Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

Schönbrunn Palace (German: Schloss Schönbrunn) is the former summer residence of the Habsburgs in the Hietzing district of Vienna. The Baroque palace was begun in 1696 to designs by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and was given its present form in the 1740s and 1750s under Empress Maria Theresa. It has 1,441 rooms: here the six-year-old Mozart played for the empress in 1762, Emperor Franz Joseph was born in 1830 and died in 1916, and in 1918 the last emperor, Charles I, renounced his role in government. Together with its gardens, Schönbrunn has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996 and is one of the most visited sights in Austria.

The palace lies about 5 kilometers southwest of the city center. Take the U4 metro line to Schönbrunn station, about 10 minutes from Karlsplatz, and walk five minutes to the main entrance; Hietzing station on the same line is closer to the zoo.

The palace interiors can only be visited with a ticket for a fixed time slot, best booked online. In 2026 the State Apartments ticket (the ceremonial rooms, about 40 minutes) costs €30, the Palace Ticket for the whole piano nobile (about 75 minutes) €42, and the Classic Pass, which adds the Privy Garden, the Orangery Garden, the maze and the Gloriette terrace, €49. The Tiergarten Schönbrunn, founded in 1752 and the oldest zoo in the world still in operation, costs from €29.

The palace park itself is free and open every day from 6:30 a.m. Its avenues, fountains, statues and the Roman Ruin lead up the hill to the Gloriette (1775), a colonnaded pavilion with a café and a panoramic view over the palace and Vienna. The park is at its best in summer, when the flower beds are in bloom, but it is pleasant for walks all year round, and in winter a Christmas market is held on the square in front of the palace.

Key points:

• Built: from 1696; remodeled under Maria Theresa in the 1740s–1750s.
• Tickets (2026): State Apartments €30, Palace Ticket €42, Classic Pass €49; the park is free.
• Hours: palace daily from 8:30 a.m.; park daily from 6:30 a.m.
• Getting there: U4 metro, Schönbrunn or Hietzing station.
• UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.