The locals call this place the Wien Museum. The name can be a bit deceptive though. The whole complex is actually a series of 19 different locations, all under the umbrella of the Vienna Museum. The driving focus and mission of the institution is to present the history of the city throughout the ages.

The main campus is the Karlsplatz. There is also a major secondary location at Hermesvilla. So, if you decide to visit, you will want to make sure and at least visit these two. Apart from that, the other places include a list of highly specialized exhibits and protected excavation sites. The time frame for the historical collection can take you all the way back to the Neolithic.

The locations are, for the most part, open from 10 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. They are also open on most major holidays with reduced hours. You will want to confirm the hours of each location, though, to make sure you are able to visit. This is especially true of the more specialized museums that make up part of the 19 location museum complex.

The Haus der Musik is a real hands on museum that is designed to get the visitor to interact at all levels with the displays. It is located in the First District of the city, not very far away from St. Stephen’s Church. The place has won numerous awards for the innovative way that they present their exhibitions.

The 5,000 sq. meter facility used to be the home of the famous Archduke Charles. There are many musical inventions displays among its halls, as well as exhibits that display just how diverse our world’s understanding is as to what exactly constitutes music. The variety may astound you.

Another interesting tid bit about this place is that it used to be the home of Otto Nicolai, who wrote the now famous musical piece “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” This classic comedic opera is also the subject of a display here. In modern times, the museum has also become the official repository of the history of the Vienna Philharmonic.

The location is open every day of the year from 10:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. Plan on visiting this most unusual place.

The Hofsilber and Tafelkammer museums are part of the larger Wien complex in Vienna. The two locations are designed around displaying the fine silver collections of what was the Habsburg fine dining experience. The whole imperial silver collection is on display here.

To make a better display of things, the pieces are grouped around displays that would have looked like something you would see at a royal dinner. For instance, you can find 13 different utensils displayed in proper fashion, in the order they would have been placed for a fine dinner. The fine porcelain side pieces are also part of the collection. To limit access but not take away from the view, the location makes great use of mirrors. It really helps to let the visitor see the pieces up close.

The Court Tableware Collection is on display from Tuesday through Sunday each week. The hours are from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. each day. On Thursdays, though, they stay open till 9:00 p.m. The display is closed on Mondays.

The Naturhistorisches Museum is part of the larger Wien complex of exhibits that is located all over the city of Vienna. The current facility has grown to over 90,000 square feet in size. In recent years, software has been developed to allow you to tour part of the place via a virtual tour.

The location is known worldwide, as it is one of the most important collections of items of natural history to be found anywhere. The project started over 250 years ago, and now features over 20,000,000 pieces of interest.

The central building is an old palace structure that constitutes the original museum. It opened in 1869 under the name of the Imperial Natural Museum. Today, many of the original displays have been relocated into other parts of the overall Wien Museum of Vienna.

You will find some very rare items here as well. For instance, the Venus of Willendorf is on display here, and is an object that is over twenty five thousand years old. There is also a dinosaur skeleton displayed on the floors that is over two hundred and fifty million years old. In all, you will be able to casually walk through 39 different sections of the museum.

The place is open Wednesdays through Mondays from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. in the evening. On Wednesday, they extend the hours until 9:00 p.m. The location is closed to the public on Tuesdays.

The Ephesus Museum is part of the larger Imperial Palace complex at Hofburg. Up until 1918 this whole location was still part of the palace and buildings that were the central home of the Habsburg Empire. Today there are many small exhibits that fill most of the spaces here. The notable exception is the large palace itself which is now the official home of the President.

The Ephesus display focuses on the Turkish city by that name, and attempts to tell the history of that place from early times, through its importance in the Bible, through all the way to modern history.

Most of the items on display have been unearthed, through the years, during archeological expeditions conducted in the old city. The displays attempt to stay true to the actual locations where these artifacts were found. You can get a chance to see a Parthian Frieze here. The many displays will take you through the military history of the city. In addition, the many paintings on display here can better help one understand the nature of life under Roman rule.

The museum is open from Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. The location is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

The Schatzkammer is official repository of the treasures of the old Empire of Austria. It is located in the whole Hofburg complex, so it can be visited at the same time you visit other locations there. Most days, you can get in a good visit in about an hour. The entrance is located at the Swiss Courtyard.

In that hour of time, though, you can tour the treasures of the Habsburg Empire, which reaches back over one thousand years. The items on display here have a long history of movement over time: protecting them from the Napoleon, the decline of the Roman Empire, the Nazis, and the wars fought against Prussia. So over the years, the items on display have moved back and forth from Vienna to Nuremberg. The current structure of the complex has been in place since 1983.

Among the beautiful items here is a sword that was believed to belong to Charlemagne, the crown of the old Holy Roman Empire and even the legendary Agate Bowl, which for centuries was tied to the story of Arthur’s court and the legend of the Holy Grail.

The museum is open from Wednesday to Monday of each week. The hours are 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. each day. The place is closed on Tuesdays.

The Spanish Riding School of Vienna is famous the world over. Many of their troops actually perform in other countries. In fact, one of their largest fan populations lives in the U.S. The place is famous for the Lipizzaner horses which have been raised there. The location teaches the famous military tactics that the horses were famous for since the time of Napoleon. They are also a formal dressage school. The group offers public performances, which include the famous Winter Riding School, and also give classes to locals on occasion.

The location of the riding school is in a building that was erected in 1729, and has not changed terribly since that time. In fact, one can even still see the royal box that has been used by the likes of Charles VI.

The famous horses are moved for the months of July and August to a resting place in southern Austria, so you want to be aware of this if you are traveling to Vienna in the summer. Otherwise, the location is open weekly from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. On many Fridays, there is a performance there, and you can visit as late as 7:00 p.m.