{"id":161,"date":"2015-08-19T13:14:32","date_gmt":"2015-08-19T11:14:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=161"},"modified":"2025-12-01T17:49:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T16:49:11","slug":"tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/schonbrunn\/tour\/","title":{"rendered":"Sch\u00f6nbrunn Palace tours"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><a href=\"#tickets\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/schoenbrunntourtickets.jpg\" alt=\"Part of a Baroque table\" class=\"wp-image-46253\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Anyone wishing to see the interiors of Sch\u00f6nbrunn Palace has to go on a guided tour or buy an entrance ticket for the self-guided equivalent. It&#8217;s well worth doing so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Staterooms full of history<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Two self-guided tours available<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do the longest one (trust me)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Entrance requires a time slot<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Popular times may sell out: book in advance if you can<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Book a Sch\u00f6nbrunn <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/schonbrunn-palace-tickets-l145516\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LGSchPalVenue\" rel=\"sponsored\">concert, tour &amp; more<\/a>*<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/palace-of-schonbrunn\/\">Sch\u00f6nbrunn overview &amp; visitor tips<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/tours-historical-buildings\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"58561\">Tours of historical buildings<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inside Sch\u00f6nbrunn palace<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/schoenbrunnpalace.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15722\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/schoenbrunnpalace.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/schoenbrunnpalace-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(<strong>Schlo\u00df Sch\u00f6nbrunn, Wien<\/strong> \u2013 the palace)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ignoring the details of the historical rooms, fittings and furnishings, Sch\u00f6nbrunn Palace is just one of those places where you can talk of &#8220;real&#8221; history. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/mozart\/\">Mozart<\/a> (1756-1791) performed to the court and guests behind these walls as both a child and adult<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The corridors echoed to the sound of Empress Maria Theresa (1717-1780) planning strategic marriages that would determine the destiny of Europe<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>News from the WWI trenches or the 1866 Austro-Prussian war reached <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/franz-joseph\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"26307\">Emperor Franz Joseph<\/a> (1830-1916) here<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Napoleon lived in the palace in 1805 and 1809 after his troops entered the city<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, so much opulence acts as a monument to the decadence of the nobility and the extreme inequality of times past. You find yourself wondering if they really needed all that space.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/schoenbrunngrandgallery.jpg\" alt=\"The Great Gallery\" class=\"wp-image-53565\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/schoenbrunngrandgallery.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/schoenbrunngrandgallery-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Sch\u00f6nbrunn Palace, Great Gallery \u00a9 Schlo\u00df Sch\u00f6nbrunn Kultur- und Betriebsges.m.b.H. \u2013 Alexander Eugen Koller)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re not on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/schonbrunn-palace-tickets-l145516\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LGSchPalVenue\" rel=\"sponsored\">tour with an independent guide<\/a>*, the palace offers its own guided tour and two popular self-guided alternatives, where you walk around at your own pace with an audioguide: the <em>State Apartments<\/em> and <em>Palace Ticket<\/em> options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of the self-guided alternatives simply as two different levels of permission for accessing the palace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/schonbrunn\/imperial-tour\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"15720\">State Apartments<\/a> tour is a quick &#8220;best of&#8221; tour of around nine rooms and includes the Great Gallery (imagine a ball scene from a Disney film).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the extra cost for the other option is low enough that I&#8217;d strongly recommend you do the longer tour if you have the budget and time&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/schonbrunn\/grand-tour\/\">Palace Ticket<\/a> tour sends you around 39 rooms\/areas that include, for example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The nine rooms of the State Apartments tour<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The audience room<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Emperor Franz Joseph&#8217;s study and bedroom<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/sisi\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"34621\">Empress Elisabeth<\/a>&#8216;s dressing room and salon<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The breathtaking and moving Vieux-Laque room redecorated by Maria Theresa in honour of her late husband (probably my favourite room in the palace)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Both tours begin with an introductory immersive experience covering palace history and the important personalities associated with this imperial residence.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/lacquerroom.jpg\" alt=\"Vieux-Laque room at Sch\u00f6nbrunn\" class=\"wp-image-15871\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/lacquerroom.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/lacquerroom-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Sch\u00f6nbrunn Palace, Vieux-Laque room \u00a9 Schlo\u00df Sch\u00f6nbrunn Kultur- und Betriebsges.m.b.H. \u2013 Alexander Eugen Koller)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tickets\">Sch\u00f6nbrunn tour ticket tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Be mindful that queues for the self-guided tour tickets in peak seasons can sometimes be quite long, and each ticket comes with a fixed time slot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re unlucky, you may have to wait twice: once to get your ticket and again before you can actually go in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Which means buying an advance ticket with a fixed time slot makes a lot of sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I talk about the options in my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/palace-of-schonbrunn\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1672\">overview article<\/a> for wider Sch\u00f6nbrunn, but here a quick summary&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Book a tour with a live guide. For example:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Booking service provided by Tiqets.com*, who I am an affiliate of)<\/p><div data-tiqets-widget=\"availability\" data-layout=\"full\" data-product-id=\"976203\" data-partner=\"visitingvienna\" data-tq-campaign=\"AW_Spal\"><\/div><script defer src=\"https:\/\/widgets.tiqets.com\/loader.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Purchase a suitable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/city-passes\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"30352\">sightseeing pass<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, at the time of writing, a Vienna Pass (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/vienna-pass-review\/\">see my review<\/a>) entitles you to one free State Apartment tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the Vienna Pass, you still need to book a time slot on reaching the Sch\u00f6nbrunn arrival centre. But if you have to wait to go into the palace, the pass also gets you into other less-busy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/palace-of-schonbrunn\/\">attractions at Sch\u00f6nbrunn<\/a>. So you can make good use of any waiting time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Book an in-house guided tour or self-guided Sch\u00f6nbrunn tour ticket and time slot from the official <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schoenbrunn.at\/\">website<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also buy these tickets, of course, at the ticket office immediately inside the palace courtyard to the left of the main entrance. But, like I say, you may encounter queues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Good to know<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The self-guided tours include a free audio guide, which has a choice of languages (including English, of course), or a printed description<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The rooms include some written information (in German and English) but you need a guide of some kind to fully benefit from the experience<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The interiors have a royalist flavour to them. You won&#8217;t see much indication of life for those outside the imperial family or their immediate entourage: you can view various bedrooms and ballrooms, but not the kitchens or servant quarters<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The entrance to the palace proper is away from its centre. Instead, go to the left-hand side of the large palace building after you pass through the main gateway to Sch\u00f6nbrunn<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Again, don&#8217;t forget Sch\u00f6nbrunn has plenty of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/palace-of-schonbrunn\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1672\">other attractions<\/a>, even if the palace tour forms the centrepiece. Consider, for example, a simple (and free) walk through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/schonbrunn\/gardens-park\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"15260\">park and gardens<\/a> to see the various botanical displays and architectural ornamentation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For another dose of palatial household fun, try:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A tour of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/winter-palace\/kaiserappartements\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2658\">imperial apartments<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/winter-palace\/sisi-museum\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2539\">Sisi museum<\/a> in the Hofburg palace complex in Vienna&#8217;s city centre. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/winter-palace\/hofburg-visitor-information\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2711\">Hofburg tour(s)<\/a> have a strong focus on Empress Elisabeth and Emperor Franz Joseph<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/albertina\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2995\">Albertina art museum<\/a>: an entrance ticket includes various top art exhibitions but also allows you to walk around the splendid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/albertina-staterooms\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2997\">19th-century staterooms<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And for information and advice on tours of one of Vienna&#8217;s many other historical buildings, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/stefansdom\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"294\">Stephansdom cathedral<\/a> and the venerable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/classical-concert\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"5359\">concert halls<\/a>, take a peek at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/tours-historical-buildings\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"58561\">this overview<\/a> of your main options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get to the palace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/schonbrunn\/gettingthere\/\">directions and travel tips<\/a> for Sch\u00f6nbrunn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Schlo\u00df Sch\u00f6nbrunn, 1130 Vienna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1oN2SutdbrqOx-JViFyKk3v-X_Kw\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anyone wishing to see the interiors of Sch\u00f6nbrunn Palace has to go on a guided tour or buy an entrance ticket for the self-guided equivalent. It&#8217;s well worth doing so. Inside Sch\u00f6nbrunn palace (Schlo\u00df Sch\u00f6nbrunn, Wien \u2013 the palace) Ignoring the details of the historical rooms, fittings and furnishings, Sch\u00f6nbrunn Palace is just one of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46252,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-161","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-schonbrunn","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87294,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161\/revisions\/87294"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}