Today was our last full day in Vienna. We took the underground metro and reached the Schonbrunn palace around 10 am. The ticket line was not bad because it was December morning. We bought the imperial ticket, which included the audio guide too. Book your tickets in advance if you are visiting during peak season as it is the most famous attraction.
Schonbrunn Palace was the summer palace of the royal family. We went to the palace and saw beautifully decorated rooms. For each room, a number was displayed, which you press on the audio guide to learn about it. It was well organized, but pictures were not allowed inside. There was a giant Christmas tree in the front and a Christmas market which we’ll visit later.
The gardens were huge. It was winter, so trees were not green, and flowers were not blooming. I can only imagine how beautiful it might look in summer with a line of sculptures, a Neptune fountain, and Gloriette in the back.
Beautiful life-size sculptures were lined on both sides.
Neptune fountain is an extensive and fantastic fountain at the center of Schonbrunn Gardens at the base of Gloriette hill.
After visiting the gardens, we saw the Christmas market in front of the palace. We tried more food like crepes and cookies. There was so much variety, and there was something different in each Christmas market.
We retook the metro to get back to Karlsplatz and walked to Maria Theresa Square.
Christmas Village on Maria Theresien Square The square was alive at Christmas time.
Christmas market on Rathausplatz We visited this Christmas market yesterday during the day but came back to see it at night.
We admired the views of the beautiful trees full of nicely designed lights. Although it was busy, everybody was in the Christmas spirit.
We retook the underground and got to the prater stop.
Winter market on Riesenradplatz This winter market was next to Prater garden and stays open till January.
We took Tram D and went back to our hotel. Vienna’s transportation system was straightforward to follow, working on the honor system. It was very efficient to get around the city. Google Maps was also beneficial in figuring out how to get to places using public transport.
We visited multiple Christmas markets in Vienna and Salzburg and loved the vibes of the Christmas markets, lively festivals, and exciting stalls to check out.
Tomorrow we have a flight from Vienna to Munich and then to the USA. We took the OBB train from Vienna hbf to the airport, which took only 15 minutes.