How to get to Schönbrunn Palace

By U4: the simplest route

The palace's visitor page lists the U4 first: ride to Schönbrunn station. Trams 10 and 60 and bus 10A stop at Schloss Schönbrunn, the name to enter in a route planner if you prefer street level. The U4 is also the line that calls at Karlsplatz, a station shared with the U1 and U2, so it works as the main route from most of the city. The palace gives no walking time from the station, so leave some margin before your entry time.

From the centre and the railway stations

From Stephansplatz, take the U1 to Karlsplatz and change to the U4 for Schönbrunn station. From Wien Hauptbahnhof the palace gives the same route: U1 to Karlsplatz, then the U4. From Westbahnhof, the palace lists a direct tram to the Schloss Schönbrunn stop and puts the ride at about 15 minutes. From Meidling station it gives about 30 minutes by underground with a change onto the U4. Lines and stops can change, so confirm the route in a journey planner on the day.

From Vienna Airport

The palace puts the trip from Vienna International Airport at about 60 minutes by public transport. Airport rail links and airport buses run into the city, and from there you continue to Schönbrunn by U-Bahn or tram, so expect at least one change. The palace's how-to-get-here page sets out the current options. Works and replacement buses do affect the airport rail links from time to time, so check ÖBB and the airport's transport page before you set off.

By car, and the grounds' rules

Schönbrunn has a bus and car park, run by Best in Parking, which the palace says is open around the clock. Driving into the park itself is not allowed. Three parking spaces for visitors with special needs sit by the main gate on Schönbrunner Schloßstraße. The palace's FAQ gives driving directions from the main motorways, including from the airport. Bicycles and drones are not allowed in the park either.

Season, hours and entry time

The palace's hours change with the season, so the opening-times page is the source for your date. Last admission is 45 minutes before closing. The park gates open early, and park hours vary month by month. The fountains do not run from mid-October to mid-April. The Privy Garden, the Orangery Garden, the maze and the Gloriette terrace follow a summer-season schedule. The palace publishes no crowd data, so the choice of an early or late slot is yours.

Read next: The best time to visit Schönbrunn Palace

How long to allow

Allow about 40 minutes for State Apartments, about 75 minutes for the Palace Ticket tour, and check the palace's ticket page for the length of its own Guided Tour Maria Theresia. The guided tour offered here is a separate guide company's product and takes two hours, including time in the gardens. The Classic Pass is meant to take three to four hours. The park measures 1.2 kilometres from east to west and about one kilometre from north to south, so it can fill an afternoon on its own. Add time for the entrance and, if you want, the zoo.

Read next: Schönbrunn tickets: which one to book

What you will see and hear

The interiors are Rococo: gilt stucco, mirrors, lacquer and porcelain. The Great Gallery is about 40 metres long, with ceiling frescoes by Gregorio Guglielmi, and it served as the setting for court balls and receptions. The Millions Room has Indo-Persian miniatures set into its panelling. Franz Joseph also held audiences at the palace, where subjects of the empire could ask to be received. His bedroom is plain by comparison: the emperor washed in cold water, and the rooms are kept as they were when he died there in 1916. The audio guide is free, handed out after the turnstiles, in 21 languages, with written descriptions in 24.

The gardens and the Gloriette

You can enter the park free of charge during opening hours, and the Great Parterre runs from the palace to the Neptune Fountain. The park was opened to the public in the late 18th century, and the Gloriette has crowned the hill behind it since 1775. Its viewing terrace needs a ticket and is reached by stairs, the Privy Garden is also ticketed separately, and the glazed centre of the Gloriette holds a café. A ramp to the right of the palace, seen from the courtyard, gives direct access to the garden.

Read next: Schönbrunn gardens and the Gloriette

With children, and for access

The Children's Museum is on the palace's ground floor, and children must be accompanied by an adult in the maze. For wheelchair users, the palace describes lift access to the palace rooms, and its barrier-free page explains which areas suit wheelchairs, so read it before you go. Wheelchairs can be borrowed free against an ID deposit at the turnstile. Assistance dogs are admitted to the palace, other dogs are not. Video guides in Austrian Sign Language are available. Tell the staff at the turnstile that you need the lift.

Photos and house rules

Private photography for personal use is generally allowed in the state rooms, but not with flash, and the house rules restrict equipment such as tripods. Commercial filming and photography need a permit from the palace, so anything beyond holiday snaps, in the rooms or the park, should be cleared with it first. The palace publishes house rules and park rules as downloads on its site, and by entering you accept them, so skim them if you plan anything beyond ordinary sightseeing.

Who this isn't for

If you cannot manage stairs, the Gloriette terrace is not for you, and you should check the palace's barrier-free page for the rest of the route. If you are bringing a dog, it cannot enter the palace, and the park has its own rules for dogs, so read them first. If you want a guided visit in a language other than German or English, the palace's own guided tour won't suit, and you would need a guide company's tour instead. And if you are relying on the airport rail links, check their status first, because works can disrupt them.