Probably the most popular tourist attraction in Vienna: the palace and associated attractions pull in over three million visits each year. Think of Schönbrunn as Austria’s Versailles, with less opulence and more cake.
- Huge 18th-century palace, gardens and park
- Now a World Heritage site
- Numerous attractions, including the staterooms, zoo, carriage museum, maze, fountains, children’s museum…
- Easily reached from the city centre
- Book a Schönbrunn concert, tour & more*
- A stop on the Hop on Hop off tours
- See also:
- Classical concerts in the palace orangery
- The Belvedere palaces
To save you some thinking, I have my top ten Schönbrunn activities. But below you’ll find a more detailed overview of almost everything there, with links to articles on each attraction.
(The main entrance to Schönbrunn at Christmas)
Jump to…
Schönbrunn attractions
Palace & outbuildings…
(Schloß Schönbrunn, Wien – the view from the gardens. And, yes, I had to get up very early to get this people-free photo)
The current palace dates back to the 1740s, though a long history of extensions and rebuilding work followed.
Once a summer residence out in the country, the growth of the city now means Schönbrunn represents an oasis of architectural and parkland tranquility in the midst of 21st-century Vienna (if you ignore your fellow tourists).
Palace tours
- Schönbrunn contains of hundreds of rooms, and you can visit a selection of the most spectacular ones on a palace tour (with both self-guided and guided options)
Each room hums with history; follow in the footsteps of Napoleon, Mozart, and even President Kennedy, not to mention Habsburg monarchs like Maria Theresia, Elisabeth or Franz Joseph. Look for the Great Gallery ballroom in particular.
The carriage museum
(Close up of an 18th-century carriage on display in the museum; press photo © KHM-Museumsverband)
- A mammoth collection of carriages, sedan chairs, sleighs, and other modes of transport used by the Imperial family fills the Wagenburg
An exhibition inside also explores the life of the aforementioned Empress Elisabeth (the famous Sisi).
VR experience
- The Schloss Schönbrunn virtual reality experience used to take place within the main palace building, but was no longer offered at the time of writing
Gerstner café-restaurant
(If you go, I can recommend the apple strudel)
- I’ve not been to all the places to take refreshment within the complex. But I visited the elegant Gerstner Café-Restaurant in the Kavalierstrakt down one side of the palace courtyard: see my review.
The Children’s Museum in Schönbrunn Palace
- One wing of the palace now houses a Children’s Museum, which gives kids a taste of life as a little Archduke or Archduchess
Youngsters and the young at heart can dress up in period costume, for example. For more family activities, look out for the zoo and maze (see below).
Schönbrunn park & features…
(Schloß Schönbrunn, Wien – part of the landscaped gardens)
The Federal authorities keep the large Schönbrunn park and gardens in immaculate condition, so you can enjoy over a square kilometre of tree-lined avenues, lawns, woods, and landscaped flowerbeds.
Open to the public since 1779, the grounds conceal various architectural delights. Expect fountains, fake ruins, statues, and walled gardens. Look out, also, for red squirrels entirely unconcerned by the crowds.
Access to the park and most of the gardens is free. Some of the individual locations mentioned below need a ticket, though.
Some highlights…
The Gloriette
(Schloß Schönbrunn, Wien – the Gloriette)
- A large hill stretches behind the palace leading up to the Gloriette triumphal arch
According to legend, they built the Gloriette simply to ensure a nice view from the windows of the main palace. Indeed, it’s mostly a façade, but with a rooftop viewing platform and a café inside.
The Kronprinzengarten
- The privy garden includes the kind of flowerbeds, box hedges and vine-covered walkways that shout “costume drama” at you
You half expect to meet some 18th-century monarch conducting an illicit affair with a gardener somewhere within.
(Find tickets and experience options for the palace and zoo)
The Schönbrunn orangery
- Not content with native trees, shrubs, and flowers, the Habsburgs put in one of the world’s longest orangeries to add exotic flair to Schönbrunn’s botany
The building and garden now house unusual (for Austria) plants and rare varieties of fruit trees. And a vineyard. Oh, and classical music concerts, which hark back to one of the original uses of the location.
The Schönbrunn maze(s)
- Is it a maze? Is it a labyrinth? Both, I think, because you face more than one hedge-based challenge within the maze complex
The smallest maze is (literally) a walk in the park. The largest is best attempted when you’re not in a hurry. These new mazes build on a long tradition: the first one in Schönbrunn appeared in 1720.
The Roman ruins
(The remains of an ancient temple…or an 18th-century reimagining? Press photo © Schloß Schönbrunn Kultur- und Betriebsges.m.b.H., Severin Würnig)
- No monarch worthy of the name could have a park without some tasteful Roman ruins within
And if you don’t happen to have any, then you just build some; Schönbrunn’s authentic-looking Roman ruins went up in 1778, modelled on the Temple of Vespasian and Titus.
The obelisk
- Another great civilisation forms the cornerstone of this Schönbrunn highlight: the large obelisk purports to tell the story of the Habsburg dynasty in Egyptian hieroglyphics
The writing is probably not entirely accurate, but certainly looks impressive (which was always the point with imperial constructions).
The Neptune Fountain
- The broad Neptune fountain faces the palace at the other end of the main gardens
The most striking of Schönbrunn’s fountains sees the Roman god, Neptune, towering majestically (and a little arrogantly) over tritons and sea horses.
Café Pavillon
- Various locations within the complex offer food and/or drink. But for a little insider tip on where to sit out of sight of the crowds, try out Café Pavillon
Schönbrunn Zoo area…
(The elephants are always popular)
Schönbrunn zoo is the oldest working zoo in the world. Some of the 18th-century buildings from the original menagerie have still survived.
The animal enclosures look a little different these days: experts rate the zoo as one of the world’s best. Highlights include the Giant Pandas, the rainforest house, the huge polar bear complex, the aquarium, and the aerial walkway among the wooded slopes.
The zoo is (obviously) great for kids and probably Vienna’s second-most popular attraction after Schönbrunn Palace itself.
The palm and desert houses
Two other indoor locations close to the zoo are…
- The Palmenhaus (palm house), which dates back to 1882. The huge iron and glass construction contains three climatic zones featuring Mediterranean, tropical, and sub-tropical plant communities
- They built the Wüstenhaus (desert house) some 20-odd years after the palm house. It has a collection of cacti and succulents, as well as a few birds and animals like the glorious naked mole rats (don’t miss the mole rats)
The Japanese garden
- For something a little different, try the small 1913 Japanese garden sandwiched between the zoo and the palm house
Palace events…
(The Wiener Philharmoniker, Andris Nelsons, and Gautier Capuçon performing at a previous Summer Night Concert; press photo © Max Parovsky)
The palace courtyard and buildings make a glorious setting for orchestral performances and other events. For example:
Schönbrunn palace concerts
- The orangery hosts concerts typically featuring the music of Mozart and Strauss. This is not a modern invention: Mozart and Salieri, for example, performed for the emperor at the same location
Festive Schönbrunn markets
(The entrance to the Xmas market)
- The Schönbrunn Christmas market (which usually continues into New Year) has, perhaps, the best ambience of all the city’s many Christmas markets given the location in front of the palace
- The same location hosts an Easter market, too, which offers arts, crafts, and a range of gastronomic treats
The Summer Night Concert
- The Vienna Philharmonic ranks as one of the world’s greatest orchestras. Put them in the landscaped garden of Schönbrunn Palace and you get the annual Summer Night Concert
And if you’re wondering how much it costs to attend, the answer is a big 0. The event is absolutely free. I went to one and was rather impressed.
(Find tickets and experience options for the palace and zoo)
Tickets & visitor tips
The links above take you to specifics on each attraction, including ticket info; you require tickets for the palace tours, orangery, privy garden, gloriette viewing platform, maze, zoo, carriage museum, desert house, palm house and children’s museum.
Various organisations also offer Schönbrunn-related experiences and packages*, such as guided tours, concerts & dinner, etc.
The palace tour
There’s a lot you could see at Schönbrunn, obviously, but perhaps the “must see” is the Palace staterooms. Many people simply wander around the (free) garden and park areas and take a palace tour.
The staterooms (possibly the most popular tourist activity in Vienna) form the centrepiece of the Schönbrunn complex and require both a tour ticket and a time slot to view.
In summer (and at other peak visitor times), you may have to stand in a long queue on site to get a tour ticket and then wait again until your time slot comes up. To avoid any waiting times, buy online in advance.
I recommend one of the following approaches…
Option 1: guided tour
Go in with an in-house or independent tour guide at a set time, so you skip any queues and have the benefit of an expert accompanying you. For example:
(Booking service provided by Tiqets.com*, who I am an affiliate of)
Option 2: self-guided tour
Take one of the two self-guided tours with the included audio guide or printed guide provided by Schönbrunn. See my deeper look at this option.
Again, I’d definitely recommend you book your ticket online to avoid counter queues and ensure your time slot fits your trip schedule.
Option 3: multiple attraction pass
If you’re planning on seeing more than one attraction, then you can obviously purchase individual tickets (see the links / articles above for details). But two strong options are:
Vienna Pass
(The Vienna Pass covers the zoo, too)
This sightseeing ticket gives you one-time free entry to numerous Vienna attractions across 1, 2, 3 or 6 days (see my review for details).
The Vienna Pass entitles you to take the shorter self-guided tour of the palace. It also gives you one-time access to, for example, the zoo, the maze, the privy garden, the Gloriette roof and the Carriage Museum.
However, you’ll need to turn up at the Schönbrunn arrival centre and fix a time slot for the tour. If you do have to wait, then simply make use of the intervening time to visit those other Schönbrunn attractions covered by the pass.
Or simply take in the park and gardens.
Or drop in for cake at one of the cafés, like the Gerstner location opposite the palace entrance.
Combination ticket
If you want to do different activities, but don’t need/want a Vienna Pass, then check the Schönbrunn website for combination tickets.
They offer various choices but all give you savings when compared to buying tickets individually for all the attractions.
Equally, if you don’t buy online and book a tour time in advance, then a combination ticket also lets you spend any waiting time exploring the other Schönbrunn locations.
Option 4: Just the free stuff
The staterooms are brilliant, but you might also just wander around the park and gardens. As mentioned, you pay no fee to enter either. In fact, many Viennese go for their early-morning jog in Schönbrunn.
You can easily lose a couple of hours just walking around enjoying the views of the palace, Gloriette, Roman ruins, outbuildings, fountains, obelisk and more.
Spring and summer has the advantage of flowers, while autumn brings out the coloured foliage.
Winter often casts a grey pall over everything, though the park in snow can be a joy. And you have the added bonus of red squirrels, who remain active and regularly make an appearance in the hope of cadging a stray nut or three.
How to get to Schönbrunn
For public transport and parking suggestions, see the Directions to Schönbrunn article. The hop on hop off buses also go out to Schönbrunn.
Address: Schloß Schönbrunn, 1130 Vienna, Austria | Website