Schönbrunn Palace Tour: Half-Day Exploration with Historian Guide in Vienna
4.9
96 Ratings
Wien
Enjoy a half-day exploration of the stunning Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna with a knowledgeable historian guide. Discover the palace's beautiful gardens, learn about the House of Habsburg era, and marvel at the ornate decorations. Limited to six people for personalized attention.
Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Schonbrunner Gardens - We begin our encounter with the astonishing High Baroque Schönbrunn Palace (built to rival Versailles) with a stroll through the magnificent formal gardens, exploring the Baroque landscaping principle of interlaced nature and architecture that is illustrated everywhere in the layout of the grounds. Approaching the Gloriette, a huge triumphal arch situated on a hilltop with panoramic views of Vienna’s woods, we recall the military victories that made Empress Maria Theresa’s reign (1740-1780) a highpoint of the Habsburg dynasty’s political and cultural dominance in Europe. The park was opened not only to the court but to the general public from 1779, a populist gesture that reveals Maria Theresa’s canny charm offensive towards her subjects. Indeed, it was under Maria Theresa’s direction that Schönbrunn Palace became the focal point of Austria’s imperial policy and the centre of court life, in addition to functioning as the summer residence of a reigning family counting not less than 16 children! Several of this teaming brood of young royals did not survive to adulthood but the palace preserves the memory of their infancy, childhood summer activities, illnesses and early loss.
What's Included
  • Experienced guide included
What's Not Included
  • Schönbrunn Palace & Park admission ticket
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Embark on a half-day tour of Schönbrunn Palace, Austria’s Baroque masterpiece, with a small group. Accompanied by an historian guide, wander through its beautifully designed gardens and appreciate the stunning sight of the hilltop archway. As you journey, the guide will narrate the story of the House of Habsburg era. Venture into the palace’s exquisite bedrooms and suites, and be amazed by the intricate adornments in the Great Gallery, the Hall of Ceremonies, and the Yellow Salon. Benefit from the personal touch of your guide on this group tour, restricted to just six people.

  • Your guide will help you to purchase your Schönbrunn Palace & Park entrance tickets
Location
Group Center Schönbrunn
Meet your guide at the Schönbrunn Arrival Centre at Schönbrunner Schloßstrasse 50. Your guide waits in front of the Group Centre Building right across the street from the palace’s main entrance. THANK YOU FOR BEING ON TIME for your reserved tour since the palace can refuse late entry.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(96 Ratings)
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Tiffany_h
Apr 11, 2024
Fun, focused and family welcome. - Biljana was wonderful! Knowledge of historical facts and fictions & folklore kept all of us engaged. Patience to listen and focus to keep us moving forward was greatly appreciated.
Review provided by Viator
Mannino_c
Mar 1, 2024
Exceptional tour! - Biljana was an excellent guide. Full of energy, extremely knowledgeable and interesting. Traveling with my 21 year old son who was fully captured by the visit. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Viator
Lizbadiz
Jan 17, 2024
Insightful visit to Schönbrunn - We thoroughly enjoyed our private tour of the Schönbrunn palace. Katarina was very knowledgeable and provided fun and engaging insights throughout the entire tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Deborah_o
Nov 21, 2023
Schonbrunn small group tour - Katrina was our guide and she was great and very knowledgeable. It was a wonderful tour that we would highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Mdelorca
Oct 24, 2023
Superb history lesson - Biljana was one of the top guides we’ve experienced in over 40 years of international travel. Thorough knowledge of palace history and players with some royal gossip along the way. Schönbrunn’s interiors are both breathtaking and memorable—as are the vast and manicured grounds. A stop at the cafe in the way out was the perfect end to a great half-day tour.
Review provided by Viator
Helen_c
Oct 6, 2023
Great tour of Schönbrunn palace. - We had an excellent guide who was so knowledgeable and a great way of explaining things to us. The tour was so informative and entertaining. Highly recommended!!
Review provided by Viator
Richard_a
Sep 30, 2023
An Excellent Historical Overview - This is a highly-recommended tour. Our guide was thoroughly knowledgeable in the history of the Habsburg dynasty, particularly in the context of the Schonbrunn Palace. We completed our tour with a good understanding of the Palace's purpose and construction, and the purpose and usage of each of its important rooms. The Gardens tour was equally satisfying.
Review provided by Viator
Helencl2167jh
Sep 25, 2023
Great tour of Schönbrunn!! - Katarina gave us an excellent in-depth tour of Schōnbrunn palace. She teally made the tour interesting and informative . Highly recommend!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robertcz3514uk
Aug 20, 2023
Great and informative tour - Loved the tour. Biljana was a very knowledgeable, personable tour guide. Thought it was much more engaging and helped things come alive more to hear the stories of each room from her rather than from an audio commentary -- she clearly made an effort to put the information together in an engaging and yet informative way (side note -- I found her recommendation of where to go for good apfel strudel to be spot on :) ). The price was a bit high (and even higher with the entry fee not being included in the tour fee), but in my view well worth it as it helped us make the most of our limited time here and gave us an opportunity to spend time in rooms with someone clearly knowledgeable and passionate about the history behind them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
557tamrad
Jul 8, 2023
Not my favorite tour - We have had many experiences with tour guides over the years, but this was not my favorite. Our guide was kind and knowledgeable, but I felt like we missed out on much of the information that would have been available on the audio tour. We did get to go almost straight in, but I wish we heard many of the details about the items in each room.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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