Vienna Walking Tour: Museums, the Naschmarkt and the Belvedere
A self-guided Vienna walk from Maria-Theresien-Platz through the MuseumsQuartier and the Naschmarkt to Karlskirche, the Belvedere gardens and the Stadtpark.
- 7 stops and 14 minutes of stories, told as you reach each place
- The intro and stop 1 are free in the app: try before you buy
- Download before you go; the audio plays without signal (the street map needs a connection)
- Walking with friends? Pick 1 to 10 seats; everyone hears each stop on their own phone, at the same moment
30 seconds of the real narration
Plays in the free Walk With Me app on iPhone and Android.
What you'll see
About this tour
This walk follows the line where Vienna changed. The old city walls once stood here, and when they came down the emperors and the city filled the space with museums, parks and boulevards, while young artists built their own temple to modern art right beside the market. Walking it is the best way to feel how close together these worlds are, from Habsburg treasure halls to a lounge bench in the MuseumsQuartier, from a market stall to a prince's garden, all within a few kilometers. On foot you also catch the details: the golden cabbage of the Secession, the sunflowers on a railway pavilion, the sphinxes on the Belvedere steps. If you would like company on your next stroll, open the Walk With Me live map to find other people out walking Vienna.
The route
4.3 km in walking order from Maria-Theresien-Platz to Stadtpark. Stop 1 is free in the app.
- 1Maria-Theresien-PlatzTwin museum palaces facing each other across the empress's monument, and the treasures inside, from Bruegel's snowy hunters to a tiny ancient figure.Free in the app
- 2MuseumsQuartierThe old imperial stables turned museum district, a white cube facing a dark one, and the bright lounge benches where Vienna relaxes.
- 3NaschmarktThe long market strip past the Secession's golden dome, with a river hidden underneath and two Otto Wagner houses across the road.
- 4KarlskircheA baroque church vowed during a plague, with a temple front and two Roman-style columns, and a modern bronze in its pool.€9.50 to go in, optional
- 5Belvedere GardensPrince Eugene's two palaces and terraced gardens with sphinxes, the view back to the old city, and a balcony that mattered in 1955.
- 6SchwarzenbergplatzA grand square with a fountain celebrating Alpine water, a Soviet war memorial Austria still tends, and a field marshal who fought Napoleon.
- 7StadtparkThe first park Vienna laid out itself, with the river in a stone channel and a gilded Waltz King under a marble arch.
Before you go
- Allow two to two and a half hours at a stroll, without going inside the museums, and add a long lunch at the Naschmarkt if you can.
- The route is mostly flat, with one gentle climb up to the Upper Belvedere, and it is paved or graveled all the way.
- The Belvedere gardens are free to walk through, while the palaces, the museums and the interior of Karlskirche charge entry, and their hours vary, so check before you go.
- The Naschmarkt is busiest and best in the late morning and closed on Sundays, so plan the day around it if food matters to you.
- There is plenty of shade in the MuseumsQuartier courtyards and the Stadtpark, but very little in the Belvedere gardens or on the big squares, so bring a hat and water in summer.
What costs extra
1 stop has a ticket to go inside. The story plays outside, so going in is your choice.
| Stop | Inside | Ticket from |
|---|---|---|
| 4. Karlskirche | Optional | €9.50 |
Questions
How long does it really take?
58 min of walking plus 14 minutes of stories, so plan for about 1 h 12 with stops.
Where can I see Klimt's The Kiss?
Inside the Upper Belvedere, now an art museum, which needs a ticket. The walk stays in the gardens, which are free, so going in is up to you.
Can I go up into the Karlskirche dome?
At times, yes: visitors can sometimes ride up for a close look at the frescoes. The church charges entry, so check what is running on the day.
Toilets and water on the way
10 public toilets (5 free) and 18 drinking fountains within 150 m of the route.
| Stop | Nearest toilet | Nearest water |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Maria-Theresien-Platz | 192 m | 124 m |
| 2. MuseumsQuartier | 33 m | 65 m |
| 3. Naschmarkt | 42 m | 7 m |
| 4. Karlskirche | 111 m, free | 78 m |
| 5. Belvedere Gardens | 137 m, free | 351 m |
| 6. Schwarzenbergplatz | 365 m, free | 122 m |
| 7. Stadtpark | 193 m, free | 207 m |
The full map is in our Vienna guide. Data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Cheaper in a bundle
Photos: Thomas Meyer / MuseumsQuartier Wien / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; Dguendel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.