Skip-the-line available The Gardens, the Gloriette and the Grounds
The free formal gardens and Great Parterre, the Gloriette view over Vienna, the fountains, the Palm House, the maze and the world's oldest zoo — Schönbrunn beyond the palace.
The palace is only half of Schönbrunn. Behind it stretch some of Europe's grandest formal gardens — the Great Parterre, lined with clipped hedges, flowerbeds and statues, rising to the Gloriette, the arcaded folly on the hill that frames the classic view back over the palace and the city of Vienna. The main gardens, the Great Parterre and the Gloriette hill are free to enter and open daily on their own long hours. Around them lie further attractions that each need a separate ticket: the Gloriette terrace, the Palm House, the maze and labyrinth, and the Tiergarten Schönbrunn — the oldest zoo in the world. This guide covers what to see, what's free, and how to plan your time in the grounds.
Are the Schönbrunn gardens free, and what do they include?
Yes — the main formal gardens at Schönbrunn are free to enter and open daily, with no ticket and no time slot required. The free area includes the Great Parterre, the broad symmetrical garden directly behind the palace, its clipped hedges, statues and seasonal flowerbeds framing the central axis that draws the eye up to the Gloriette of 1775 on the hill. You can walk the parterre, the tree-lined avenues, the lawns and most of the grounds without paying anything, which makes the gardens one of the best free things to do in Vienna. Your palace ticket covers only the interior rooms of the Grand Tour; the surrounding designed landscape, part of the UNESCO World Heritage ensemble inscribed in 1996, is a separate, no-cost experience you can enjoy before or after your timed palace slot, or on its own.
The gardens keep longer hours than the palace, typically opening early in the morning and staying open until dusk, which shifts with the season — later in summer, earlier in winter. This means you can arrive well before your palace slot for a quiet early walk, or linger long after the interior closes, which for most of the year is around 17:30, for golden-hour light on the Gloriette. A handful of features within the grounds do charge a separate admission — the Gloriette viewing terrace, the maze and labyrinth, the Palm House, the Privy Garden and the Tiergarten zoo — but the great sweep of the formal gardens, the Great Parterre and the walk up to the foot of the Gloriette costs nothing. Budget one to two hours to enjoy the free grounds properly, ideally ending on the hill for the view over the palace and Vienna.
The Gloriette and the best view over Vienna
The Gloriette is the arcaded stone folly crowning the hill behind the gardens, and it offers the single best view at Schönbrunn: looking back down the Great Parterre to the palace, with the skyline of Vienna spread out beyond. Built in 1775 under Maria Theresa as a garden pavilion and a monument to Habsburg power, it closes the great central axis of the garden design and is the destination of the classic Schönbrunn walk from the palace rear. Reaching the foot of the Gloriette and enjoying the panorama from the hillside is free; there is a separate paid viewing terrace and a café inside the structure for those who want to go up. The climb from the parterre is gentle but steady, taking about 15 to 20 minutes at a relaxed pace, and the exposed hilltop is cooler and windier than the sheltered gardens below.
The Gloriette hill is where visitors take the definitive photograph of Schönbrunn, and the light is best in early morning and late afternoon. On a clear day the view stretches across the palace and the formal gardens to the towers and rooftops of central Vienna, giving the fullest sense of the scale of the imperial estate that Maria Theresa shaped and UNESCO inscribed in 1996. The walk up rewards the effort even without paying for the terrace, and the café inside the 1775 folly makes a pleasant stop. Because the hill is exposed, it catches the wind and is cooler than the sheltered parterre below, so bring a layer in spring, autumn and winter. Pairing an early palace slot soon after the 08:30 opening with a Gloriette walk afterwards is the concierge-recommended way to experience Schönbrunn in a single morning.
The fountains, the Roman Ruin and the garden monuments
The formal gardens are studded with Baroque set-pieces that reward a slower wander. The grandest is the Neptune Fountain, a monumental water feature at the foot of the Gloriette hill, its sculpted sea-gods framing the ascent to the 1775 folly above — the visual hinge of the whole garden composition that Maria Theresa shaped. Elsewhere in the grounds stand the Roman Ruin, an 18th-century romantic 'ruin' built deliberately as a garden ornament in the fashion of the age, and the Obelisk Fountain, a tall monument rising from a rocky base. These structures were designed as stations along the garden walks, each offering a composed view back toward the palace or up to the Gloriette, and they remain within the free-to-enter area of the grounds, part of the UNESCO World Heritage estate inscribed in 1996.
One seasonal caveat is worth planning around: the garden fountains, including the Neptune Fountain at the foot of the Gloriette hill, are switched off from roughly mid-October to mid-April, so a winter visit sees them dry. In the warmer months they run and are at their most photogenic in the soft light of morning or late afternoon. The gardens also include long avenues of trimmed trees, open lawns, and the Sundial House and other smaller features, all part of the historic designed landscape recognised in the palace's UNESCO World Heritage listing of 1996. Walking the gardens between the palace and the Gloriette of 1775, taking in the Neptune Fountain and the Roman Ruin along the way, is the best way to appreciate how Maria Theresa's whole ensemble was composed as a single Baroque work of art.
The Palm House, Desert House and Privy Garden
Toward the western side of the grounds, near the Hietzinger Tor gate and Hietzing U4 station, stand the palace's glasshouses, each requiring a separate ticket. The Palm House, opened in 1882, is a soaring iron-and-glass Victorian-era conservatory — one of the largest of its kind in Europe — housing tropical and subtropical plants across climate zones under its great arched roof. Nearby, the Desert Experience House (Wüstenhaus) is dedicated to arid-climate flora and fauna. These are excellent wet-weather or winter options, offering a warm, green interior when the outdoor gardens are bare and the fountains are switched off between mid-October and mid-April, and they appeal particularly to visitors interested in botany or historic garden architecture. Both sit close to the Tiergarten zoo, on the far side of the grounds from the main palace entrance on Schönbrunner Schloßstraße.
The Privy Garden (Kammergarten), the more intimate formal garden immediately beside the palace that was once the private preserve of the imperial family under Maria Theresa, also carries a separate admission. Restored to its historic planting, it offers a quieter, more enclosed counterpoint to the vast open Great Parterre, and rewards visitors who want to slow down away from the main axis that leads up to the Gloriette. Because each of these features — Palm House, Desert House and Privy Garden — is ticketed individually, it is worth deciding in advance which ones fit your interests and time rather than trying to see everything in a single visit. For most first-time visitors, the free parterre and Gloriette walk is the priority; the glasshouses and Privy Garden are rewarding add-ons for those with a full day or a specific interest in the gardens.
The maze, the labyrinth and the world's oldest zoo
Schönbrunn's grounds hold two of Vienna's best family attractions, both ticketed separately from the palace. The Tiergarten Schönbrunn, founded in 1752, is the oldest continuously operating zoo in the world, born as an imperial menagerie under Maria Theresa's husband Francis Stephen and now a modern conservation zoo home to giant pandas, elephants and hundreds of other species. It is a major attraction in its own right and can easily absorb two to three hours, so families often build a full day around it alongside the free formal gardens, the walk up to the Gloriette of 1775, and the Grand Tour of the palace. The zoo sits on the western side of the grounds, closest to the Hietzinger Tor gate and Hietzing U4 station on the green line, one stop beyond Schönbrunn station, and keeps its own opening hours and admission separate from the palace tour.
Near the zoo lie the maze and labyrinth — a recreated hedge maze based on the historic 18th-century original, plus a labyrinth and play area — which are a hit with children and also ticketed on their own. Together with the Children's Museum inside the palace complex, these turn Schönbrunn into a genuine full-day family destination rather than a one-hour palace stop. If you are visiting with children, the concierge recommendation is to book an early palace slot soon after the 08:30 opening, walk the free gardens and the Gloriette of 1775, then spend the afternoon at the Tiergarten zoo — the oldest in the world, founded in 1752 — and the maze. If your interest is the palace and gardens alone, the free parterre-and-Gloriette circuit plus the interior tour is a satisfying half-day, and you can skip the ticketed extras entirely.
Frequently asked
Are the Schönbrunn gardens free?
Yes — the main formal gardens, the Great Parterre and the walk up to the foot of the Gloriette hill are free to enter and open daily, with no ticket or time slot. Your palace ticket covers only the interior rooms.
What is free and what needs a ticket at Schönbrunn?
Free: the formal gardens, Great Parterre, avenues and the Gloriette hillside. Separate tickets: the palace interior, the Gloriette viewing terrace, the maze and labyrinth, the Palm House, the Desert House, the Privy Garden and the zoo.
What is the Gloriette at Schönbrunn?
The Gloriette is an arcaded stone pavilion built in 1775 on the hill behind the gardens, closing the central axis. It offers the best view back over the palace and Vienna. The hillside is free; there is a separate paid terrace and café.
How long is the walk up to the Gloriette?
About 15–20 minutes at a relaxed pace up a gentle but steady slope from the Great Parterre, past the Neptune Fountain. The hill is exposed and catches the wind, so bring a layer in cooler months.
Is the Schönbrunn zoo worth visiting?
Yes — the Tiergarten Schönbrunn, founded in 1752, is the oldest zoo in the world and home to giant pandas, elephants and hundreds of species. It can absorb 2–3 hours and needs a separate ticket, so families often plan a full day.
When do the Schönbrunn fountains run?
The garden fountains, including the Neptune Fountain, run in the warmer months and are switched off from roughly mid-October to mid-April, so a winter visit sees them dry.
What are the Schönbrunn gardens' opening hours?
The gardens open early each morning and stay open until dusk, which shifts by season — later in summer, earlier in winter. They keep longer hours than the palace, so you can arrive before or stay after your palace slot.
Can I visit the gardens without a palace ticket?
Yes. The main gardens, parterre and Gloriette hillside are free and separate from the palace tour, so you can enjoy the grounds without buying a palace ticket. The ticketed extras (zoo, Palm House, maze) are also independent of the palace.