Exploring the Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens [Part 1/2] - Family Vacation

As a family we are not really used to taking group vacations.Maybe it's because we are living together so getting away from each other is more common, then spending even more time together on vacations. Anyway it was high time for some family fun (Beni included). Over a prolonged weekend we visited Vienna. One of the highlights of our trip was a visit to the Schönbrunn Palace and its gardens. I have shown this amazing place before on the blog, but this time we will explore it more in depth (and also visit when the leaves are still on the trees). This is part one of our images and stories from Vienna. For the Schönbrunn visit Beni stayed in our AirBnb apartment we rented, since dogs are not permitted here (which is the only place in Vienna, that is usually a very dog friendly city).

With the subway we reached Schönbrunn Palace rather quickly. A few kilometers west of the center of Vienna, the spectacular Schönbrunn Palace (Schloss Schönbrunn) was built in the early 18th century in a beautiful park-like setting and remains one of Austria's leading attractions. The palace's history goes back further, to 1569, when Emperor Maximilian II acquired a small summer palace in a converted mill on this site.

After the defeat of the Turks in 1683, Emperor Leopold I commissioned an Imperial palace on the site of what was then known as the Palace of Klatterburg. He hoped it would rival the Palace of Versailles. Instead, the more modest Baroque Schönbrunn Palace with its 1,441 rooms and apartments was built between 1696 and 1730, and soon after converted into a residence for Maria Theresa, the only female Habsburg ruler. On the day of our visit (which was on September 2nd 2017) the crowds were manageable. Our dad got tickets to visit the inside of the Palace. We didn't, because we had visited previously in 2010.

The spectacular park around Schönbrunn Palace covers an area of 500 acres and was laid out in the 18th century in Baroque style. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, its numerous gardens and outbuildings make it a wonderful place to explore. A particular pleasure is simply wandering the numerous paths alongside the park's flower beds while trying to spot all 44 of its 18th-century mythological marble sculptures. Another highlight is visiting Neptune's Fountain, sculpted based on themes from Greek mythology, including the story of Thetis and her son Achilles.

Also of interest is the Tyrolean Garden, an Alpine note added to Schönbrunn Park that includes a farmhouse built in 1722. Another must-visit is the Classical Gloriette Arcade on the top of the hill at Schönbrunn. You will see more of Gloriette in the second part.

How to Make the Most of Your Visit to Vienna's Schönbrunn Palace

• Tours: A 3.5-hour Vienna Historical City Tour with Schonbrunn Palace Visit combines a guided coach tour of Vienna's highlights - Hofburg Palace, Ringstrasse, and the Vienna State Opera - with a guided tour of Schönbrunn Palace. There's plenty of time to explore the gardens and park on your own before the coach returns to the city and Belvedere Palace, where tour-goers get discounted tickets to visit its art collections if they choose to. 
• Dining: Schönbrunn Palace offers several dining experiences, from the fancy Café Restaurant Residenz, with its fine dining options, to the outdoor terraced cafés, including Café Gloriette, with excellent views over the Park. 
• Access: The Schönbrunn Palace is fully wheelchair accessible, as is the Panorama Train.
• Getting There: A 40-minute walk from Vienna's city center, the palace is on tram lines 10 and 58, bus route 10A, and U-Bahn (Subway) route U4, all of which stop at Schönbrunn station. Public parking is available.

The beautiful Roman fountain will close out Part One of this series of images. In the next installment you will see the amazing flowers and well maintained gardens behind the main palace, and we will also venture further up the hills to the Gloriette to see sweeping views of the city.

End of Part One

To be continued...

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