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No visit to Vienna would be complete without a visit to Schonbrunn Palace. Located just outside the centre of Vienna, Schonbrunn was the summer residence of the Habsburg family from the 18th century to 1918. With over 1400 rooms, left as if Maria Theresa would walk in momentarily, Schonbrunn Palace is renowned for its impressive display of Baroque architecture and design.
Following the downfall of the monarchy, the palace fell into the hands of Austrian Republic who turned it into museum, preserving the rooms and chambers in their opulence. Because of its beautiful and well preserved Baroque features, the palace and its gardens have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996.
SO MANY PEOPLE
Tickets for the palace tour start at €11,50. There are three different tour options available to you depending on how much of the palace and its grounds you want to see. Also, if you’re going to be visiting some of the other sites in Vienna, you might want to consider picking up the Sisi Ticket. We opted to go with the 40 room tour for €14,50 which includes an audio guide. The tour around the rooms takes about 1 hour. Photography is not allowed inside the palace. Instead, you can take a look inside with this video:
If you’re doing things on a budget, I would advise just skipping the palace tour. There are other grander palaces in Europe (ie. Versaille) that are more worth your time and money. Instead, jump right into the gardens behind the palace.
Doesn’t it look like it’s a painted backdrop? It is most definitely real.
I love the gardens of Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. Of all the palaces and gardens that I have wandered in Europe, this one is by far my favourite. I have visited the gardens three times now and I can’t get enough of it. Every time I go, I seem to discover a new part of the gardens because the grounds are so extensive. It extends 1.2 km from east to west and about one kilometre from north to south. You could easily spend a day getting lost in the gardens. The grounds would make an awesome place for a game of hide and seek (or perhaps a picnic).
Even during the middle of summer, you can easily be alone on a pathway with barely any other tourists in sight.
On one end of the gardens, stands the palace. On the other, high above on a hill, is the Gloriette. The Gloriette was built to commemorate a victory in a war against Prussia. It was used as a dining hall and festival hall as well as a breakfast room for emperor Franz Joseph I.
From a distance, the hill looks small and easily walkable, but in reality, it is quite the trek up (especially in the heat of summer!) and once you reach the top it’s quite surprising how high you actually are.
Today the Gloriette houses a cafe, a welcomed break from the heat of summer, as well as an observation platform which offers a view of the gardens and the city. Entrance to the top of the Gloriette is 3 euros. While higher up, I’m not sure it is worth the money for the view. A couple meters doesn’t make that much of a difference to the view.
Mmm that water sure looks appetizing no?
The sculpted garden between the palace and base of the hill is called the Great Parterre. At its end stands the Neptune Fountain which depicts Neptune and his entourage which include a number of tritons and sea horses.
My favourite view of the palace is from behind the Neptune fountain.
The Great Parterre is lined with 32 statues depicting various mythological deities and virtues.
It was believed in Baroque times, that the gardens, as an extension of the palace, also represented a ruler’s status. As such, the flower beds followed traditional embroidery designs which can still be seen today.
Wandering around the grounds, you find interesting fountains, ponds and statues littered throughout.
Hidden on the grounds are also Roman ruins, also known as the Ruin of Carthage. They’re not real ruins, just designed to look that way. Apparently it was popular in the 18th century to have ruins as a garden feature.
Also in the grounds of the garden is the world’s first zoo, a maze, a palm house and a botanical garden. I have yet to visit these areas so there is always something more to explore next time.
Visiting in the winter offers a completely different experience. Many of the statues in the gardens are covered to protect them from the elements and of course, there are no flowers in bloom. Update: A reader commented saying that the statues were uncovered during her visit in the winter so I have no idea why they were covered up on my visit.
However, you get the place to yourself and during the holidays, there is a fantastic Christmas market right on the palace grounds.
Weather you decide to visit Schonbrunn in the summer or in the winter, or in between (I’ve been once in October too!), it is a must visit for anyone in Vienna. The gardens are truly beautiful and a lot of fun to explore. Plus, you will get to feel like royalty for an hour or two imagining yourself as the Habsburgs.
Good to Know
Entrance to the gardens is free. However, there is a fee to tour the palace. If you plan on going to Versailles in France, I would recommend skipping this one.
To get to Schonbrunn Palace, take the U-Bahn to the Schönbrunn stop on the green U4 line. From there it is just a short walk to the palace gates.
In the summer, pack a picnic lunch and enjoy it on the grounds. We found a little shaded area with plenty of benches and had lunch there. If you ask me where we were in the garden at that point I have no idea. All I know is that we were on the left hand side of the map.
Have you been to the Schonbrunn? Do you think the palace is worth the entry price? What was your favorite part of the gardens? Do you have any tips for future visitors?
Schloss Schönbrunn / Schönbrunn Palace
Schlosstrasse 47, Vienna 1130, Austria
Website
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This post has been added to Travel Tuesday at A Compass Rose and Travel Tuesday at Semi-Charmed Kind of Life.
Erika says
March 25, 2014 at 3:17 PMOh, I love Vienna and I love me some Schonbrunn!!!! When I studied abroad there, I definitely got familiar with the gardens. Oh, this makes me miss it so much!
Also, I thought it was interesting that you said it was not as opulent as Versailles. I totally agree with you, but what I find funny is that Marie Antoinette was actually Austrian, so it’s like Schonbrunn is the “pre-Versailles.” 🙂
Anyway, like you said, it’s totally worth visiting in all seasons! Spring is pretty beautiful, too! Thanks for sharing!
Adelina says
March 25, 2014 at 11:45 PMI’m jealous that you were able to spend so much time there! I would love to live in Vienna for a time. I love the city. I definitely see the resemblance between the two palaces, but Versailles just seemed like more of everything and nothing can compare to the Hall of Mirrors which was stunning.
Bianca @itsallbee says
March 25, 2014 at 9:21 PMI have been wanting to go to Vienna specifically for this place! I love your pictures. I will definitely have to pen down a weekend in Vienna for early next year.
#SundayTraveler
Adelina says
March 25, 2014 at 11:43 PMThanks Bianca! I adore Vienna. The whole city is just gorgeous.
Brianne says
March 25, 2014 at 1:59 PMI visited the palace and Vienna during winter for our honeymoon and actually got to see all of the statues. Maybe it’s something new. But the zoo is a blast, as are all of the of the other garden features are beautiful!!
Adelina says
March 25, 2014 at 2:51 PMAgreed, it is so so gorgeous! I hope you had a wonderful honeymoon in Vienna – it definitely is a romantic place to go.
Interesting, thanks for pointing that out Brianne. Maybe it was just the year I went then and I have no explanation for why they were covered. I’ll update my post. Thanks!
Megan C. Stroup says
March 26, 2014 at 3:55 AMGorgeous! I only went to Hofburg Palace when I was in Vienna, but I would definitely love to visit again one day and add this to my list. 🙂 Thanks for linking up today!
Adelina says
March 26, 2014 at 8:29 PMOoh how was the Hofburg? I’ve never been inside, just wandered around the outside.
Megan C. Stroup says
March 31, 2014 at 2:44 AMI actually didn’t go inside either – I just walked around the grounds during a walking tour of the city. 🙂
Adelina says
March 31, 2014 at 5:35 PMGood choice. It’s not worth the money to go in my opinion. The grounds is where the action is.
Tamika says
March 25, 2014 at 9:26 PMMy favorite part about the gardens is the Labyrinth. My kids love to hide and play there.
Adelina says
March 25, 2014 at 11:42 PMI haven’t been yet, but I definitely have to check it out next time. I love mazes!
Dennis Kopp says
March 26, 2014 at 1:24 PMYou are right Adelina, a visit to Vienna is not complete without stopping by the Schönbrunn Palace. I went there on the cheap, skipping the tour and just enjoying the extensive gardens. They really are a great place to escape the city for a day. Unfortunately I haven’t made it to Versailles yet, but I also really liked the summer palaces of Sanssouci by Berlin or Peterhof by St. Petersburg, they too have really nice parks to wander around and have a picnic… 🙂
Adelina says
March 26, 2014 at 8:28 PMI really liked Sanssouci too and it does look quite similar to Schonbrunn. I haven’t been inside that one, but the gardens were really nice. I was there in November and it was rather cold so I didn’t get a chance to explore it as much as I would have liked to. Always next time 🙂
Rachel M says
March 26, 2014 at 2:31 PMGreat palace, it looks magnificent from outside and watching the video, the inside is even more magnificent.
Henry | @fotoeins says
March 26, 2014 at 7:41 PMFor me, I cannot separate Schönbrunn from Wien. Having seen the city in all four seasons, I’ve also had the great fortune of visiting Schönbrunn in all of her glory under a leafy canopy or under a blanket of snow. I feel it’s a part of that entire Vienna experience. Thanks for writing about this, Adelina!
Adelina says
March 26, 2014 at 8:30 PMYup, agreed. You gotta visit it when in Vienna.
Erin says
March 26, 2014 at 8:47 PMWow, this place is stunning. Not a bad place for the royals to have hung their hats, huh? Great photos.
Adelina says
March 27, 2014 at 1:56 AMDefinitely not! I can’t even imagine living there. I would get lost with 1400+ rooms!
Mary {The World Is A Book} says
March 27, 2014 at 7:18 AMI am a sucker for European palaces and gardens and this is in my travel wish list. Beautiful photos especially of the gardens. I love your perspective on some of the photos. What a gorgeous palace and it’s great how there’s so much variety in the gardens.
Adelina says
March 31, 2014 at 5:55 PMThanks Mary! I hope you get a chance to visit Schonbrunn one day. Super gorgeous.
Tina @ Girl Meets Globe says
March 30, 2014 at 11:39 AMI lived in Vienna for a year and took many trips to the gardens at Schonbrunn and never went through the palace. I wish I had at least once. It was my favorite place in Vienna along with the zoo. So much beauty around there!
Adelina says
March 31, 2014 at 5:41 PMSo jealous! I would love to live in Vienna for a year. I think I would spend a lot of time in these gardens too if I lived there. So gorgeous 🙂
Sammi says
March 30, 2014 at 9:01 PMLooks amazing 🙂
Bronwyn Joy says
March 31, 2014 at 1:38 PMLooks like the kind of place that would make anyone feel like royalty 🙂 .
Adelina says
March 31, 2014 at 5:32 PMDefinitely! It’s so luxurious.
Urska Furlan says
April 5, 2014 at 3:45 PMBeautiful! And you have some great advices!