Belvedere Palace

The Belvedere is two Baroque palaces (Upper and Lower) and a French formal garden, built between 1714 and 1723 for Prince Eugene of Savoy, the Habsburg general who defeated the Ottomans at the Siege of Belgrade in 1717. Today the Upper Belvedere holds the world's largest Gustav Klimt collection — including The Kiss (1908), the most-recognisable painting in Austria. The Lower Belvedere hosts rotating exhibitions on Austrian and Central European art.

The Upper Belvedere collection covers 800 years: Gothic altarpieces, Egon Schiele's expressionist nudes, Oskar Kokoschka's portraits, plus a complete room of Renoir, Monet, Manet and Van Gogh. The Soviet War Memorial in front of the palace was built in 1945 to honour 17,000 Red Army soldiers killed liberating Vienna — preserved by Austrian state treaty even though local opinion has been mixed for 80 years.

Upper Belvedere alone €18.50; combined (Upper + Lower + Klimt Villa) €30; the gardens are free. Open daily 09:00–18:00. Allow 2 hours for the Upper Belvedere; 3 hours combined. The Belvedere Christmas Market runs in front of the palace 18 Nov–26 Dec. Closest tram: D, line 71 from the Ring (5 min). Photography permitted except in special exhibitions.