Although it is a magnificent palace and a Viennese "must see" Schönbrunn Palace is a nightmare crush of tourists and tour groups. The local guide recommended in the Vienna book by Rick Steves was not available but she recommended Stephen Tourmalin (stephan.turmalin@gmail.com) What a great find! Stephan is a fount of knowledge, a PhD student in history, erudite and amusing. Thankfully, having our own personal guide gave us the opportunity to jump the endless entry line, but also to go about the tour with a focus on what interested us. At almost every exhibit I thanked my lucky stars I didn't have that exhibit telephone to my ear--and DID have a sentient being who could answer our questions and tell us amusing anecdotes. Worth every penny!
Posted by
WA State
3961 posts
It's been a concern after hearing about the crush of tourists at the Schönbrunn. What time of the day did you visit? We are visiting early September. Thanks for the recommendation.
Posted by
Old Pueblo
144 posts
Early afternoon seems to be the best time to avoid tour groups. Call ahead the day before, you can choose your entry time and are given a code to collect your ticket, avoiding the line.
No cameras allowed, therefore no selfie sticks; simply marvelous!
I found the audio guide to be quite interesting and delightfully concise.
If you find yourself swallowed up by a tour group, just hang back, let them pass and then continue (hopefully) unmolested.
Finally, don't take the cheapest tour; the 40+ room tour is, in my opinion more interesting, as the later rooms are decorated much more lavishly.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
We were there at 10:30 AM. It will be busy in September. Didn’t mean to disparage audio tours...just prefer ability to ask questions and love the extras that Stephan could add.