Two Kids and a Passport: A Zoo Like No Other

We spent today visiting the gardens and zoo at Schönbrunn Palace the Hapsburg's Summer Palace, which used to sit outside the city but now lies in the middle of the suburbs. Noah was delighted with this because it meant he got to go on a bus and then a train (subway) to get there.

Schönbrunn Palace is huge. It has 1,441 rooms, of which only 40 are open to public tours. We opted not to take a tour of the palace, due to the time we would have had to wait for our tour to begin. Instead we focused our attention on the vast gardens, which are now a public park.

The expansive entrance courtyard to Schönbrunn Palace.

Schönbrunn Palace

This original green house has a variety of tropical climates.

The main purpose of our visit was to see the zoo. Schönbrunn Palace has the world's oldest zoo, which was established as the palace menagerie in 1752. It has been voted Europe's Best Zoo on three different occasions. It is located in one corner of the palace grounds, not even taking up a quarter of the total space of the grounds.

Noah points out a Panda Bear sitting at the top of a tree.

Meeting a giraffe.

Many of the animal enclosures and buildings are in still in the original shape and style of the original menagerie and Schönbrunn Palace. They are a constant reminder of the zoo's royal origins and original owners.

An elegant bird enclosure.

The main part of the zoo is laid out somewhat like a wagon wheel with a pavilion at its centre from which pathways radiate like the spokes of a wheel. In between these pathways are enclosures housing giraffes, zebras, flamingoes, and many other exotic animals. The pavilion was originally used as a breakfast room and Empress Maria Theresa would have breakfast here among the animals with her 16 children. The inside is opulent and filled with rich frescoes, gold leaf and a huge crystal chandelier. Today the pavilion houses a restaurant, which is where we ate lunch - we had a great view of the flamingoes while we ate.

The Pavillion in the middle of the zoo, where Empress Maria Theresa would have breakfast with her 16 children.

The animal enclosures radiate outwards from the pavilion at their centre.

Catherine was fascinated by all the birds.

Catherine and Noah watch the penguins.

Catherine check out some deer.

The monkey house shows off its royal origins with beautiful plasterwork and an ornate balcony railing.

After our visit to the zoo, we took a walk through the palace grounds ... or at least part of the grounds as it would have taken a very long time to see them all. The grounds are expansive and incorporate a variety of different landscaping styles (from a well structured maze to wild woodland) and buildings (from a Roman Ruin to Tyrolean House) that reflect the tastes and styles of several centuries of Emperors.