Private Belvedere Palace and Museum Tour
Description
Discover Belvedere complex on a two-and-a-half-hour history tour with a scholar guide and familiarize yourself with an architectural masterpiece of a bygone aristocratic splendor. After the one-hour excursion to the grounds and palaces, your guide will give you an introductory hour-and-a-half tour to point out the Art Museum’s highlights.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Belvedere complex is an architectural masterpiece of a bygone aristocratic splendor designed to project a sense of earthly harmony. This terrestrial utopia was founded in the first decades of the 18th c. as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy, the commander-in-chief of the Austrian army and one of the most successful military commanders in modern European history. Among the most significant buildings of the 18th c., the grandiose palace of the Upper Belvedere is a masterstroke of Baroque architecture while the surrounding formal gardens were inspired by classical antiquity.
Belvedere became one of the first public museums in the world with the intention to make the Habsburgs’ imperial collection accessible to the general public. Today the Belvedere Museum exhibits a world-class compilation of Austrian and international painting from the Middle Ages to the present day, including precious items of the Austrian National Gallery: masterpieces by including some of Gustav Klimt’s most acclaimed paintings: works from his golden period: “The Kiss,” “Judith,” landscapes from the Attersee series and sophisticated portraits of high society ladies.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Client can send us a message up to 24 hours before their tour with their hotel pick-up information. If no hotel pick-up is not arranged, please meet the tour guide at the default meeting point at Belvedere Palace.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Your guide can help you purchase tickets at the beginning of your walk
- A maximum of 8 people per booking
Reviews(15)
An amazing experience the private tour in Spanish with a knowledgeable guide of Vienna art, history, legends, and myths. Our tour of the Belevedere started from when Pablo, our guide, came to the hotel to tell us stories of the place, the location, the street. Upon arriving at the Belvedere he told us the history of the museum, but also of the building, the origins of the families, what happened next. Each piece of art we saw brought a wealth of information and history that we greatly appreciated. It has certainly been our best tour of Vienna so far.
Gracias por tu maravillosa reseña. Nos alegra mucho que lo hayas disfrutado. Esperamos verte en otro tour de Insight Cities en Praga, Berlín, Budapest, Viena o Salzburgo. ¡Buen viaje!
My wife and I could not have asked for a more thoughtful and illuminating tour of the Upper Belvedere than the one given to us by Ilse, whose warmth and friendliness are matched by her impressive knowledge of Austrian and art history. From one room to the next and one epoch to another, she made the Belvedere's architectural and artistic riches to life in a way that made us feel as if we were literally traveling through time. There is much more to see at the Belvedere than just Gustav Klimt's duly famous painting, "The Kiss," and Ilse is the perfect guide through which to discover them.
Thank you for the wonderful review. We're so pleased you enjoyed it. Hoping to see you on another Insight Cities tour in Prague, Berlin, Budapest, Vienna, or Salzburg. Safe travels!
Annelie customized the tour to our interests. She was very knowledgable and had great insights. She kept us fascinated with intriguing back stories to everything we saw !
Thanks for the warm feedback. That makes our day. And thanks for recommending Insight Cities tour to your friends traveling to Prague, Berlin, Vienna, Budapest and Salzburg. Safe travels!
It's hard to say what was most memorable. At every turn, there is history and beauty. Yes, you get to see the amazing Klimt collection and it is wonderful. What made it most special was our guide. She was outstanding! Brilliant at curating our time at Belvedere Palace. The tour gave us new insights and perspectives. We talked about it so much afterwards.
Thanks so much for your wonderful review! We are so glad you had a great time on our tour and that you gained new insights.
Out guide was changed on that day due to an emergency. 2.5 hour private tour took only 1 hour. We could use tram but guide told us it's far so, had to use taxi which was wrong. We were 5 people so, had to use 2 taxis and ended up about 36 euros instead of 3 euros for tram. I highly recommend go by yourself. No guide needed. Easy to get there and get a ticket. Totally wasted money.
Hello, I'm so apologetic. We're usually so proud of the high quality of our tours!! Our regular, marvelous guide had a personal emergency and we took a risk on replacing her with a professor who has a deep knowledge of Belvedere Palace and its art collection but it sounds like he lacked logistic skills and people skills... I'm not sure why the tour didn't last as long as it should and why you weren't led on trams but we will refund in full, in any case. Our goal is always to deliver great travel experiences. I'm awfully sorry that we fell short this time. Thanks for alerting us about this. We won't engage this guide again. Safe travels and I'm glad to see (from your other review) that you really enjoyed your Schönbrunn tour with one of our regular guide team.
Katarina was absolutely one of the best your guides we have ever had. She met us at our hotel and we decided to walk to the Belvedere and gave us a fantastic history lesson along the way. Her knowledge is extensive and it was also demonstrated as we toured the museum and artwork. Of course Klimt’s The Kiss was a highlight, but there is so much to see. Katarina was enthusiastic, personable, and we were thrilled at the end of our your. Do not miss this tour!
Thank you very much for your kind words about Katarina, she truly is wonderful if we do say so ourselves! Safe travels, and come join us on our other tours in Berlin, Prague, Salzburg & Budapest. All best, Elizabet
This private tour was all I could ask for. Annelie was fluent in both English and French so we elected for the tour in French which was easier for my partner. Annelie was really good at explaining the diverse influences (Rodin, Munch Van Gogh among other artists as well as Klimt's own previous decorative work that shaped Klimt into becoming an agent of change incorporating powerful human emotions and desires. Women became more powerful in their sexuality, reflecting the bohemian nature of Klimt's Viennese environment. We saw how Klimt's landscapes followed those of Van Gogh and Monet in a more structured way, Annelie not only explained the art but brought it to life so that you didn't just observe the changes but felt them. We then left the Upper Palace and strolled through the gardens accompanied by some inspirational music from her phone. What I really appreciated about Annelie was her passion for art in all its forms including music, as a living, breathing thing that continues to evolve. A great tour with a great guide.
Thank you, what a thorough review! It is so helpful and informative for people considering it. Annelie is one of our very best guides and we are happy it was such a perfect match. Hope to see you soon on our other tours in Prague, Berlin, Salzburg & Budapest! Insight Cities
My wife and I were impressed with Wolfgang's knowledge. He was good at answering questions and explaining how the events and places were related. I didn't understand how Prince Eugene of Savoy fit into the monarchy and now I do. Wolfgang came with pictures of how the landscape used to be. He also helped us navigate the upper palace with a wheelchair.
Thank you for this review! We're so glad to have the other Wolfgang on our team. And we're happy that you enjoyed the tour. -- Insight Cities
Wow! Is an understatement of the knowledge our tour guide Ute provided us on our tour! She cane with a binder of photos explaining the history of every painting we saw and made it as enjoyable as possible. The time went by so quickly because she is a great storyteller! Highly recommend Ute so ask For her! You will not be disappointed!!!
Wolfgang was an amazing tour guide! This was our highlight of Vienna and he gave very personalized service.
We're so glad you enjoyed the tour and thank you very much for reviewing.
