Schönbrunn was the summer residence of the Habsburg emperors for centuries, and its 1,441 rooms and sprawling Baroque gardens make clear just how much wealth and ambition the dynasty poured into a single palace complex. This is where a young Mozart reportedly performed for Empress Maria Theresa, and where Emperor Franz Joseph was born and later died, a continuity of imperial history stretching across more than 200 years. Today only a portion of the palace is open to visitors, but that portion alone takes a full morning or afternoon to see properly.
Related: Schönbrunn Palace Tours: Imperial Tour or Grand Tour?
Top-Rated Schönbrunn Palace Tours & Tickets
Skip-the-Line Schonbrunn Palace Guided Tour and Vienna Historical City Tour
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What to See and Do at Schönbrunn Palace
Tour the Imperial Apartments
Rooms once used by Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Franz Joseph remain furnished with original pieces, including the Hall of Mirrors where a six-year-old Mozart is said to have performed, giving visitors a direct look at how the Habsburgs actually lived.
Walk the Gloriette Hilltop Terrace
A grand colonnaded structure crowns the hill behind the palace gardens, and the walk up rewards visitors with a sweeping view back down over the formal gardens, fountains, and the palace facade itself.
Explore the Palace Gardens and Neptune Fountain
Meticulously trimmed hedges, gravel paths, and a dramatic fountain depicting Neptune lead the eye straight up toward the Gloriette, and the gardens are free to wander even without a ticket to the palace interior.
Visit the World’s Oldest Zoo
Tucked into a corner of the grounds, Tiergarten Schönbrunn was founded in the 18th century as an imperial menagerie and remains a working zoo today, an unexpected but genuinely popular add-on to a palace visit.
Get Lost in the Palm House and Maze
A restored 19th-century glasshouse holds tropical plants under soaring iron-and-glass arches, while a hedge maze nearby gives kids and adults alike a break from the formal, symmetrical garden layout elsewhere on the grounds.
Best Time to Visit
Spring and early summer bring the gardens to full bloom, while a weekday morning visit, especially outside peak summer months, generally means shorter lines for the apartment tour. The Gloriette terrace is particularly worth timing for a clear afternoon given the view it offers.
How to Get There
Schönbrunn sits just outside Vienna’s city center and is directly served by the U4 subway line, making it one of the easiest palace visits in Europe to reach without a car or organized tour.
Good to Know
The gardens are free and open daily, but the interior apartments require a ticket, and booking a timed entry ahead is worth doing in high season to avoid long queues at the door. Set aside at least half a day if you want to combine the apartments, gardens, and Gloriette without rushing.
Schönbrunn distills centuries of Habsburg history into a single afternoon, and between the gilded interiors and the gardens climbing toward the Gloriette, it’s easy to see why it remains Vienna’s most visited site.
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