Museum price guide
eSeLSCHWARM Foto (Ozelot): and so on (VAW: das weisse haus Eröffnung, 24.11.2022 - 4.2.2023)
The other day I was invited to celebrate the lunar new year. One of the guests shared the story of her bad luck with rainy weather during a short visit to Vienna. She found her shelter in museums that generously offered a dry and comfortable time – in combination with with great art, of course. She mentioned, however, that her expenses for museum tickets in total could have covered a room in a luxury hotel.
If only we were all under 19 years old, we could visit almost all museums in Vienna for free! Without being too calculating, because art shouldn’t be measured in money (right?), let us find some loopholes to stay hungry for art (only in a metaphorical way).
Free Entry
Fortunately, exhibition openings and many special events are usually free of charge for everyone (keep checking eSeL Kalender to stay updated!).
Exhibitions in galleries, artist run spaces and certain institutions like Kunstraum Niederösterreich, Kunsthalle Wien Karlsplatz, SOHO Ottakring or das weisse haus (to mention a few) are always free of charge.
Both Kunsthalle Wien MuseumsQuartier and the Heidi Horten Collection grant free admission every Thursday evening, and one with a student ID can visit the Architekturzentrum on Wednesday evenings for free. Throughout 2023, Secession will celebrate its 125th anniversary by offering free entrance on the first Wednesday of every month. Leopold Museum is free of charge every first Thursday evening.
Wednesday
- Az W Architekturzentrum (for students, 5pm-7pm)
- Secession (1st Wednesday of the month in 2023, 10am-6pm)
Thursday
- Heidi Horten Collection (6pm-9pm)
- Kunsthalle Wien (5pm-9pm)
- Leopold Museum (1st Thursday of the month, 6pm-9pm)
eSeL Foto: Ho Rui An. The Ends of a Long Boom (Kunsthalle Wien Karlsplatz Eröffnung, 17.7. - 10.10.2021)
Museum Cards
Holders of the so-called "Kulturpass" enjoy free admission to Viennese museums, though only people "living in precarious financial circumstances" can obtain it.
By purchasing a "BundesMuseenCard" for €59, its owner can visit eight groups of state-owned museums in Vienna, including Albertina, Belvedere, Kunsthistorisches Museum, MAK, mumok, Naturhistorisches Museum, Haus der Geschichte and Technisches Museum. Combi-tickets at MuseumsQuartier help to save some money by combining entries to, for instance, Leopold Museum and mumok.
Regular Tickets
A regular visit to Oberes & Unteres Belvedere will cost €22,90, to Albertina €18,90, and to Kunsthistorisches Museum €18, which makes these three art museums currently the most expensive art experience in Vienna. The most affordable museums are Volkskundemuseum and Dom Museum with their regular price of €8, Künstlerhaus (€9), and Gemäldegalerie of the Academy of Fine Arts (€9). Architekturzentrum Az W in MQ offers "hot questions" onto all aspects of the infrastructures that we live in for €9. The regular price in Kunsthalle Wien MQ, Kunst Haus Wien (Museum Hundertwasser), Kunstforum and Secession is €12; in Leopold Museum, mumok and MAK is €15 (A special €7 price is offered every Tuesday evening in MAK).
Museums differ in the number of exhibitions they offer, the artists and artworks they display, and the architecture of their buildings. Admission prices do not reflect the value of the exhibited art, or the messages conveyed by institutions. Nevertheless, they play a significant role in creating a democratic art climate.
Text: Jameli “Tanuki” Qairli
Photo: Joanna "Ozelot" Pianka