Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna

• Early morning on a weekday is ideal to visit Schönbrunn Palace. There are multiple public transport connections available.
• You will appreciate the grandeur of the palace if you acquiant beforehand with the layout and the history of palace.
• Be ready for a small climb to the top of hillock behind the palace. It is a place to be with the entire Vienna visible in the horizon.

Schönbrunn Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and crown jewel of the capital city of Vienna. We were on a four country tour of Europe and this was the very first morning. We had landed in Vienna last evening and spent most of the evening exploring the neighbourhood. Our hotel was a walking distance from the Danube river. Palace is on the other side of this beautiful city.

Schönbrunn Palace Gardens

We took a tram and reached palace gates in the early hours of of the opening. There was less crowd and glorious sunshine outside the palace. We bought guided tour tickets and submitted our bags before entered. First few rooms of the Palace are dedicated to royal visitors followed by the King's resting place and then the royal bedroom.

Grand Ballroom, Schönbrunn Palace

Just next to the master bedroom was the dining area and after that the giant ballroom. The ballroom is the central attraction of the palace and also at the front centre of the palace first floor so the whole courtyard is also visible from here. We admired the intricate murals and captured numerous pictures although photography was not allowed.

Giant Chandeliar @ Grand Ballroom

There is enough walk to tire you so it is adviced to go easy and admire the beautiful palace. We moved out at the end of the tour, buying some soveniers and collecting our bags. There is a small zoo next to the palace. We avoided that and went directly for the gardens at the back and subsequent small hike to the top. Here is majestic structure known as the Gloriette overlooks the palace. From here the entire Vienna is visible in the horizon.

Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace

We admired the view from top and started our way back. The nearest metro is to the left of the palace exit. We had to reach Erdberg Bus Terminal to take a ride to Bratislava. It was in our agenda for the second half of the day.