Schönbrunn Palace tickets: imperial rooms and garden walks

From hunting lodge to imperial summer residence

At the end of the seventeenth century, Leopold I commissioned architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach to design a hunting lodge for his son. During the following century, the estate developed into a major imperial residence.

Under Maria Theresa, Schönbrunn became a centre of court life. Its rooms connect her era with the later lives of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth, known as Sisi. The palace and gardens received UNESCO World Heritage status in 1996.

Why visit Schönbrunn Palace?

The interiors make the scale of court life tangible, from formal reception spaces to private apartments. A guide can help connect the decoration to the people who used these rooms rather than leaving you to admire each room in isolation.

The park offers a different pace afterwards. Treat the palace and outdoor walk as two parts of a half-day, with time to sit down between them. You do not need to add every paid garden attraction to enjoy the setting.

Tickets and guided tour options

Choose between a shared English tour and a private visit. These are guided packages; the room route may differ from the palace’s self-guided Palace Ticket. Follow your booking’s meeting instructions before joining the tour.

• Skipping the ticket queue does not mean arriving whenever you like; keep the confirmed meeting time.
• The zoo, Children’s Museum, Maze, Privy Garden and other paid attractions require separate admission unless your chosen package explicitly includes them.

Ticket prices and what to compare

Check the total for your date, party size and selected service on Ticketory. Compare the tour language, private or shared format and transfers before choosing. A private package is a different service from basic admission.

The palace also offers its own self-guided Palace Ticket, covering the main ceremonial floor with an audio guide or printed description depending on availability. It is useful as a comparison for the room route, but it is not the same product as the guided tours above. Prices can change seasonally, so use the current booking total rather than an old advertised starting price.

Opening hours

The palace opens daily, including public holidays. From 1 September to 2 November 2026 its hours are 08:30–17:30; from 3 November 2026 to 31 March 2027 they are 08:30–17:00. Last palace admission is 45 minutes before closing.

Your guided tour has its own meeting time. Park gates open at 06:30, with closure at 19:00 in October and 17:30 from November through February. Check the seasonal timetable for later dates and individual attractions.

How to get to Schönbrunn

The palace address is Schönbrunner Schloßstraße 47, 1130 Vienna. Take underground line U4 to Schönbrunn, or trams 10 and 60 to Schloss Schönbrunn. Bus 10A also serves Schloss Schönbrunn.

The English tour lists Ehrenhofbrunnen in the palace forecourt as its meeting point. Use the precise instructions on your voucher and leave time to find your guide before entry. If you select a private tour with transfers, follow its pickup instructions instead of travelling to the shared-tour meeting point.

What to look for

Inside, look at how the formal rooms and private apartments express different sides of imperial life. The palace’s full self-guided route includes Franz Joseph and Elisabeth’s apartments, state rooms and Maria Theresa’s Rococo chambers; a guided package may follow a shorter selection.

Outside, pause for the garden-facing palace view before deciding whether to walk farther uphill. Gloriette Hill is an outdoor walk, while the viewing terrace is a separate paid attraction. Keep the distance and weather in mind before adding it.

Practical tips for your visit

Bring comfortable shoes and a layer for outdoor sections. Keep your reservation and meeting details available on your phone, and avoid scheduling another timed attraction immediately after the tour.

Personal photography is generally allowed in the state rooms during opening hours, but flash, tripods and selfie sticks are prohibited. Follow room-specific signs and staff instructions. Wheelchair users can reach the display rooms by lift; ask staff at the turnstile and confirm that your selected tour’s outdoor route also suits your needs.

• The main park does not require a palace ticket during its opening hours.
• For children, consider a shorter outdoor walk and a seated break rather than adding several attractions.
• Bicycles and drones are not allowed in the park.

How long should you allow?

Our suggestion is three to four hours for a guided visit, a moderate park walk and a break. This is a planning estimate: use your booking’s stated duration for the tour itself.

For context, the official self-guided Palace Ticket route takes about 75 minutes. A longer garden walk, a meal or a separate attraction can turn Schönbrunn into most of a day, so choose one extra rather than treating everything as essential.

Winter tips

Make the palace interiors your main winter booking and keep the park walk optional. Fountains do not run from mid-October to mid-April, and the paid outdoor attractions have seasonal schedules ending on 2 November for the published 2026 season.

Choose an earlier visit for daylight afterwards. Wear warm layers and shoes with grip, shorten the uphill walk in poor conditions, and leave time for a warm drink before travelling back into the city.

Schönbrunn Palace: planning questions