In our quest to investigate every “Versailles of” we decided to visit the Versailles of Austria Schonbrunn palace. This one came close to matching Versailles in size and splendor.
Schonbrunn palace was the summer residence of the Hapsburg dynasty, and was used for 170 years until the fall of the Hapsburgs in 1918. The Hapsburgs as a dynasty were not slouches ruling Austria, and varying other parts of Europe for over 600 years.
The palace has over 1200 rooms and a gigantic garden. Our tour today was limited to 25 rooms that were the sleeping quarters and work space of King Franz Joseph who was King of Austria for 70 years, as well as the main public rooms of the palace.
As you walk up to the palace we were struck by the amount of commercial activity taking place in front of the palace on the grounds. There were many food and souvenir stands, and even carnival rides. It felt more like a fair grounds than the entrance to a great palace. Ton was a little taken aback, but I thought it was kind of fun. The grounds are free to visit and they are immense and I imagine that on nice days and summer they are buzzing with tourists and locals alike.
The palace itself was beautiful and as ostentatious as you would expect for a place that was meant to compete with Versailles. The working rooms were meant by Franz Joseph to be modest, but modest for an Emperor is quite different than modest for most people.
The main ball room was spectacular, but not as spectacular as the hall of mirrors in Versailles. But it came a close second.
It took us about two hours to go thru all 25 rooms. We had planned on spending some time in the gardens, but while they are immense and pretty they did not grab our attention. We sat on a bench for 15 or 20 minutes taking it in and then decided to head back to the center.
By the time we returned to the center of the city it was nearly 2pm and we were ready for a late lunch. We headed to a place that was recommended yesterday. It is supposed to be a bit of a hidden gem. To keep up with our Vienna experience we ordered two of the dishes Vienna is famous for Schnitzel and Goulash. The food was fine. So far our verdict on Austrian food is… fine. We have yet to have anything that has wowed us.
One thing Vienna does spectacularly is the streets. They are built for walking, and pedestrians are definitely king here. There are multiple wide boulevards lined with interesting shops to wander down and almost no vehicle traffic. Of the large cities we have visited in Europe I think Vienna is the best for just strolling around.
On one of the streets we came across St. Peters Church and popped inside to check it out. It was ornate and beautiful. Ton really liked it and spent 30 minutes exploring. I spent a lot of that time sitting in a chair and taking in the place, it is built to overwhelm the senses and it succeeds. It also features concerts in the evening, and it looks like it would be a great place to take in some of the music that Vienna is famous for.
After St. Peters we decided to head back to François for the evening. I think the problem with Vienna is going to be managing what to see, as the options for concerts, museums, and just walking the streets are so diverse and tempting that it would take weeks to do the city justice.