art Corner Cafe
• Enter Belvedere Palace gates
• Explore grand courtyard and learn history
• Use skip-the-line ticket to enter museum
• Ascend Grand Staircase with frescoes
• View art collection from Middle Ages to modern
• End tour at the Orangery

The experience

You meet your guide at the Art Corner Cafe just outside the gilded gates of Belvedere Palace, then walk straight through without waiting at the ticket counter. Your reserved time slot means you skip the line and move directly to security. Once inside, the Grand Staircase (frescoed and lined with sculptures), sets the tone for what comes next: a collection that spans from medieval religious art through early modernism, with stops at the works that made this palace famous. Klimt's The Kiss is here, along with paintings by van Gogh, Schiele and Kokoschka, each one placed in the context of Vienna's artistic moment.

The guide walks you through the palace's transformation from a 18th-century princely residence into a world-class museum, pointing out architectural details as you move between galleries. The group stays small, capped at 24 people, so you're not fighting crowds to see the paintings. After the interior galleries, you move into the Belvedere Gardens, a formal Baroque landscape with statues and sightlines that frame the palace itself. The tour wraps at the Orangery, a historic greenhouse now used for events, surrounded by the gardens.

Arrive 10 minutes early. Latecomers can't join. The tour is in one language only: English or German, your choice at booking. Timed entry tickets skip the ticket counter but not the security checkpoint at the entrance. Wheelchair access is available throughout the palace and gardens. The permanent exhibitions change regularly, and the gardens are at their best in spring, summer or autumn. Winter visits are possible but the outdoor areas won't be green or lit.

What’s included

• Skip-the-line tickets to the Upper Belvedere with reserved entry time.
• a 2-hour guided tour led by a 5-star art history expert in your chosen language.
• free admission to the Belvedere Gardens and the Orangery.
• access to the permanent collection including works by Klimt, van Gogh, Schiele and Kokoschka.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 11:15, 11:30 and 14:45Last departure this season: 7 Jan 2027

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Child (7 to 17 years) · Infant (under 7)

GroupUp to 25

Live guideEnglish and German

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 6 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Rosotravel - Vienna Tours

Is this one for you?The 2-hour pace is built around the palace's layout and the guide's commentary, so the day holds together without you planning stops or timing. You arrive 10 minutes early, follow the group through the galleries and gardens, and you're done by the time most visitors are still in the ticket line.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and German.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (7 to 17 years); Infant (under 7).

What's actually inside the Upper Belvedere collection?

The permanent collection spans from the Middle Ages to modern art, with masterpieces by Klimt, van Gogh, Schiele and Kokoschka. Religious art and early modernist works are highlights. Temporary exhibitions rotate separately and aren't included in this tour.

Do I really skip the line, or just part of it?

Your skip-the-line ticket gets you past the ticket counter, but you still go through the security checkpoint at the entrance like everyone else. The reserved time slot is what keeps you from waiting outside.

Is the Belvedere Gardens included, or do I pay extra?

Free admission to the Belvedere Gardens is included in the tour. You'll walk through the Baroque landscape as part of the 2-hour experience, ending at the Orangery.

Can I see the Lower Belvedere or the temporary shows on this tour?

This tour covers only the Upper Belvedere's permanent exhibitions. The Lower Belvedere, Belvedere 21 and any temporary exhibitions are not included and would require separate tickets.

How much walking is involved?

The tour is 2 hours and covers the palace galleries plus the Baroque gardens. It's a walking tour with no strenuous climbs, though you do ascend the Grand Staircase. All areas are wheelchair accessible.