AUSTRIA - Best of Europe 2014 - page 79

center, just left of the main entrance to the palace grounds (well before you get to the actual
palace).

▲▲▲ ▲▲▲ Royal Apartments

Although the palace's exterior is Baroque, the interior was finished under Maria Theresa in
let-them-eat-cake Rococo. As with the similar apartments at the Hofburg (the Habsburgs'
winter home), these apartments give you a sense of the quirky, larger-than-life personalities
wholivedhere—especially FranzJosef(r.1848-1916)andSisi.Yourtouroftheapartments,
accompanied by an audioguide, covers one small section of the palace's grand interior on
a clearly signed route. You have two tour options: Imperial (shorter and cheaper) or Grand
(longer and more expensive). Both follow the same route at first, but after a certain point
the Imperial group is politely excused while the Grand gang continues on to see a few more
rooms.
Cost: The 22-room Imperial Tour is €10.50 (35 minutes, includes audioguide, Grand
Palace rooms plus apartments of Franz Josef and Sisi—mostly 19th-century and therefore
least interesting). The much better 40-room Grand Tour costs €13.50 (50 minutes, includes
audioguide, everything on Imperial Tour plus Maria Theresa's apartments—18th-century
Rococo). If venturing beyond the apartments, consider one of two combo-tickets: The Clas-
sicPass includestheGrandTour,aswellasothersightsonthegrounds—theGlorietteview-
ing terrace, maze, and privy garden (€16.50, available April-Oct only). The Classic Pass
Plus includesalltheabove,plusthecourtbakery(completewith Apfelstrudel demoandtast-
ing; €19.50, available April-Oct only). However, none of the extra sights covered by either
pass is really worth the cost of entry, so I'd skip them and just do the Grand Tour, followed
by a mosey through the impressive grounds (which are free).
Hours: Daily July-Aug 8:30-18:30, April-June and Sept-Oct 8:30-17:30, Nov-March
8:30-17:00.
Information: Tel. [phone], www.schoenbrunn.at .
Reservations: To avoid getting stuck in the ticket-buying line, book advance tickets on-
line at the palace website. You'll reserve an entry time and date, then print your tickets be-
foreyoucome(askatyourhotelifyouneedaccesstoaprinter).Ticketscanalsobereserved
by phone and picked up at the visitors center (tel. [phone]).
Crowd-Beating Tips: Schönbrunnsuffersfromcrowds.Itcanbeajam-packed sauna in
the summer. It's busiest from 9:30 to 11:30, especially on weekends and in July and August;
it'sleastcrowdedafter14:00,whentherearenogroups.Toavoidthelongdelaysinsummer,
make a reservation online or by phone (see above).
Visiting the Royal Apartments: Moving from room to room, you're immersed in im-
perial splendor. The chandeliers are made either of Bohemian crystal or hand-carved wood
with gold-leaf gilding. Highlights include Franz Josef's study and bedroom (and the bed he