Schönbrunn Palace

The Habsburg summer palace, where the gardens are free and enormous, and the palace itself is sold as a choice between two routes.

What it costs

The gardens are free, and they are vast — parterre, avenues, the hill up to the Gloriette. Most of a good day here costs nothing.

The palace interior is sold as two circuits: a shorter one covering the state rooms, and a longer one adding the imperial apartments. Both are timed entry. Inside the gardens, several attractions charge separately — the Gloriette terrace, the maze, the Palm House and the zoo, which is one of the oldest in the world.

When to go

Timed slots for the palace sell out in summer, so this is worth booking. The gardens open earlier than the palace and empty out in the evening, which is when the walk up to the Gloriette is best — and that view back over the city is free.

Getting there

Metro U4 to Schönbrunn. The palace is a short walk from the station, and the entrance you want is signposted.

If you only have an hour

Skip the palace. Walk the parterre, climb to the Gloriette, and look back down at the palace with Vienna behind it. That is the picture everyone comes for, it takes about an hour, and it is free.

What people get wrong

People plan an hour and need most of a day. The grounds are a park the size of a district, and the walk to the Gloriette and back is itself an hour. If you only have a morning, do the gardens and skip the interior rather than the reverse.

Nearby

Ticketing arrangements and opening patterns as published for 2026 and checked on 4 September 2026. These change without much warning — confirm with the site itself before you travel. More sights, and how they fit together, in Landmarks & Sights.