I’m a huge fan of Baroque architecture, so one of the places I knew I absolutely knew I had to visit during my last trip to Europe was the Schönbrunn Palace.
It’s known as one of the continent’s most beautiful Baroque complexes but is full of history. Owned by the Habsburgs since the 1500s, countless movies have been filmed here, and even Mozart performed here in the late 1700s!
I’ve gone ahead and carefully compiled a list of the 5 top Schönbrunn Palace tours available, that are well worth the time and money. Let’s get started!
Best Schönbrunn Palace Tours
| Exclusive Evening at Schönbrunn Palace: After-Hours Audiotour, Dinner, Concert | Private Tour: Half-Day History of Schönbrunn Palace | Vienna: Schönbrunn Skip the Line Palace Tour and Gardens | ||
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| Location: | Schonbrunn Palace, Schlosstrasse 47, Vienna 1130 | Hotel pickup and drop-off included | Schönbrunner Schloßstraße 47, 1130 Wien | |
| Start: | 5:15 PM | 9:30 AM, 2:00 PM | Between 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM | |
| Duration: | 5 hours | 3 hours | 1 to 2 hours | |
| Includes: | Access to Schönbrunn Palace after official Opening Hours, Self-guided audio tour of Schönbrunn, Palace 3-course dinner within walking distance from Palace Concert in Orangery | Schonbrunn Palace Tour and Gardens with a private guide, skip the line access | Schonbrunn Palace Tour with Garden led by 5-Stars Guide with Austrian Official Licensed Tour of Schonbrunn Garden, Gloriette Hill, Schonbrunn, Palace exterior, Skip-the-line tickets for Highlight Tour in Schonbrunn Palace | |
Quick Answer: The 5 Best Rated Schönbrunn Palace Tours For 2024
- Exclusive Evening at Schönbrunn Palace: After-Hours Audiotour, Dinner, Concert
- Private Tour: Half-Day History of Schönbrunn Palace
- Vienna: Schönbrunn Skip the Line Palace Tour and Gardens
- Vienna: Skip the Line Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens Guided Tour
- Small-Group Schönbrunn Palace Half-Day Tour with a Historian Guide
Schönbrunn Palace Tour Reviews
1. Exclusive Evening at Schönbrunn Palace: After-Hours Audiotour, Dinner, Concert
- Duration: 5 hours
- Departure: Schonbrunn Palace, Schlosstrasse 47, Vienna 1130
- Departure Time: 5:15 PM
- Includes: Access to Schönbrunn Palace after official Opening Hours, Self-guided audio tour of Schönbrunn, Palace 3-course dinner within walking distance from Palace Concert in Orangery (choose from different seating options), Glass of sparkling wine at intermission (VIP and Category A seating only)
Starting things off on the right foot, we have the longest tour of its kind: clocking in at 5 hours, it is so much more than seeing the palace.
The Exclusive Evening at Schönbrunn Palace: After-Hours Audiotour, Dinner, Concert is not only an incredible experience on its own, but it makes for the perfect date-night activity! Vienna has a rich, internationally renowned art scene, and this tour perfectly exemplifies that.
Tour start times do vary, but I found that it was easy to access a time that fit nicely into my nearly full itinerary. Quite possibly the only thing I would’ve changed about this tour is that it didn’t include a hotel pickup and drop-off so we had to meet there at the palace.
However, if you’re really looking to experience Austrian culture in a relatively quick-yet-comprehensive experience, this is it. Once at the former Habsburg summer residence, you’ll head inside and start an audio tour on your smartphone which I actually surprisingly liked!
It’s one of the better audio tours I’ve taken and allowed us to self-guide and really go at our own pace through the guest apartments and Emperor Franz Joseph’s quarters.
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After strolling around these breathtaking corridors, we headed to a restaurant a couple of blocks from the Palace to enjoy a delectable 3-course meal of traditional Austrian dishes before heading to the Orangery Schönbrunn.
Once at the Orangery, it was time to sit down and relax while enjoying a classical music concert, which was quite striking!
We were able to select between the different ticket categories, where we listened to the phenomenal Schönbrunn Palace Orchestra, along with a soprano, baritone, and 2 ballet dancers.
During the intermission, it was great to chat about what we’d experienced and sip on a glass of sparkling wine – truly felt fantastically Austrian!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
2. Private Tour: Half-Day History of Schönbrunn Palace
- Duration: 3 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- Departure Time: 9:30 AM, 2:00 PM
- Includes: Private guide, skip the line access
This next tour is a bit shorter than the previous option, as it doesn’t include the dinner and the orchestral performance.
However, what it does offer is a personalized experience with a professional guide who will take you through some of the most marvelous aspects of Austria’s past and present.
The Private Tour: Half-Day History of Schönbrunn Palace is far from a cookie-cutter tour with information that anyone could relay.
This is definitely one of the more “upscale” tours, so instead of being crowded into a bus or van, you’ll be picked up from your hotel and it’ll just be you and the rest of your party.
Our travel to the palace was quite lighthearted and fun, with the guide instantly feeling like one of my longtime friends who just happens to be local to Vienna. Upon arrival to the palace, my little architecture-buff self was blown away at the exquisite example of Baroque architecture!
We started our tour off at the palace’s gardens, which is also a perfect example of Baroque landscaping, complete with meticulously manicured flowerbeds, a massive Gloriette arch on a hilltop, and fantastic views of Vienna’s woods.
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Throughout our explorations, our guide regaled us with fun anecdotes, interesting history facts, and more specifically, military history relating back to the palace.
I didn’t know much about the Habsburg’s political and cultural strongarm before, but I was certainly enthralled with all that they were telling us!
Once inside the palace, we walked through many different chambers practically dripping in riches! The Rococo design of the opulent ‘Millions Room’, as well as the fantastic aesthetics of the Porcelain Room really gave insight into how this dynasty lived.
While the palace alone was impressive, our guide really made the history of the place come alive thanks to their knowledge and passion – highly recommended!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
3. Vienna: Schönbrunn Skip the Line Palace Tour and Gardens
- Duration: 1 to 2 hours
- Departure: Schönbrunner Schloßstraße 47, 1130 Wien
- Departure Time: Between 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
- Includes: Schonbrunn Palace Tour with Garden led by 5-Stars Guide with Austrian Official Licensed Tour of Schonbrunn Garden, Gloriette Hill, Schonbrunn, Palace exterior, Skip-the-line tickets for Highlight Tour in Schonbrunn Palace (in 2-hour option)
I know that a lot of people like myself like to really cram in as much as possible if it’s their first time to a city. This can make things a bit challenging, but this is one of those tours that I find easy to fit into a busy schedule.
The Vienna: Schönbrunn Skip the Line Palace Tour and Gardens comes with a 1-hour and 2-hour tour options that let you get to know the Palace and its history without spending all day there.
This tour doesn’t come with a hotel pickup, so you’ll come straight to the palace with your group to not waste any time.
The next step will depend on the tour option you select: the 2-hour option includes a trip to the impressive palace gardens and up Gloriette Hill, where its massive arch sits looming over the rest of the scenery.
The 2-hour selection also includes convenient Skip-the-Line tickets, so you won’t waste any time queuing up and waiting your turn.
While it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, I was still thoroughly taken aback by just how much beauty and art can be exhibited in one, expansive place.
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Our tour guide was exceptionally knowledgeable, telling us all about how it started off as a hunting lodge, and was even where Marie Antoinette was born! That’s particularly interesting, considering that the palace was actually modeled after Versailles!
Our tour went through over 25 Imperial rooms, and even though the palace holds over 1,400 rooms, these were still amazing. Dating back to 1569, you can imagine just how many awe-inspiring stories have taken place here.
I’ll admit that I’m not often impressed by wealth and opulence, but it’s pretty much impossible not to be affected by this amazing place!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
4. Vienna: Skip the Line Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens Guided Tour
- Duration: 2 hours
- Departure: Schönbrunn, 1130 Wien, Austria
- Departure Time: 10:30 AM
- Includes: Skip-the-Line entry, tour Schönbrunn Palace, professional guide, headsets to hear guide clearly
While the other tour did include a 1-hour tour option, I always recommend to people that they take the full tour, including the garden.
The Vienna: Skip the Line Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens Guided Tour will show you exactly why you won’t regret paying a bit extra for that outdoor access!
You’ll get to follow in the footsteps of countless emperors, empresses, and other people of influence over these grounds and inside the palace walls!
This is yet another tour that does not include a hotel pickup, but I don’t really find it necessary when it’s not all that difficult to find one’s way to Schönbrunn Palace. If you’ll be traveling with the entire family – particularly with young kids to teenagers – I recommend this tour.
The guide was very engaging, and made sure that we had not one moment to even think about being bored!
Before we entered the palace, our guide told us fascinating stories of the palace, including its beginning as a hunting lodge, its architectural influences, and much more.
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I’d read a bit about the palace beforehand, but I feel like what they told us went far beyond anything I could’ve Googled or read in a history book.
I feel like I got a really accurate concept of the Austrian monarch hundreds of years back, in a way that’s both respectful and entertaining.
This tour is great because it includes Skip-the-Line entry, which saves a ton of time as the queues at the palace (especially during the weekends and summer season) can get very lengthy. I mean, they even let us skip the line at the baggage storing station!
We were able to marvel at the architecture both on the inside and outside, the royal history involved, and the artwork indoors.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
5. Small-Group Schönbrunn Palace Half-Day Tour with a Historian Guide
- Duration: 2.5 hours
- Departure: Group Center Schönbrunn, Schloss, 1130 Wien, Austria
- Departure Time: 9:30 AM, 2:00 PM
- Includes: Guided tour
Something that I’ve noticed about many tours around the world, is that they’re conducted by people who may not actually be experts on the subject they’re touring.
With the Small-Group Schönbrunn Palace Half-Day Tour with a Historian Guide, that’s not really something I have to worry about as they only allow professional historians to conduct the tours!
Lasting anywhere from 2.5 to 3 hours, this tour went far beyond the typical facts that you’ll learn about the Palace online or from your average tour.
Something else I really appreciated about this option was that they only allowed a maximum of 6 group participants, which made it easy to ask questions and have a more personalized experience.
We started off by meeting our guide right at the palace, and it did come with many different tour start options so you don’t have to worry about it being difficult to fit into your itinerary.
It is important to note that the tour price does not include the price of the entrance tickets, so make sure you keep this in mind beforehand.
This tour starts off with the formal garden tour, where we were able to see the perfectly taken care of flowers and plants, along with the impressive Gloriette arch perched on top of a hill overlooking the ominous forests.
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It made a lot of sense when they told us that the palace was originally used as a hunting lodge, and we started to become more familiar with Franz Joseph and his wife, Elizabeth (Sisi).
We then entered the palace, exploring the Rococo-style state rooms, the Great Gallery, the Yellow Salon, and Franz Joseph’s private suite.
Empress Maria Theresa had an equally as interesting story, and we were able to learn all about her while venturing through some of her most beloved rooms and quarters.
The Hall of Ceremonies was quite a sight to see, along with the Gobelin Salon, the Feketin Room, and her music room, where Mozart performed at 6 years old.
It’s hard to wrap your head around the vast amount of history that’s taken place inside these walls, but it’s quite a ride learning about it!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
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The Exclusive Evening at Schönbrunn Palace: After-Hours Audiotour, Dinner, Concert is our Editors Choice for the best Schönbrunn Palace tour
