Schonbrunn Palace is a 1,441- room Palace and former Imperial Residence of the Hapsburg Monarchs.
With a history spanning over 300 years, it is one of the most important historical monuments in Vienna.
In 1996, UNESCO added Schonbrunn Palace to the World Heritage List.
1. How to reach
2. Opening hours
3. Best time to visit
4. Schonbrunn Palace tickets
5. Strudel show
6. Palace concerts
7. Schonbrunn Gardens
8. Vienna Zoo
9. Audio Guide
Where is Schonbrunn Palace?
Schonbrunn Palace is in Hietzing, Vienna in Austria.
Its address is: Schonbrunner Schlosstrasse 47, 1130 Wien, Austria
How to get to Schonbrunn Palace
We recommend you take the public transport to reach Schonbrunn Palace.
Take the Underground U4 (green line) and get off at Schonbrunn station.
Take Tram No 10 or 60 to get off right at the Schonbrunn Palace.
If bus is your preferred mode of transport, take number 10A to reach Schonbrunn
If you are arriving by car there are three routes you can take the A1, A2 or the A4 motorway. You need to identify the fastest route from your location, and follow the signs for the City Centre.
Schonbrunn Palace hours
The Schonbrunn Palace is open daily including public holidays.
Schonbrunn gardens are free to enter from 6.30 am onwards.
The ticketing office of the Palace also opens
The opening time of both the ticketing office and the Schonbrunn Palace is 8 am.
However, the closing time keeps changing with time.
Following are the opening hours of the Schonbrunn Palace
8 am to 5.30 pm: 1 April to 30 June and 1 September to 31 October
8 am to 6.30 pm: 1 July to 31 August
8 am to 5 pm: 1 November to 31 March
Best time to visit Schonbrunn Palace
The best season to visit the Schonbrunn Palace is January and February since it sees the lowest number of visitors.
You can also plan a trip in March or November which usually has milder crowds.
The high season in Vienna is from April to September, with a peak in July and August.
If you want to avoid crowds it would be best to avoid these two months as well as the Christmas holidays [second half of December].
It would also be good to keep track of any major events and festivals like Vienna Festival, Viennale, Vienna Fashion Week and so on.
One sure shot way to work around the peak season is to buy Schonbrunn Palace tickets online. You can then avoid the crowd waiting in the ticketing counter, and walk right in.
However, if you do decide to buy your tickets at the venue, it is best to visit when the Palace opens (8 am) or after 3-4 pm to avoid queues.
If for some reason you can only visit during the rush hour (from 10 am to 12 pm), it will be best if you start your visit with the gardens.
By the time you will be done with the gardens, the crowd in the Palace would have thinned down and you can step in.
For the best possible experience at Schonbrunn Palace, it is best to plan your visit when it isn’t as crowded. It can get hot in there in summer season.
Schonbrunn Palace tickets
There are many ways of experiencing the erstwhile residence of the Habsburg Monarchs.
You can decide to tour just the Palace or combine it with a tour of the city.
The choice is unlimited. We have selected the best three Schonbrunn Palace tickets and detailed them below.
Note: All the tickets we have recommended are smartphone tickets. That is, within five minutes of the purchase the ticket will be emailed to you. On the day of your visit, you walk past the queue at the ticketing counter, reach the Palace entrance, show the email on your smartphone and walk in.
1. Schonbrunn Palace Guided Tour
This two hour guided tour gives you skip the line access to the magnificent Schonbrunn Palace.
This tour is available in both English and German (you can opt for the language on the ticket booking page).
Ticket Prices
Adult ticket (19+ years): 34 Euros
Youth ticket (6 to 18 years): 28 Euros
Children 5 years or below are free to enter.
2. Schonbrunn Palace & Vienna City Tour
This ticket provides you a bus tour of the Vienna City’s most prized tourist attractions such as – State Opera, Museum of Art History, Habsburg Museum, Hofburg Palace (the Emperors’ winter residence), the Austrian Parliament, the City Hall, and the Court Theater.
The highlight of the tour is a skip the line special access to the former imperial Residence of Habsburg Monarchs – the Schonbrunn Palace.
The Palace tour is led by a professional guide in one of the three languages – English, German, or Spanish. You will have to opt for your preferred language on the ticket booking page.
The tour starts at 9.30 am.
Ticket Prices
Adult ticket (13+ years): 54 Euros
Child ticket (2 to 12 years): 19 Euros
3. Schonbrunn Palace and Gardens Tour
This ticket provides you with a two hour afternoon tour to explore the glorious former Imperial Residence of the Hapsburg family, Schonbrunn Palace and the gardens.
The tour includes an English professional guide, who gives insight into the history of the Palace.
Ticket Prices: 50 Euros
Extra Tip!
Schonbrunn Palace complex is a huge place. It even houses its own Zoo called the Vienna Zoo. One way to go around this place is ‘Panorama Train’, a hop-on and hop-off train with nine different stops, including the famous hill of Gloriette. The train operates from 10 am to 5.55 pm. The ticket cost for an adult (15 years and above) is 8 Euros and for a child who is 14 years and below is 4 Euros.
Schonbrunn Palace strudel show
If you love cooking or eating, you must not miss this show.
This ticket allows you to witness the art of making the exquisite traditional Viennese delicacy – apple strudel.
You also get to enjoy a piece of the freshly baked strudel at the end of the show in the court bakery of the Cafe Residenz at the Schonbrunn Palace.
At the end You will get the original recipe to take home in eight languages.
The show is only 20 minutes long.
Children 6 years and below can enter for free
Ticket Prices
Adult ticket (13+ years): 11.50 Euros
Child ticket (7 to 12 years): 5 Euros
Schonbrunn Palace concerts
The Schonbrunn Palace organizes a masterful concert every day at 8.30 pm at the Palace Orangery which has been graced by the performance of Mozart himself.
The concert plays the finest selection of Mozart’s and Strauss’ masterful music along with dance and vocal performances.Here are three of the best Schonbrunn Palace concert tickets.
1. Schonbrunn Palace Concert Ticket
This concert ticket allows you to have a magical experience at the Schonbrunn Palace orchestra with the beautiful music of Mozart and Strauss for two hours in the Palace Orangery.
There are four categories of tickets you can book. Starting with Imperial, which is the cheapest to the VIP category which offers the best experience.
Ticket Prices
Imperial tickets: 45 Euros
Grand tickets: 65 Euros
Deluxe tickets: 75 Euros
*VIP tickets: 105 Euros
*VIP concert tickets also includes a glass of sparkling wine and a CD.
2. Evening Concert and Dinner at Schonbrunn Palace
This is a perfect ticket if you are looking for a romantic evening out.
You start off at 6.30 pm with a romantic 3-course dinner at a restaurant in the Schonbrunn area.
This is followed by a musical concert at the Palace Orangery at 8.30 pm.
There are four category of tickets you can book, depending on the kind of dining experience you would prefer. The most affordable being Category C, while the best experience is offered by the VIP Category.
Ticket Prices
Category C: 81 Euros
Category B: 99 Euros
Category A: 122 Euros
VIP Category: 139 Euros
3. Schonbrunn Palace: Tour, Dinner, and Concert
This ticket is a three in one deal. It gets you –
a) One hour guided tour of the glorious Schonbrunn Palace
b) 3-course meal at the Schonbrunn Palace area
c) Enchanting music concert at Schonbrunn Palace Orangery
This ticket is costly, but if you can afford it we highly recommend them. This can make for a perfect couple outing together.
The most affordable being Category C, while the best experience is offered by the VIP Category.
Ticket Prices
Category C: 99 Euros
Category B: 117 Euros
Category A: 130 Euros
VIP Category: 157 Euros
Schonbrunn Palace Gardens
The Park at Schonbrunn Palace is one of the most popular attractions in Vienna because of it’s the beauty and peaceful atmosphere.
They are often referred to as the Schonbrunn Palace gardens.
The Gardens were opened to the public in 1779 and became a part of the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1996.
The Palace Gardens opens at 6.30 am and entry is free.
Schonbrunn Palace Zoo
The Schonbrunn Palace Zoo is within the grounds of the Palace and can be reached by using the Park Entrance gate “Hietzinger Tor”.
It is also known as the Vienna Zoo.
It opens daily from 9 am but the closing time might vary depending on the seasons.
The ticket prices range from 20 Euros for adults and 10 Euros for children above 6 years. Find out more about Vienna Zoo.
Schonbrunn Palace audio guide
The Schonbrunn Palace provides audio guides to visitors in 16 languages along with tour descriptions in 21 languages free of charge. These are handled out to the visitors as they are entering the Palace.
Yes, that’s right…you don’t need to pay extra for them.
However, these are subject to availability.
You can also download the audio files from their website as a zip file or through iTunes or Vasssu. Get more details –