Neue Burg

The basics

Neue Burg forms a semi-circular wing of the Hofburg Palace complex, commissioned for the Habsburg Imperial Family in 1881. The palace is of spectacular Baroque design inside and out; it originally contained the personal memorabilia of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination in 1914 sparked World War I.

Today visitors can take in several world-class museums in one go in these ornate halls, including the Hofjägd und Rüstkammer collection of 15th- and 16th-century armor, a wide variety of antique wind and string instruments in the Sammlung Alter Musik Instrumente, and ancient treasures unearthed during the Austrian excavations in Ephesus from 1895 to 1906.

Things to know before you go

• Neue Burg’s splendid architecture is an attraction on its own, but to visit the building, you must purchase tickets to one of its resident museums.

• Admission to the Historical Musical Instrument Collection and Imperial Armoury is included in Weltmuseum tickets.

• Admission to the Ephesos Museum is included in the House of Austrian History tickets.

• The museums are accessible to wheelchairs and strollers via ramps and elevators.

How to get there

Neue Burg sits in the Hofburg palace complex at the heart of Vienna’s old town, so it is easy to reach from many of the city’s A-list sights. From further afield, take the metro U2 line to the Museumsquartier or Volkstheater stations or U3 to the Volkstheater, Herrengasse, or Stephansplatz stations.

When to get there

Each museum and collection in Neue Burg has its own opening days and hours, so check the website before visiting to avoid disappointment. The Weltmuseum and Museum of Austrian History also host temporary exhibitions, whereas the Imperial collections remain unchanged throughout the year.

A quick guide to Vienna’s Neue Burg museums

Home to a wide variety of historical and contemporary museums and collections, Vienna’s Neue Burg can be a challenge to navigate. Its most important and famous attractions are its three Imperial collections (Arms and Armor, Ancient Musical Instruments, and the Ephesos Museum), but visitors can only access these via tickets to other museums. The building also houses the Papyrus Museum inside the National Library, the Weltmuseum ethnographic collection covering world cultures, and the House of Austrian History, which opened in 2018 and traces the country’s history and evolution over the 20th century.