If you want to know which museums are free to visit and how to see the best of Vienna without spending a cent, join one of our free walking tours. Our local guides show you the highlights and share the insider tips, including the best free things to do in the city.
Are you looking for FREE MUSEUMS to visit in Vienna? Our easy-to-read guide highlights the best free things to do in Vienna, focusing on museum visits that are completely free on the first Sunday of each month!
We know that Vienna is a city steeped in history and culture, which offers a vast treasure of experiences. However, we also know that if we went to every single museum, we wouldn’t be able to live (for both locals and visitors)!
On the first Sunday of each month you have these 13 FREE MUSEUMS to visit in Vienna! If you are interested in finding more free things to do in Vienna, check our Blogpost “Vienna on a Budget“, ( you will definitely find some nice friendly tips! 😉 )
Free Museums to visit:
This guide is your ticket to enjoying Vienna’s renowned museums for free, ensuring you don’t miss out on these fantastic first Sunday offers. Get ready to explore more, spend less, and make the most of every first Sunday with our guide to visit free museums in Vienna!
1. Vienna Museum Karlsplatz
Free Entry: Always (the actual first museum in Vienna which is for free)
Highlights:
- The newest museum in Vienna with an extensive collection of archaeological finds, art pieces, historical documents.
- It gives you an overview of the evolution of Vienna throughout time.
- It has a detailed scale model of Vienna as it appeared in the 19th century, offering a unique glimpse into the city’s past urban landscape.
- Vienna Museum is for FREE the whole year – so you can visit it whenver you can!
Time Schedule: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Source: PrimeTours
2. Otto Wagner Hofpavillon Hietzing
Free Entry: First Sunday of each month
Highlights:
- Museum dedicated to Otto Wagner and their vision of architecture.
- It displays its personal and professional artefacts and explains his importance as being the leading architect of Vienna’s Art Nouveau Movement.
- This pavilion was exclusively used by the imperial family and court as their private station when traveling on the Vienna Stadtbahn.
Time Schedule: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Open from March 15, 2024–October 31, 2024)
Source: @igersaustria.at (Instagram)
3. Otto Wagner Pavillon Karlsplatz
Free Entry: First Sunday of each month
Highlights:
- Art Nouveau architecture masterpiece that used to be a railway station (one of the most significant Art Nouveau Buildings in Vienna).
- It is currently an exhibition pavilion which has several Wagner’s works.
- It was originally built as an entrance to the city’s first modern underground railway system.
- If you wish to know more about the Asutrian leader of Art Nouveau, you can find more information in our Blogpost about Otto Wagner!
Time Schedule: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Open from March 15, 2024 –October 31, 2024)
Source: Wien.Info
4. Military History Museum
Free Museum Entry: First Sunday of each month
Highlights:
- Austria’s largest military museum with enormous collections from the 30’s until World War II.
- It even features the car in which Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, an event that triggered World War I.
Time Schedule: 09:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Source: Vienna Pass
5. Hermesvilla
Free Museum Entry: First Sunday of each month
Highlights:
- Outside from Vienna, it is located in Lainzer Tiergarten
- Called “The Palace of Dreams” it was a gift from Emperor Franz Joseph to Empress Elizabeth (Sissi).
Time Schedule: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Open from March 15, 2024–October 31, 2024)
Source: Lisa Rastl (lisa.rastl@gmx.net)
6. Uhrenmuseum (Clock Museum)
Free Entry: First Sunday of each month
Highlights:
- Collection of over 1,000 timepieces, which includes rare clocks from Renaissance time and elegant Viennese laterndluhr.
- It has one of the most intriguing pieces is an astronomical clock from 1750, which, in addition to time, shows the day, month, year, lunar phase, and even the current zodiac sign.
Time Schedule: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (weekdays) & 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (weekend)
Location!
Source: @mauchito (Instagram)
7. Wien Museum MUSA
Free Entry: First Sunday of each month
Highlights:
- Mainly focused on contemporary art, it offers a big range of modern artistic expressions and historical items from Vienna’s past.
- MUSA stands for ‘MUseum Startgalerie Artothek’ and aims to bring contemporary art closer to the public, often featuring works of emerging local artists.
Time Schedule: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM & 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Source: KUBAPARIS
8. Pratermuseum
Free Entry: First Sunday of each month
Highlights:
- Museum that explains the history of Vienna’s iconic amusement park and its symbology to the city.
- Has several exhibits on the Prater’s attractions, events and the evolution of leisure activities throughout time.
Time Schedule: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM & 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Source: Vienna Pass
9. Römermuseum (Museum of the Romans)
Free Entry: First Sunday of each month
Highlights:
- The museum shows the Roman history of Vienna through artefacts and interactive exhibits;
- Located on the archaeological site of the Roman military camp (Vindobona);
- The museum is built directly over the remains of a Roman officer’s house, and visitors can actually walk among these ancient ruins;
- It is an excelent idea to discover Vienna’s past for Free in the first Sunday of the month.
Time Schedule: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Source: Kulturfüchsin
Apartments of famous musicians and composers:
Searching for something different than the Free Museums in Vienna from above? Each first Sunday in Vienna offers a unique opportunity to walk through these historical apartments for FREE, experiencing the city’s rich musical legacy up close. This part of the guide illuminates the must-see FREE Museum apartments of famous musicians and composers, all open without charge on the first Sunday of each month.
1. Ludwig van Beethoven
Free Entry: First Sunday of each month
Highlights:
- Beethoven lived in over 40 apartments in Vienna due to his irritable personality and conflicts with the landlords.
- It is the apartment of one of the greatest classical composers and definitely one of the Free Museums not to miss when visiting Vienna!
Time Schedule: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM & 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Source: Austria Info
2. Johann Strauss
Free Entry: First Sunday of each month
Highlights:
- Johann Strauss created the world-famous waltz “The Blue Danube,” being considered Austria’s “unofficial national song,”. The music was composed in this apartment.
- Johann Stauss was known as the “Waltz King” as he composed more than 500 waltzes, polkas and quadrilles.
Time Schedule: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM & 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Source: Wien Info
3. Franz Schubert
Free Entry: First Sunday of each month
Highlights:
- Schubert was known for its vast collection of music creation, more specifically a total of 600 songs, symphonies, operas and chamber music.
- The apartment offers an inside perspective of the life and work of the composer.
Time Schedule: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM & 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Source: Lisa Rastl (lisa.rastl@gmx.net)
4. Joseph Haydn
Free Entry: First Sunday of each month
Highlights:
- The career of Joseph Haydn started as a court musician for the wealthy Esterházy family. However, when he came to Vienna, its freedom gave him creativity and energy to compose more.
- His apartment was a place of innovation where he developed several classical symphonies which later influenced great composers such as Mozart and Beethoven.
- It is one of the free apartments to visit in Vienna.
Time Schedule: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM & 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Source: Heiling / Lorenz
Round off your free museum Sunday with our Free Walking Tour Vienna or the Free Street Art Tour.
