Schloss Schönbrunn

Schönbrunn was built by the Habsburg dynasty as a summer residence in the mid 17th century. Mainly used for hunting reasons, it was only the last Emperor Franz Josef and his wife Sissy that used it during extended periods - mostly to flee the 'stuffy' Vienna Hofburg Palace in the city centre.

Schönbrunn has a fabulous palace museum to visit (keep in mind that you will see a very small fraction of the 1500 rooms it houses), exquisite gardens and parks, the Schönbrunn Zoo, mazes, the Gloriette building within the park, and many other things.

You can spend the whole day here - just make sure you visit the palace museums as early as possible, lines to get in tend to be long the later the day gets...

Please refer to our TOP ATTRACTION section for further information on this highlight!

This is of course also a great day event for children:

Please note that the children's indoor palace programs and tickets are bought on the right of the main entrance of the Palace (not where normal tickets are sold!). The tickets include interactive games and activities for children - like 'setting the imperial table' and dressing up as a royal child. Kids will learn the differences between royal and middle class children as well as what kids ate and played with from the time period.

When finished with the indoor program - don't miss the palace gardens though: you will find the Maze and Labyrinth while strolling around the park, which is always a big hit! Both are geared towards a range of ages in children.

You can let them run free trying out all the different fun activities, like the amazing playground right next to the Maze with wonderful climbing equipment.