Is Schönbrunn worth booking in advance?

For the slot, yes. Entry is timed in fifteen-minute blocks and the stated time is binding, so booking ahead is how you choose your morning rather than accept whatever is free when you arrive. In July and August the early slots go first.

What is the difference between the Imperial Tour and the Grand Tour?

The Imperial Tour covers twenty-two rooms in about forty minutes. The Grand Tour covers forty in about seventy-five, adding Maria Theresa's apartments and the Chinese cabinets. Both include the audio guide.

Do I need a ticket for the gardens?

No. The parterre, the Neptune fountain and the walk up to the Gloriette are free and open daily. The Privy Garden, the maze and the Gloriette terrace itself are ticketed separately from the palace.

What happens if I arrive late for my slot?

Schönbrunn treats the admission time as binding and a late arrival can void the ticket. Allow extra time for the walk from U4 Schönbrunn and the queue at the entrance arch, which builds from mid-morning.

How do I get there from the centre of Vienna?

U4 to Schönbrunn, then a five-minute walk to the main gate. Trams 10 and 60 and bus 10A also stop nearby. From the airport, allow about an hour by rail with one change.

← Back to tickets

Visiting Schönbrunn Palace

By Clara Weingartner · Updated June 2026 · Writes about Vienna's imperial sites and how to see them without wasting a morning in a queue.

Everything worth knowing before you hold a slot: which tour to take, when the queues build, what the gardens cost, and how long the whole thing really takes.

Check availability & book ↗

Choosing your tour

Twenty-two rooms or forty. The Grand Tour is the one that includes Maria Theresa's own apartments, and it is the reason most people remember the visit.

Choosing your time

Slots run every fifteen minutes from 8.30am. The first hour is consistently the quietest, and in high summer it is the difference between moving freely and shuffling.

Getting there

U4 Schönbrunn, five minutes on foot. The entrance arch is further from the station than the map suggests once the pavement is busy.

The gardens

Free, open daily, and large enough to absorb an afternoon. The Gloriette climb is gentle and the view back down the parterre is the one the palace was designed to produce.

Ready to visit? Check live availability and book in a few taps — free cancellation up to 24h.

Check availability & book ↗