Albertina Museum

Located in the heart of Vienna, the Albertina Museum is renowned for its extensive collection of graphic art, including works by Dürer, Klimt, and Picasso. Housed in a former Habsburg palace, it also features restored state rooms that offer a glimpse into imperial life. The museum hosts rotating exhibitions and provides services like guided tours, workshops, a café, and a museum shop, catering to a diverse audience interested in art and history.

Planning your visit

The Albertina's collection began in 1776 with Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen, son-in-law of Maria Theresa, who assembled prints and drawings on a scale no private collector had attempted. The palace that houses it takes his name, and the graphic collection remains the institution's foundation: Durer, Michelangelo, Raphael, Rubens, Rembrandt, Schiele and Klimt on paper.

Durer's Young Hare and Great Piece of Turf are the famous works, and the practical point about them is that they are almost never on display — watercolour and paper degrade under light, so they emerge rarely and briefly. Visitors arriving specifically to see the hare are routinely disappointed, and it is worth knowing in advance.

What is reliably shown is the modernist painting collection and the temporary exhibitions, which are consistently ambitious.

The palace terrace overlooks the Opera and the Burggarten, and the ramp up to it is one of the better places to stand in central Vienna.

Bookable options include skip-the-line private tours of the palace and museum. Current availability is listed below.