bjamie

Hi! My husband and I will be in Vienna for 2 days in August. Which is a better glimpse of the Hapsburgs: Schonbrunn Palace or the Hofburg Palace Imperial Apartments?

Padraig

-- And for your main, would you like the beef or the salmon?
-- I'm not sure. Which is better?
-- We don't serve bad food here. Which is better is a matter of taste.

My taste runs to Schonbrunn (by a small margin). But either is an interesting and rewarding visit.

molker

The Hofburg offers a better look just to the life of Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Sisi.
But Schonbrunn overall is much more interesting. Rooms are much more varied in style- more to see, beautiful gardens and surroundings too..
Also good to see is the adjacent carriage collection - from childrens carriages, sleighs to royal carriages even the funeral carriage-

BTilke

With only two days in Vienna, perhaps the Hofburg would be a better use of your time, although I like Schonbrunn more. There is so much to see in Vienna and Schonbrunn could easily take half a day, especially if you opt for the guided rather than audiotour.

Let the weather be a consideration. If you're in town during a heat wave, the crowds inside Schonbrunn can make it oppressively hot in some of the smaller rooms.

One option would be to tour Hofburg and sightsee in Vienna during the day and attend one of the evening musical performances at Schonbrunn's Orangery. Note: the music will not be as good as what you'd hear at the Konzerthaus or Musikverein, but it will still be pleasant.
http://www.imagevienna.com/english/schlosskonzerte.htm

grrr

Why is it "Hapsburg" in English when the family's name is "Habsburg"?

dfr4848

Have to say I'd vote for Schonbrunn for its broader historical perspective. But wouldn't argue too much with choosing Hofburg.

Attnymom

I think I would do Schonbrunn Palace and then do the Treasury at the Hofburg Palace (separate ticket from the Apartments).

caroltis

I prefer the Schonbrunn but it requires at least half a day, especially if you explore the gardens, etc. By the time you get there, explore and return to the city center - it is several hours.

The Imperial Apartments are significant and very enjoyable and require much less of your day.

TexasAggie

Wow, what a tough decision! We stayed in Vienna for 5 nights this past May and were able to see both. The Hofburg is a huge and impressive complex of palace and other buildings, but for a sheer jaw-dropping experience, I would go to Schonbrunn. The gardens are magnificents, as is the portion of the interior that you can visit. The views from the Gloriette viewing terrace are great too. We took the time to see the coach/carriage museum (wagen museum) and we loved it. It's at Schonbrunn in one of the outbildings

RufusTFirefly

grrr--because of the pronunciation of the "b," some English users substituted the "p" to the point where "Hapsburg" is an acceptable (though less common than Habsburg) variant spelling in English. Though I'm not sure that the members of the Hap)sburg family would agree--or maybe they wouldn't care one way or the other.

grrr

RufusT,

good explanation, thank you!

Now I feel free to call the candidate Parack Opama

kakijalan

bm

BTilke

"Now I feel free to call the candidate Parack Opama"

Some people in the PA Dutch country beat you to it!