Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CostandHours:
Free,dailyApril-Oct9:00-18:30,Nov-March9:00-16:00,entryatLin-
zergasse 43 in summer; in winter go around the corner to the right, through the arch at #37,
and around the building to the doorway under the blue seal.
In about 1610, Prince Archbishop Sittikus decided he needed a lavish palace with a vast
and ornate garden purely forpleasure (Iimagine after meditating onstewardship and Christ-
like values). He built this summer palace and hunting lodge, and just loved inviting his VIP
guestsfromthroughoutEuropeforfunwithhistrickfountains.Today,Hellbrunnisapopular
sight for its palace, formal garden (one of the oldest in Europe, with a gazebo made famous
by
The Sound of Music
), amazing fountains, and the excuse it offers to simply get out of the
city.
Cost and Hours:
€9.50 ticket includes fountain tour and palace audioguide, daily May-
Sept 9:00-17:30, July-Aug until 21:00—but tours from 18:00 on don't include the castle
(whichclosesintheevening),AprilandOct-Nov9:00-16:30,thesearelasttourtimes,closed
Dec-March, tel. 0662/820-3720,
www.hellbrunn.at
.
Getting There:
Hellbrunn is nearly four miles south of Salzburg.
By Bus:
Bus #25 leaves from the train station and from the Staatsbrücke bridge (2-3/
hour, 20 minutes).
By Bike:
In good weather, the trip out to Hellbrunn makes for a pleasant 30-minute bike
excursion (see “Riverside or Meadow Bike Ride,” later, and ask for a map when you rent
your bike).
Visiting the Castle:
Upon arrival, buy your
fountain tour
ticket and get a tour time.
Toursgenerallygoonthehalf-hour.The40-minuteEnglish/Germantourstakeyoulaughing
andscramblingthroughaseriesofamazing17th-centurygardensettingswithlotsofsplashy
fun and a guide who seems almost sadistic in the joy he has in soaking his group. (Hint:
When you see a wet place, cover your camera.) If there's a wait until your tour, you can see
the palace first.
With the help of the included audioguide, wander through the
palace
exhibit to the
sounds of shrieking fountain-taunted tourists below. The palace was built in a style inspired
by the Venetian architect Palladio, who was particularly popular around 1600, and quickly
becameaculturaldestination. Thiswastheerawhenthearistocratic ritualwastogohunting
in the morning (hence the decor's theme) and enjoy an opera in the evening. The first opera
northoftheAlps,importedfromItaly,wasperformedhere.ThedecorisMannerist(between
RenaissanceandBaroque),withfauxantiquitiesandlotsofsurprisingmoments—intentional
irregularities were in vogue after the strict logic, balance, and Greek-inspired symmetry of
