Belvedere & Around Walking Tour

By Vicky · Published Sep. 17th, 2025 · Updated Sep. 23rd, 2025

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Follow this self-guided walking tour to explore the Belvedere Palace Galleries and surrounding sights, including the Naschmarkt and Karlskirche.

Location

This walking tour starts from the front of the Lower Belvedere Palace. The tram stop, Unteres Belvedere, is very convenient. Tram 71 goes around the Ringstrasse and then along Rennweg to the Unteres Belvedere stop. Alternatively, the Belvedere Palaces and Gardens are roughly 25 minutes walk from Stephansdom.

Belvedere & Around Walking Tour Map

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Popular Vienna Tickets & Tours

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Top Sights in & Around the Belvedere Palaces

On this self-guided walking tour, you’ll see the main attractions of the Belvedere and the surrounding area. This itinerary might take one whole day if you visit all the museums, though you could just walk around in half a day.

Belvedere & Around Walking Tour Route

This walking tour starts from the Lower Belvedere.

1. Belvedere Palace Galleries

There are three different Belvedere Galleries. In order of popularity, these are the Upper Belvedere, Lower Belvedere and Belvedere 21. See the Tickets box below for prices and opening times. For refreshments, there’s a cafe in both the Lower and Upper Belvedere.

Directions: Enter the front courtyard of the Lower Belvedere and look to the right to find the entrance. Note that the Lower Belvedere opens at 10am, while the Upper Belvedere opens at 9am so you may want to visit the gardens and Upper Belvedere first.

Lower Belvedere

Tickets to the Lower Belvedere include art exhibitions in the main building (the former palace of Prince Eugene), the Orangery and the Palace Stables. It also includes entrance to the Privy Gardens. You can see some of the grand state rooms of the palace, a medieval art collection, and varying art exhibits.

Directions: From the Lower Belvedere, head through the lovely gardens to the grand palace at the top.

Upper Belvedere

By far the most famous artwork in the Upper Belvedere is Gustav Klimt’s ‘The Kiss’. Indeed, this is the main draw for most people. However, there are also many other great pieces by other famous artists, such as fellow Austrian Egon Schiele, van Gogh and Monet. Apart from the artwork, you can also see some of the grand palace rooms covered in gold and mirrors.

Directions: After visiting the Upper Belvedere, make sure to stroll around the lake behind the palace. For an extension to the walking tour, head across the road at the top and into the Schweizergarten, which contains the two museums described below.
Before you walk back down through the Belvedere Gardens, take a look at the Botanical Gardens (open daily from 10am, free entrance) on the right.

Extensions to the Walking Tour

The Belvedere 21 Gallery

Across the road in a different section of the park is the modern building of the Belvedere 21. Inside are contemporary pieces of art, with a focus on Austrian art and sculptures. You can actually visit the Sculpture Garden for free (within the museum opening times), which is definitely worth it if you are nearby.

Museum of Military History

Further into the park, you’ll find the grand building that houses the Museum of Military History (open daily 9am-5pm, tickets €3.50). It contains many weapons, paintings and much more from different times in history, with explanations in English. The architecture of the building itself is also very impressive.

Directions: When you’ve finished looking around the Belvedere Palaces and Gardens, it might be almost lunchtime. The Naschmarkt is a great place for this, before returning to some of the other nearby sights.
To get to the Naschmarkt, leave the palace gardens at the bottom and turn left. Pass in front of the Palais Schwarzenberg (closed to visitors) and continue to Karlsplatz. You’ll return here later, but for now, walk through the park and turn left at the far end to reach the market.

2. Naschmarkt

The Naschmarkt (open Mon-Sat roughly 6am-7:30pm) is the most famous outdoor market in Vienna. Its literal translation is ‘Snack Market’. You can buy fruits and vegetables, cheeses, delicacies from across the globe and much, much more. Scattered throughout are food stalls where you can grab something to eat to take away or sit down. On Saturday, there’s also a flea market in the morning, and it can be very busy.

Directions: After exploring the market, walk back towards the city centre and you’ll see the distinctive, gold-domed Secession Building on your left.

3. Secession Building

The Secession Building (open Tue-Sun, 10am-6pm, tickets €13) is an exhibition space for contemporary art. The building was built by and named after the Vienna Secessionist movement, a group of artists (including Gustav Klimt) who broke from the conservative art scene in 1897. The most famous artwork inside is Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze, while the rest of the space is dedicated to changing exhibitions. It’s worth visiting if you’re really into Klimt or contemporary art, though the price is a little high.

Directions: Head back towards Karlsplatz. There’s a tunnel under the main road, which will lead you up to the Otto Wagner Pavilions. These are famous examples of Viennese Modernism by Otto Wagner, a famous architect. The Western Pavilion has an exhibit on Wagner’s works inside (open Fri-Sun, 10am-1pm & 2-5pm, tickets €5).
Head further through the park to the big church.

4. Karlskirche

Karlskirche (open Mon-Sat, 9am-6pm and Sun, 11am-7pm, tickets €9.50) is one of the most famous churches in Vienna. It’s grandiose, Baroque style can be admired easily from the square at the front. The entrance ticket includes seeing the church, plus access to the Panorama Terrace, the Treasury and Organ Loft. You can also attend wonderful classical concerts here*.

Directions: Next to the church, in a white concrete building, is the Vienna Museum.

5. Wien Museum Karlsplatz

The Wien Museum Karlsplatz (open Tue-Fri 9am-6pm and Sat-Sun 10am-6pm, permanent exhibition is free, special exhibits vary in price) is a great educational museum. The permanent exhibition, ‘Vienna. My History’, is as the name suggests, about the history of the city. It’s very interesting, with different exhibits in chronological order about how the city developed over time. There’s also a great terrace and cafe overlooking Karlsplatz and Karlskirche.

Directions: From the museum, cross over the main road (the Ringstrasse) to the grand buildings on the other side. One of these is the Musikverein (Music Society), where concerts are played in a very grand hall*. Behind this is the elegant building of the luxurious Hotel Imperial, while to the left is another museum.

6. Albertina Modern

The Albertina Modern (open daily 10am-6pm, tickets €15.90, or €26.90 in combination with the main Albertina) is an offshoot of the famous Albertina Museum. It displays modern and contemporary art, with various exhibitions on artists such as Damien Hirst or Marina Abramović.

This is the end of the Belvedere & Around Walking Tour. From here, you can easily walk into the very centre of Vienna, lounge in the famous Café Museum nearby, or take public transport from Karlsplatz to wherever you want to go next.

Explore different areas of Vienna on our other walking tours: Central Vienna, Along the Ringstrasse, and Schönbrunn Palace Grounds. If you’re looking for more walks and hikes, check out our Austria Guide.

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