A palace at the southern tip of the Hofburg complex, above the Ringstrasse, originally a Habsburg residence and now a major art museum.

Three things sit under one roof.

The permanent collection, Monet to Picasso, covering French Impressionism, Expressionism, the Russian avant-garde and modern classics.

The graphic art collection — one of the largest and most important in the world, including the Dürer watercolours, though works on paper are shown in rotation rather than permanently displayed for conservation reasons.

The Habsburg State Rooms, restored and open, which are part of the standard ticket and which a great many visitors miss entirely.

And over all of it, temporary exhibitions that change several times a year and dominate the experience.

More than at any other Vienna museum, what you get here depends on the current programme.

The Albertina’s temporary exhibitions are substantial, well reviewed and frequently the reason visitors rate the museum highly. They also occupy a large part of the building, which means the balance between permanent and temporary shifts constantly.

Check the programme before you buy. If a major show is on that interests you, this becomes a priority visit. If not, the permanent collection alone is good but is not the strongest in a city with the Kunsthistorisches and the Belvedere in it.

Some exhibitions carry a supplement or are ticketed separately.

This is also why reviews of the Albertina vary more than for other Vienna museums — people are describing different buildings, effectively.

The most commonly missed part of the visit, and it is included in the standard ticket.

The Habsburg State Rooms occupy part of the palace floor and have been restored with original furniture — a classical suite of rooms that were the residence of Archduke Charles and Duchess Christine.

They are quiet, they are handsome, and they are a completely different register from the modern art elsewhere in the building.

They also give the museum a context: this was a palace, and the collection began as a private one.

Ask at the desk where they are. The signage does not push you toward them and people leave without realising they were there.

The Albertina sits on a bastion above the Ringstrasse, and the terrace in front of the entrance gives one of the best free views in central Vienna — over the opera house, the Ring and the rooftops.

The monumental fountain on the bastion wall and the modern canopy over the entrance are landmarks in their own right.

You do not need a ticket to stand on the terrace, which makes it a good short stop even if you are not going in.

The café on the terrace is pleasant in fine weather.

It is a two-minute walk from the opera house and five from St Stephen’s, so it slots into a walking day easily.

Tickets can be bought online or at the door. Queues are usually moderate, but major exhibitions can produce a substantial wait, particularly at weekends.

Booking ahead is worth doing when a headline show is running.

Vienna city passes include the Albertina, and there is a sister museum, the Albertina Modern, in a separate building with its own ticket or a combination.

An audio guide is available.

Under-19s generally enter free at Austrian federal museums — check the current terms.

Prices change periodically, so check the official site rather than any figure quoted elsewhere.

Two hours is what most visitors report for the permanent collection, the state rooms and one temporary exhibition.

An hour is enough for a targeted visit to a single show.

Three hours if a major exhibition is on and you are giving it proper time.

It is a manageable museum rather than an overwhelming one, which is part of its appeal in a city where the big institutions demand half days.

It pairs naturally with the opera house next door, the State Hall a few minutes away, or a coffee house afterwards.

Early is quietest, as ever, and the permanent galleries are walkable at opening.

The museum has a late opening on some evenings, which is a calmer way to see a busy exhibition — check for your dates.

Weekend afternoons are the busiest, particularly when a headline show is running.

Because the building is compact and the collection is manageable, crowding matters less here than at the Belvedere or Schönbrunn.

The terrace is worth a look at any hour and is particularly good in the evening with the opera lit below.

December is the busiest month, with October and September close behind — a pattern driven by the exhibition calendar and the Christmas season rather than the weather.

February and March are the quietest.

Being indoors, this is a reliable wet-weather option and a good winter museum.

The exhibition programme rather than the season should determine when you go. A quiet month with a dull show is a worse visit than a busy month with a great one.

Central and easy. The Albertina is on Albertinaplatz, immediately behind the State Opera, a walk of five minutes from St Stephen’s and two from the opera.

Underground and tram stops are within a couple of minutes.

It is part of the Hofburg complex physically but administered separately, so a Hofburg ticket does not cover it.

The entrance is up the ramp or steps onto the bastion terrace, or by lift.

Combining it with the State Hall of the national library, the opera house tour and a coffee house makes an excellent compact morning.

Good. There is lift access from street level to the terrace and throughout the building, with accessible toilets and reduced admission for visitors with disabilities and a companion.

The galleries are level and the museum is compact enough that distances are short.

The state rooms are on the same floor as the main galleries and are reachable.

Cloakroom facilities are available and larger bags must be checked.

Seating is available in the galleries.

The variation in reviews is almost entirely about what was showing.

The underwhelming version: turn up without checking the programme, find the permanent collection modest by Vienna standards, miss the state rooms entirely, and leave in an hour wondering why it is on the list.

The good version: check what is on, book for a show that interests you, take the permanent Monet-to-Picasso rooms at a comfortable pace, find the state rooms, and step out onto the terrace above the opera afterwards.

It is a well-run, manageable museum in a fine building with an unusually strong exhibition programme. Check the programme and it can be the best two hours of a Vienna trip.