Natural History Museum

Natural History Museum in Vienna
If you are interested in learning how our planet Earth used to look like thousands of years ago and what creatures used to inhabit it, on mandatory, visit Natural History Museum Vienna. Here is where giant dinosaur skeletons are preserved and shown and the biggest, as well as the oldest public collection of meteorites is displayed. In this museum the meteorite Tissint from Mars is placed. Plus – you can also enjoy the permanent anthropological exhibition devoted to human’s origin and evolution within the time.

Natural History Museum Vienna was found back in 1889th year. Its background history, though, has begun since 1750th year. It was when Franc Stephan von Lothringen, Maria Teresa’s husband, bought the most famous world collection of its time from Johan Ritter von Bulow. The exponents are more than 30 000 in total and among them you can see rare snails, corals, sea-shells, precious stones and minerals. Today, the exponents in the museum are more than 20 million.

One of the latest attractions in Natural History Museum Vienna is the Planetariums. It will take on a virtual tour among the Milky Way Galaxy, as well as around the rings of Saturn planet.

As a matter of fact, in most of the departments within the museum scientific studies in a widest range you can imagine are still arranged and performed. This is what turns the Natural History Museum Vienna in a significant public institution and in one of the biggest exploring centers that are not parts of any Austrian university.

See more Top Attractions in Vienna

What to see?

The museum exhibition is located on ground floor and on the first floor.

On the ground floor you can see the following collections:

  • Minerals
  • Stone
  • Meteorites
  • Fossils
  • Dinosaur remains
  • Prehistory
  • Antropology
  • The Planetarium – to see all the film shows check out the program in the website

Here are the collections that expect you on the first floor:

  • Microspace
  • Protozoa, corals and Mollusca
  • Crabs, spidery and insects
  • Fishes
  • Amphibian and reptiles
  • Birds
  • Mammals

Cafes and shops

In the Cupola space you will find a café-restaurant where traditional Vienna’s desserts and snacks, as well as coffees, are offered. The amenity also provides lunch menu, which is why it’s a pleasant place for a relaxation after a long walk along the museum.

The museum shop is located at the left side of the entrance. Here is where you will find more than 4500 goods, including replicas of popular exponents such as prehistory discoveries or dinosaur teeth.

What should I know before a visit in Natural History Museum Vienna?

  • Right at the entrance of the museum there’s an informative center from where you can receive useful brochures in English.
  • At the right side of the entrance the cloakroom is placed. It’s where you can leave your luggage in order to be able to see the museum at a full value and with no things to carry. The cloakroom works with coins of 1 or 2 EUR.
  • When you enter the museum, please, don’t forget to have a look at its top – the cupola. I remind you this as the cupola is one of the most impressive elements of the entire building architectural construction you should not miss for anything in life.
  • On the walls of the corridors inside the museum there are lots of amazing paintings you shouldn’t miss, either.
  • The museum has been constantly renovated, so don’t get surprised if you see any of the rooms to be closed for visits.
  • Spend around a day to enjoy the museum tour at a full value.

How to reach Natural History Museum Vienna?

To reach Natural History Museum Vienna you can take either U2 or U3 subway line, as well as by tram – D1 or D2 – or by bus (2A and 57A).

Tickets

The ticket includes a visit of all the premises in the museum, but note that you should be additionally charged, if you want to see the Planetarium.

All children under 19-years old enter for free once they show the necessary ID documents.

There are discounts for:

  • Pensioners over 60 years old
  • Students up to 27 years old
  • Groups formed of at least 15 people
  • Invalids

There are specially tailored tours for:

  • Kids of preschool age – they aren’t just allowed to see the exponents, but even to touch them. The duration of such a tour is 50 minutes and the group should be formed of at least 25 kids.
  • Students – the tours are adapted to their age, which is why they can be thematic, related to their school subjects and etc. This tour lasts 50 minutes.
  • A night in the museum:

For kids – from 7 to 11 years old. The tour includes: movies in the Planetarium, a tour of the entire museum with a torch, some treat before a bedtime, sleeping in the room with the dinosaurs and a breakfast.

For adults – visit of the Planetarium, drinks, a music show, a tour of the museum with a torch, climbing the rooftop + a view to Vienna, sleeping in the room with the dinosaurs and a breakfast in the café.

  • Dinner in the museum – includes a tour of the museum, dinner in the Cupola premise and climbing up to the museum rooftop to enjoy the wonderful view of Vienna
  • Private tour – there are two types of such a tour. One of them is for kids over 3 years old and the other – for children of at least 6 years old. The groups should be formed of up to 29 people. The tour lasts 1 hour.
  • Tours for blind people – there’s a specially tailored museum route for them and it includes 15 free standing exponents from the mineralogy, geology and the anthropology sections. There’s also a possibility for an audio guide or brochure in Brail letters.

Audio guides

  • Top 100 – includes 100 exponents and 100 stories. It’s available in English.
  • Back in times – the most spectacular fossils tell the incredible story of Earth evolution. It’s available in German and French.

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