Ringstrasse & MuseumsQuartier
The Ringstrasse and the MuseumsQuartier: the back story
Neighbourhood guide
About The Ringstrasse and the MuseumsQuartier: the back story
The Ringstrasse replaced the city walls from the 1860s, and the empire lined it with its institutions: the State Opera, the museums, the Parliament, the Rathaus, the university and the Burgtheater. Behind the museums, the MuseumsQuartier fills the former imperial stables and Spittelberg keeps its Biedermeier lanes.
Museums
The Kunsthistorisches and Natural History Museums, the Leopold Museum, mumok and the Kunsthalle.
Theatres
The Burgtheater faces the Rathaus; Café Landtmann sits between them.
Ride tram 1 or 2 round the Ring on your first day.
Spittelberg
Lanes of old houses, TIAN Bistro and, in December, a Christmas market.
Our advice: the MuseumsQuartier courtyards are best on a summer evening.
Why it's on our list
- Museums
- Theatres
- Spittelberg
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The Ringstrasse and the MuseumsQuartier: the back story before you go.
What’s nearby
Distances from The Ringstrasse and the MuseumsQuartier: the back story are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 15 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest U-Bahn stations
- VolkstheaterU2U3300 m4 min walk
- MuseumsquartierU2300 m4 min walk
- HerrengasseU3500 m6 min walk
Key sights
- Kunsthistorisches Museum150 mWalk 2 minCycle 1 minCar or taxi 4 min
- Hofburg450 mWalk 6 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 5 min
- State Opera550 mWalk 7 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 6 min
- Naschmarkt800 mWalk 10 minCycle 3 minCar or taxi 6 min
- St Stephen’s Cathedral900 mWalk 11 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 6 min
- Musikverein950 mWalk 12 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 7 min
- Belvedere2.1 kmWalk 26 minCycle 8 minCar or taxi 10 min
- Riesenrad2.8 kmWalk 35 minCycle 11 minCar or taxi 12 min
- Schönbrunn Palace4.4 kmCycle 17 minCar or taxi 16 min
- Vienna Airport20 kmCar or taxi 58 min
Main railway stations
- Wien Mitte (CAT)1.6 kmWalk 21 minCycle 7 minCar or taxi 8 min
- Wien Westbahnhof2.0 kmWalk 25 minCycle 8 minCar or taxi 9 min
- Wien Hauptbahnhof2.5 kmWalk 32 minCycle 10 minCar or taxi 11 min
- Wien Praterstern2.8 kmWalk 35 minCycle 11 minCar or taxi 12 min
- Wien Meidling4.2 kmCycle 17 minCar or taxi 15 min
- Wien Heiligenstadt4.8 kmCycle 19 minCar or taxi 17 min