Hofburg vs Schonbrunn?

Hofburg -- Imperial Apartments, the Imperial Treasury, and the Spanish Riding School where the Lipizzaner horses train are just the tip of the iceberg of why I would recommend the Hofburg Palace over Schönbrunn.

In 2015, we visited the Imperial Apartments and the Treasury at the Hofburg. The Treasury was a highlight - we were intrigued by the story of the Holy Lance - and since we had Vienna Passes we watched the Morning Exercises at the Spanish Riding School.

Vienna was the final stop of our trip, and by then we were both "palaced out". We just couldn't stomach the lavish interior of another palace, so we skipped that part of Schonbrunn. But the grounds are magnificent, and we enjoyed a stroll through the zoo.

I don't regret our decision to skip Schonbrunn's interior. You could do the same.

I hadn't intended to tour the Hofburg on my first trip to Vienna in 2014, but I became quite fascinated by Sisi, so after touring Schonbrunn I did visit the Hofburg because there was a special exhibit of many of her personal items. Otherwise I would have been fine with not going inside, so my vote is for Schonbrunn if you can only do one.

We did not take the time to go inside Schoenbrunn, but did enjoy the gardens. If you want to see beautiful gardens, then perhaps Schoenbrunn is your palace of choice. If not, then stick with the Hofburg (we did go in it and enjoyed the Treasury as well).

Thank you everyone; it is fun hearing from others who have been and can offer advice. I do think we'll do the Hofburg and perhaps just do the gardens only at Schonbrunn. If I just want to enter the gardens do I still need to do a timed entry at all?

If I just want to enter the gardens do I still need to do a timed
entry at all?

Nope. You're good to go.

I visited both. Schonbrunn is bigger and opulent, Hofburg is in the center, more interesting and connects with more history we know.

I visited both on my first visit. I loved the Schonbrunn interiors (I do like opulence) and the extensive gardens. When I visited the Hofburg (2010), you had to go through a lot of rooms of porcelain and silver collections, then a lot of rooms about Sisi's life with few actual exhibits, before finally getting to the private apartments, which were very similar to those in the Schonbrunn (same residents, who obviously didn't like change very much). I was quite disappointed with the Hofburg - too much time for too little "bang." There are many more rooms open to the public in the Schonbrunn. I still haven't got to the Treasury, which is a separate ticket.

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