Vienna – Baroque dream worlds

In my previous life, I guess I was a princess. There is no other way to explain my love for baroque palaces and palace parks. But this love is actually also quite practical. The castles are permanently added to the list of places to visit and processed.

So it was quite clear for my trip to Vienna that I had to catch at least one glimpse of the classic Schönbrunn Palace (a UNESCO World Heritage Site, by the way) and the Belvedere Palace. I have already been to Schönbrunn Palace on a cold December day, the palace park was not worth a visit at that time due to temperature reasons. This time the May sun laughed almost invitingly. Nothing stood in the way of a walk through the castle park. The nice thing about castle parks is that they can usually be visited free of charge and their full beauty can be discovered during hours of walks.

Schönbrunn Palace Gardens are no exception. Admission is free of charge and has been open to the public since 1779. It is also home to the oldest zoo in the world that still exists – Schönbrunn Zoo. Attention, there are not only animals inside the zoo, but to our shock we actually met a snake on the way (no joke!).

In the palace park, designed in the Baroque style by Jean Trehet (a pupil of André le Notre – the creator of the Palace of Versailles), there are many beautiful places to discover. Be sure to tackle the ascent to the Gloriette. The view from the elevated position over the palace park, Schönbrunn Palace and the Vienna behind it is breathtaking.

Then stroll along the countless paths and marvel at the meticulously trimmed hedges and trees. Also worth seeing is the filigree Palm House, built by the court architect Xaver Segenschmid.

We treated ourselves to an iced coffee and iced tea break in the Landtmann’s Parkcafé, which is located next to the Neptune Fountain.

Much more central in the city centre is another baroque jewel. The Upper and Lower Belvedere were built for Prince Eugene of Savoy. Today, you can marvel at art in the palace buildings. However, the oldest part and, in my opinion, the most worth seeing is the garden, which was also planned and implemented by a Notre student.

Nestled between the two palace buildings, the garden surprises with many exciting sculptures and great visual axes. Definitely a unique oasis in the middle of Vienna.

In my opinion, the princess feeling in the Belvedere was a lot higher than in the large Schönbrunn Palace Park and should not be missing in any Vienna program (unless it rains non-stop).

And are there any little princesses and princes among you?