Tuesday 23rd October 2018
This morning we were off to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn, Schloss Schönbrunn in the district of Hietzing, Vienna.
It is a former imperial summer residence of the Habsburgs, with vast gardens, as well as, the Tiergarten (Vienna Zoo), The Palm house, The Desert House, located in the Sundial House and the Wagenburg, a museum of carriages and vehicles, to name but a few. There are many more attractions to keep you busy for quite a few hours or days!
A short train ride to Heiligenstadt from Klosterneuburg with one change onto the U4 subway took us directly to Schönbrunn station. It was about a 50 minute journey and 14 stops on the subway.
After a 700 m walk we arrived at the grand entrance to the palace. Despite the rather breezy, chilly weather there were plenty of people visiting today. As normal, many tourist coaches were parked directly outside along the main road but the sheer size of this attraction meant we were able to avoid much of the crowds during our visit.
We discovered that the palace and park are open 365 days a year and entrance to the palace park is free of charge during opening hours.
Tickets can be purchased online for special attractions including Palace tours, the Privy or Orangery Garden, the maze or the Children’s museum or combinations tickets.
We spent all of our time walking through the grounds, admiring the palatial palace, the parterre and climbing up to the Gloriette, a belvedere, sited at the top of the hill, enjoying scenic views over the palace and the city beyond.
We also came across some Roman ruins as we meandered along the various paths and avenues of the estate.
It is easy to see why the local inhabitants of Vienna enjoy spending their leisure time here; a peaceful retreat on a grand scale in a busy city. What’s not to enjoy 😉