Schönbrunn is a Baroque palace with extensive gardens; it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most visited places in Vienna.

The grounds are vast and the range of tickets on offer can seem a little confusing at first glance. The good news is that entry to the park and most of the gardens is free. You mainly need a ticket to access the palace interiors, the zoo, the glasshouses and a few smaller garden attractions.

Set aside half a day for the palace and the main part of the gardens. If you’re adding Schönbrunn Zoo, you’ll probably need a whole day.

What to know before your visit

• The park, the main gardens, the Neptune Fountain and the view from the Gloriette are free
• Tickets for the palace are sold for specific time slots
• For your first visit, we’d recommend ‘ Palace Ticket ’ for 42 eur
• The cheapest tour of the interiors costs 30 eur
• To reach the main entrance, take the U4 underground to Schönbrunn station
• For the zoo and the Palmenhaus, the U4 station Hietzing is closer
• You can comfortably see the palace and gardens in half a day
• The palace, the zoo and all the paid attractions make for at least a full day’s programme

The 10 best hotels in Vienna

Is it worth going inside?

If you’re interested in palace interiors, the Habsburgs or the stories of Maria Theresa and Empress Sisi, I wouldn’t miss a visit to the palace.

Schönbrunn is considerably more opulent inside than the Hofburg, and the two palaces complement each other well.

A full tour takes about 1½ hours. You’ll see the state rooms, the private chambers of Franz Joseph and Sisi, and the rooms associated with Maria Theresa.

On the other hand, if you only have a few hours in Vienna, aren’t particularly interested in the palace interiors, or want to save money, feel free to just stay in the gardens. You can enjoy the iconic view of the palace, Neptune’s Fountain and the Gloriette for free.

I, however, enjoyed the inside, and I’m really not one for guided tours or museums. The interiors of Schönbrunn are simply beautiful.

Admission: which ticket is best value?

An audio guide is included in the price of the palace tickets. The prices for adults are listed below.

Children aged 6 to 18 are entitled to reduced admission, and children under 6 enter the castle free of charge. Students aged 19 to 25 with a valid ISIC card are also entitled to a discount.

Ticket	What’s included	Price
State Apartments	Selected state rooms	30 eur
Palace Ticket	The entire floor of the castle normally open to the public	42 eur
Guided Tour Maria Theresia	Guided tour in English or German	44 eur
Classic Pass	Palace Ticket and 4 paid garden attractions	49 eur
Exclusive Gardens	The Maze, the Privy Garden, the Orangery Garden and the Gloriette Terrace	16 eur
Sisi Pass	Schönbrunn, the Sisi Museum in the Hofburg and the Furniture Museum	60 eur
Classic Pass Plus	The palace, the zoo, the paid gardens, the Palmenhaus and the Wüstenhaus	81 eur

What would we choose?

On a first visit, we’d go for Palace Ticket. Compared to the short version, there’s 12 eur more, but you’ll also get to see the private apartments of Franz Joseph and Sisi, as well as the rooms of Maria Theresa.

In summer, the ‘ Classic Pass ’ is a good choice. It’s only 7 eur more expensive than the palace itself and includes all the paid garden attractions.

State Apartments We’d only recommend buying this if you’re really in a hurry or want to save money. The tour is shorter and offers more of a taster of the interiors.

Classic Pass Plus Don’t buy it just for the palace and the zoo. Separate tickets work out cheaper for these two attractions. The pass is only worth it if you also visit the Palmenhaus, the Wüstenhaus and the paid-entry gardens.

Where can you buy tickets?

Separate official tickets for the palace are sold online exclusively via imperialtickets.com.

Entry to the palace is time-slotted. During the peak season, we therefore recommend booking online; otherwise, only late time slots may be available at the venue, or there may be no availability at all.

Is the Vienna Pass worth it?

The Vienna Pass is particularly worthwhile if you want to visit a lot of paid attractions across Vienna over the course of a few days.

At the Schönbrunn complex, it includes:

• a short tour of the State Apartments
• the zoo
• a view of the Gloriette
• the maze and the paid gardens
• the Palmenhaus and Desert House
• the Carriage Museum and the Children’s Museum

Please note that the price includes only the shorter tour of the State Apartments, not the full Palace Ticket. When booking a time slot, you can usually pay a little extra 10 eur to take the longer tour of the palace.

You must book your visit time in advance, and the Vienna Pass does not guarantee you skip-the-queue entry at the palace. Furthermore, the pass is valid for consecutive calendar days, not 24-hour periods.

If you’re also planning to visit the Belvedere, the Hofburg, museums, the Ferris wheel and other paid attractions within 2 to 3 days, the Vienna Pass could well be excellent value for money.

You can find a detailed comparison of the different options in the article ‘Tourist Cards in Vienna’.

A palace known as the ‘Viennese Versailles’

Although Schönbrunn has 1,441 rooms, the visitor route only takes you through a small proportion of them. That’s just as well – even the full tour isn’t tiring and takes about 1½ hours.

Among the main attractions are the Grand Gallery, the Hall of Mirrors, the private chambers of Franz Joseph and Empress Sisi, and the richly decorated rooms from the time of Maria Theresa.

It was in the Hall of Mirrors that the six-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is said to have performed before the imperial family.

The palace acquired its present form mainly in the mid-18th century during the reign of Maria Theresa. Until 1918, Schönbrunn served as the Habsburgs’ summer residence, whilst the royal family spent the winter at the Hofburg.

The palace was inspired in its design by the more famous Palace of Versailles.

The Gardens and Park of Schönbrunn

In our opinion, the vast majority of visitors do not need to pay for the garden attractions at all. You can see the main attractions for free:

• The Grand Parterre directly behind the palace
• Neptune’s Fountain
• The Gloriette from the outside
• The view of the palace and Vienna from the Gloriette
• The Roman ruins
• The Obelisk Fountain
• The Japanese Garden
• Forest paths and most of the palace park

The fountains are only in operation from mid-April to mid-October. The park remains open in winter, but the gardens are considerably less colourful and the paid garden attractions are closed.

The Gloriette: free entry, or a terrace with an admission charge?

The Gloriette stands on a hill above the palace and is one of the best vantage points in the grounds.

The walk up to the Gloriette and the view from the area in front of the building are free. You only pay for entry to the roof terrace.

In our opinion, the difference in the view isn’t great enough to warrant everyone buying a ticket. If you want to save money, stay in front of the Gloriette. You’ll still get a very good view of the palace and the centre of Vienna from here.

There’s a café inside the Gloriette. You’re also paying for the location and the view here, so don’t expect a cheap place to grab a bite to eat.

Toll gardens and mazes

Exclusive Gardens ’s admission ticket 16 eur includes:

• The Gloriette roof terrace
• Maze and labyrinth
• Private garden Privy Garden
• The garden by the orangery Orangery Garden

The maze is particularly well suited to families with children. The Privy Garden and the Orangery Garden are lovely, but we don’t consider them essential on a first visit.

If you’re buying a ‘ Palace Ticket ’, we’d only add the paid gardens as part of a ‘ Classic Pass ’. On their own, we feel the value for money isn’t quite as good.

The best route without backtracking

You can walk through the grounds in one direction without having to return to the main gate:

1. Take the U4 underground to Schönbrunn station
2. Walk through the palace
3. Continue through the main gardens to the Neptune Fountain
4. Head towards the Gloriette
5. Walk through the western part of the park past the zoo and the Palmenhaus
6. Leave the grounds via the Hietzinger Tor gate
7. Leave via the U4 Hietzing underground station

This route is worth taking even if you don’t visit the zoo or the Palmenhaus. You’ll see most of the park and won’t have to retrace your steps.

Palmenhaus

The Palmenhaus is a 111-metre-long historic greenhouse housing tropical and subtropical plants. In our opinion, it’s well worth a visit, mainly for the iron and glass structure itself.

Inside, there are three sections with different temperatures. It’s a pleasant place to visit in bad weather, but if you’re not particularly interested in plants, simply viewing the building from the outside – free of charge – will suffice.

Admission costs:

• Palmenhaus – 9 eur
• Palmenhaus and Wüstenhaus – 13,50 eur

From May to September, it is open from 10.00 to 18.00; from October to April, from 10.00 to 17.00.

You can find current prices and opening hours on the website bundesgaerten.at.

Zoo

Schönbrunn Park is also home to one of the best zoos in Europe, renowned for its giant panda breeding programme.

For further information, see the venue details – Vienna Zoo.

How much time should you set aside for Schönbrunn?

What do you want to visit?	How much time to allow
Just the main gardens and the Gloriette	About 2 hours
The State Apartments and the gardens	About 3 hours
Palace Ticket and gardens	Half a day
The Palace, Gardens and Zoo	Full day
Everything included in the Classic Pass Plus	Prefer 2 days

The times allow for a leisurely visit, including a few stops to take photos and a stroll through the park. If you stick to the main path between the palace and the Gloriette, you’ll get through the gardens more quickly.

View hotels near Schönbrunn

When to visit and how to avoid the crowds?

If you want to visit the interiors, ideally book one of the first time slots after the palace opens.

After your tour, head to the gardens, which are even more pleasant in the morning than around midday.

The park itself opens as early as 6.30 am. If you’re mainly interested in taking photographs and don’t want to go inside, come in the morning before the castle opens. The main gardens will be considerably less crowded.

During the summer, there is very little shade along the direct path to the Gloriette. On a hot day, therefore, head up there in the morning and take some water with you.

Buy your ticket to the palace in advance, particularly at weekends, during the summer season and in Advent.

Schönbrunn opening hours

The palace and park are open every day, including public holidays.

Part of the complex	Opening times
The castle	From 8.30 am; closes between 5.00 pm and 6.00 pm depending on the season
Park	From 6.30 am, closes between 5.30 pm and 9.00 pm depending on the month
Gloriette Gardens and Terrace (admission charged)	From late March to early November, usually from 9.30 am
Palmenhaus	All year round from 10.00

Last admission to the palace and most attractions is 45 minutes before closing time.

Please check the current opening times on the website schoenbrunn.at/opening-times before your visit.

Evening concert in the Orangery

Evening concerts featuring works by Mozart and Johann Strauss are held in the Schönbrunn Orangery.

This programme is designed primarily for visitors to Vienna. If you’re expecting a strictly formal concert for classical music connoisseurs, you’d be better off choosing one of the usual concert halls. However, for a pleasant evening in the festive setting of Schönbrunn, this concert works well.

A standard concert ticket does not include daytime admission to the palace. Some packages combine the concert with dinner or an evening tour of the palace, so please check the option you have selected when booking.

Book a concert at Schönbrunn

Accommodation near Schönbrunn

The area around Schönbrunn is quieter than the city centre and is particularly suitable for families, visitors to the zoo or travellers who want to stay away from the busiest part of Vienna.

Choose a hotel near the U4 underground line. This will take you directly to the palace and into the city centre without having to change trains.

My recommendations for hotels right next to the palace:

• Ibercity Wien Schönbrunn – a standard 4* hotel with good prices
• Doubletree by Hilton Vienna Schönbrunn – a great hotel for those who appreciate the facilities of a well-known chain

However, for a first short visit to Vienna, we’d still prefer accommodation closer to the city centre. You should mainly stay near Schönbrunn if you’re planning to spend most of your stay there.

View hotels near Schönbrunn

You can also stay right inside the palace in the luxurious Schloß Schönbrunn Grand Suite. This is more of a unique experience than a practical choice, and the price reflects this.

How do you get to Schönbrunn?

Schönbrunn is situated in the south-western part of Vienna. The most convenient way to get there is by the U4 underground line.

• U4 underground – Schönbrunn – main entrance to the palace and gardens
• Underground line U4 – Hietzing – the nearest station to the zoo, the Palmenhaus and the western part of the park
• Trams 10 and 60 – Schloß Schönbrunn stop
• Bus 10A – Schloß Schönbrunn stop

From the centre of Vienna, the journey to the palace by metro takes about a quarter of an hour. Standard Vienna public transport tickets are valid for this journey.

You can find ticket prices and further information in the article Transport and Public Transport in Vienna.

There is a pay-and-display car park at the main entrance, but travelling by car isn’t really worth it. The metro stops just a short walk from the gate, so you won’t have to worry about finding a parking space.

What to see around

Discover all the places to see in Vienna.