| Duration: | 4 Hour(s) - 0 Minute(s) |
| Tour Category: | Half Day Tour |
Experience the romance and beauty of Vienna's Baroque splendors with a guided tour of Belvedere and Schönbrunn. Roam fragrant gardens, marvel at lush imperial palaces, and learn the facts and history behind these architectural gems. Roam the fragrant grounds of Vienna’s most famous gardens and palaces on this guided tour led by an expert guide and in small groups. The tour begins at the Belvedere Gardens and the 2 palaces located on the grounds.
Hear stories of how the young French Prince Eugene of Savoy had been inspired by Versailles before commissioning Belvedere. Only recently have the fountains and cascades been restored to their original beauty. Take a trip to Karlskirche (St. Charles’ Church), this is one of the finest churches of the Baroque period.
You will also have the chance to see Otto Wagner’s Subway Pavilions, which are regarded as fine examples of Art Nouveau architecture. A short subway ride brings you to Schönbrunn, the imperial summer residence. The 450 acres of the park are a great example of late Baroque garden architecture. Monumental fountains, romantic pergolas, and fantastic vistas lead up to the palace, which houses 2 different museums for you to explore.
Explore More About Schönbrunn Palace:
From the 18th century to 1918, Schönbrunn was the residence of the Habsburg emperors. It was designed by the architects Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and Nicolaus Pacassi and is full of outstanding examples of decorative art. Together with its gardens, the site of the world’s first zoo in 1752, it is a remarkable Baroque ensemble and a perfect example of Gesamtkunstwerk.
The site of the Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn is outstanding as one of the most impressive and well-preserved Baroque ensembles of its kind in Europe. Additionally, it is a potent material symbol of the power and influence of the House of Habsburg over a long period of European history, from the end of the 17th to the early 20th century.
It is impossible to separate the gardens from the palace, of which they form an organic extension: this is an excellent example of the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, a masterly fusion of many art forms.
The ample Baroque gardens with their buildings (Gloriette, Roman ruins etc.) and statuary testify to the palace's imperial dimensions and functions. The original intention, when they were laid out in the 18th century, was to combine the glorification of the House of Habsburg with a homage to nature. The Orangery on the east side of the main palace building is, at 186 m, the longest in the world. The Great Palm House is an impressive iron-framed structure, 114 m long and divided into three Sections, erected in 1880 using technology developed in England.
