Vienna Week – Day 1

For those who enjoy exploring palaces, and are willing to venture outside the city center, visitors can explore the Schönbrunn palace. The Schönbrunn Palace was the summer palace for the Habsburgs, and has extensive grounds to explore. Visitors arrive near the front gate and are immediately greeted to expansive views of the elaborate palace. To the left is a gift shop where visitors if they have no yet purchased tickets, can purchase them.   Visitors can explore the grounds and the garden, but also purchase tickets to explore inside the palace and a few of the speciality gardens. There are two tours inside the palace, and one just provides visitors with additional rooms to see.

We definitely recommend the extended tour if you enjoy history, architecture, or just exploring exquisite rooms. The rooms are primarily focused on the decor, furniture, and history of Emperor Franz Josef and his family, and Empress Maria Theresa and her family. There is an opportunity to get individual electronic guides, but we always choose to read the signs which have the same information. We have visited a couple times, and each time we had loved learning about the Habsburgs, the history, and enjoying the ornately decorated and lavish rooms.

Afterwards, we have walked out to explore the gardens. There are a variety of different gardens for visitors to access for free, but there are also speciality gardens visitors can visit. The gardens are quite expansive and provide a variety of sceneries to wander throughout, such as rose tunnels and flowers laid out in the Austrian flag colors. Within the garden there is also a zoo, cafes, and various sculptures, providing an array of places to explore. We have spent several afternoons exploring the gardens and enjoying the natural scenery.