The Japanese Garden
Back in 1913, the Schönbrunn palace gardeners built a small Japanese garden in the park which subsequently became disused and overgrown. In 1998 it was restored to its former glory in three separate areas...
The tea garden (German: Teegarten) would normally feature a tea house, but in this example it's a stone area (German: Teeplatz) instead.
At the corner of the tea garden, nearest the large Palmhouse, you'll see a piece of bamboo with water dribbling into it. Watch it for a few minutes and it will suddenly tip over and bounce back, striking a stone tablet underneath one end with a loud crack. An environmentally-friendly form of keeping pests away.
Schönbrunn palace
Interactive map
Photo slideshow
Palace history
Inside the palace
Christmas market
Vienna zoo
Gloriette
Wagenburg
Palmenhaus
Wüstenhaus
Roman ruins
Japanese garden
Children's museum
Getting there
Next to the tea garden is the stone garden (German: Steingarten), and beyond that the Karesansui or dry landscape garden. Here, mountains and associated water features are represented using just sand, gravel, stone and a few plants.
At the corner nearest the Palmhouse, there's another small feature with water dribbling into the container - listen out for the gentle tones it produces.
The garden is just outside the main zoo entrance, where there's a path going off to the left along the edge of the Palmhouse. The Japanese garden is on the right of this path, surrounded by a bamboo fence. You can't miss it.