A person with long dark hair stands in a dimly lit room, viewing a large painting of a woman in a yellow dress.

Visiting The Belvedere Palace in Vienna

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Visiting The Belvedere Palace in Vienna

Not one palace but three, built in the 1700s as a summer home for Prince Eugene of Savoy — and now home to a big collection of Gustav Klimt.

Not one palace but three, built in the 1700s as a summer home for Prince Eugene of Savoy — and now home to a big collection of Gustav Klimt.

Not one palace but three, built in the 1700s as a summer home for Prince Eugene of Savoy — and now home to a big collection of Gustav Klimt.

Vienna in November, is a city that just begs to be walked in. Every where you look is something interesting to see and explore. Whether it's one of their Christmas Markets, a museum hidden under cool architecture, or perusing castles, Vienna has so many treasures.

We had heard about the Belvedere Palace and their impressive collection of Gustav Klimt pieces, so we decided to spend a day wandering around the castles and getting to know the Baroque history of old Vienna.

The Belvedere Palace is so much more than a palace, its more like a collection of palaces and beautiful museums. The Belvedere actually consists of 3 Palaces (the Upper Belvedere, the Lower Belvedere and the Winter Palace) that are somewhat sprawled throughout the city, and several smaller museums in the vicinity. We decided to check out the Upper and Lower Belvedere (if you can only visit one Palace I would recommend the Upper Belvedere) and the Winter Palace. 

A woman in a black coat and boots stands on a gravel path in front of a large, ornate white palace with green roofs.

The Upper and Lower Belvedere Palaces

The Belvedere’s two magnificent palaces, the Upper and Lower Belvedere, were built in the 18th century as the summer residence for the important general Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736). The palaces with their extensive gardens are considered to be one of the world’s finest Baroque landmarks.

A person with long hair stands in a gallery facing a large painting among many framed artworks on a cream wall.
A woman stands in a gallery looking at a large painting of a yellow figure with a black face and colorful dots.
A marble statue of a winged figure stands on a pedestal behind a long green and gold tufted sofa in an art gallery.
A person stands at the top of a wide stone staircase leading to an arched glass doorway decorated with ornate scrollwork.
A musician in a red shirt plays an acoustic guitar and sings in a grand hall with ornate gold moldings and murals.
Two sculpted heads with exaggerated facial features and textured bronze surfaces are displayed in a gallery setting.

The Lower Belvedere Palace

Ornate gold and beige coffered ceiling with a central octagonal medallion and decorative scrollwork in a classical style.
Four framed Impressionist-style oil paintings of coastal landscapes hang in a row on a gray wall in an art gallery.
A large crystal chandelier hangs from a painted ceiling featuring classical figures and floral motifs in a room with ornate gold molding.
Impressionist oil painting of weeping willow branches hanging over a pond with lily pads in shades of green and blue.
A gold bust of a woman stands on a white pedestal in front of several oil paintings in an art gallery.
Two split panels show ornate marble architecture: a dome with statues and a bronze bust of a woman in front of an arch.

The Winter Palace

Although you are only able to see a small portion of the Winter Palace (the rest of the Palace is actually used to handle city duties), what you do see is breathtaking and truly shows the Baroque elegance which was Prince Eugene's style.

A person stands in a grand gallery with blue patterned wallpaper, gold accents, and several large oil paintings.
A large gold chandelier hangs from a painted ceiling with cherubs and figures in an ornate room with red wallpaper.
Two framed portraits in an ornate gallery with gold trim and a crystal chandelier hanging from a high ceiling.
A gold-leafed ornate ceiling features a central rectangular painting of figures in classical attire against a blue background.

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About No Destinations

No Destinations is the travel blog of Chris & Danika Garlotta. In 2014, we quit our jobs, sold everything, rented out our house in San Francisco, and boarded a one-way flight to Europe. That decision turned into four years traveling the world full-time, visiting over 250 destinations and sharing our favorites hotels, restaurants, cruises, and experiences along the way.

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© 2014–2026

No Destinations. All rights reserved. All photos and written content are the property of No Destinations and may not be reproduced, distributed, or used without explicit written permission.

About No Destinations

No Destinations is the travel blog of Chris & Danika Garlotta. In 2014, we quit our jobs, sold everything, rented out our house in San Francisco, and boarded a one-way flight to Europe. That decision turned into four years traveling the world full-time, visiting over 250 destinations and sharing our favorites hotels, restaurants, cruises, and experiences along the way.

Search…

© 2014–2026

No Destinations. All rights reserved. All photos and written content are the property of No Destinations and may not be reproduced, distributed, or used without explicit written permission.

About No Destinations

No Destinations is the travel blog of Chris & Danika Garlotta. In 2014, we quit our jobs, sold everything, rented out our house in San Francisco, and boarded a one-way flight to Europe. That decision turned into four years traveling the world full-time, visiting over 250 destinations and sharing our favorites hotels, restaurants, cruises, and experiences along the way.

Search…

© 2014–2026

No Destinations. All rights reserved. All photos and written content are the property of No Destinations and may not be reproduced, distributed, or used without explicit written permission.