Posted by Schönbrunn Palace is one of the top attractions in Vienna and probably the most famous palace in Austria. Schönbrunn is a few kilometres outside the city centre, but you can reach the palace in a few minutes by underground. In addition to the palace itself, the palace garden is also extremely worth seeing, and the famous Vienna Zoo is also located here.
A guided tour of the palace is highly recommended. You should book such tours in advance on the internet on this page.
Schönbrunn Palace was built in its present form in the 1740s for Empress Maria Theresa. Various palaces had already stood on the same site before that. It was a palace outside the city with a gigantic garden, and the empress often stayed here, especially in summer.
Until World War I and the end of the monarchy in Austria, Schönbrunn Palace was always an important palace for the emperors of Austria. Important and still grandiose today is the huge palace garden (over 1.5 km²). The oldest zoo in the world, the Schönbrunn Zoo, is just one of the highlights in the park. The palace and park have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.
A guided tour of the palace is highly recommended. You should book such tours in advance on the internet on this page.
Most of the park can be visited free of charge. You have to pay an entrance fee for Schönbrunn Palace. A visit to the large, magnificent palace is definitely worthwhile. There are many rooms and halls in the building, and more than a dozen are world-famous. These include, for example, the Napoleon Room, Napoleon lived in Schönbrunn Palace, and Maria Theresa’s Great Hall of Mirrors. Mozart gave piano concerts here for the empress as a child. Don’t miss the Porcelain Room, the Red Salon and the Millions Room with its famous miniatures from the Near East. You can also see the Palace Theatre, where performances are still held today. Mozart and Haydn used to perform here.
A visit to Schönbrunn Palace on a guided tour is particularly interesting. There are so many details in the many rooms that a layman can hardly understand. There are also many small, interesting stories surrounding the approximately 270-year-old palace. Schönbrunn is the most visited palace in Austria by tourists today.
Tickets Schönbrunn Palace should be bought in advance
Visiting the palace is very popular, thousands of visitors come every day. You often have to wait and queue for a long time. Guided tours are often sold out. That’s why you should buy your tickets in advance on the internet. We recommend a guided tour of the palace building: You can book on this page
Grand City Tour Vienna with focus on Schönbrunn Palace incl. guided tour: More information and booking
Other interesting tickets Schönbrunn:
The Imperial Carriage Museum in the park of Schönbrunn Palace. Worth seeing! >>> More information and tickets
You can explore the huge castle park either on foot or with a hop-on hop-off “Bimmelbahn”, official name Panorama-Train. There are 9 stops, you can get off anywhere and continue with a later train: More info and booking
Tickets for the world-famous zoo in Schönbrunn Palace Park, the oldest zoo in the world, are also available online: On this link you get tickets for the great zoo
Not far from Schönbrunn Palace is also the famous Vienna Museum of Technology.
Directions to Schönbrunn
By public transport: Most visitors come by underground. The U4 line goes to the palace, the station is simply called “Schönbrunn”. From the station it is about a 10-minute walk to the entrance of the palace. Trams 10 and 60 and bus 10A also go to the palace. From the airport and the main railway station you have to change trains to get to Schönbrunn, but this is quick and easy.
Of course, you can also drive to Schönbrunn by car. There is a large car park signposted “Parkplatz Schönbrunn APCOA”. However, as far as we know, parking costs 3 euros per hour or over 30 euros for the whole day.
We have written a separate article about Schönbrunn’s famous Wagenburg: Click here
Bus city tour Hop on / Hop off
There are very many providers of city tours, walking tours etc. in Vienna. We really liked the buses of Vienna Sightseeing Tours. The buses run in 3 lines through Vienna. You can get off wherever you like and continue with a later bus. This way you see a lot, including all the important sights outside the city centre. You can see what you want. Since there are three lines, you can get to all the important sights. Really great!
>>> This link gives you more information and the possibility to book