Vienna: Lower Belvedere & Grounds

Completing our visit to Upper Belvedere, we headed down to Lower Belvedere next.

The stroll through the Baroque gardens between the two palaces was a pleasant one … the rain that began to fall as we walked notwithstanding. The manicured grounds must be amazing when the flowers are in bloom in the spring and summer.

Upper Belvedere was built to impress. Lower Belvedere, on the other hand, was constructed as the residential palace. That’s not to say that there aren’t any lavish spaces here. There are … the Hall of the Grotesques and the Marble Gallery chief amongst them. I understand there is a Gold Cabinet as well, but it wasn’t open today.

Lower Belvedere is used for special exhibitions … the stables are home to a selection of ecclesiastical art from the Middle Ages.

I had read that it was sufficient to just purchase admission to Upper Belvedere and skip the rest … that the art on display at Lower Belvedere paled in comparison. May well be the case, but the Hall of the Grotesques and the Marble Gallery were certainly worth the difference in price for the combo ticket IMHO.

This footprint focuses on the grounds and the architectural details of Lower Belvedere.Läs mer