 |
| Great Gallery, Schönbrunn Palace (c) 2018 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved |
The Great Gallery was the glittering highlight of yesterday evening's private tour of Schönbrunn Palace. Located within Vienna, just twenty minutes from the downtown area, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of those attractions that visitors must plan to see — an opulent Baroque palace with 1441 rooms and vast gardens. The Great Gallery pictured above is a reception and banquet hall worthy of royal events. Over 120 feet long and 30 feet wide, it was the site in 1961 of a summit meeting between US President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.
Most visitors will take one of the three tours described on the Schönbrunn website, and it's always recommended to purchase tickets in advance to avoid wasting time in queue. It's also advised to avoid the hours when the river cruises bring their guests. If you take your tour before 10 am, you'll finish before the cruisers arrive, and I'm told there's also a window right at 12 noon when the first round of cruisers will have finished their tours.
We enjoyed something really special, a private after-hours tour of the Palace. Arriving as the last of the tourists were leaving, we had an interesting and informative walk through the most visited rooms. As a special treat, we were allowed to take photographs of the Great Gallery, an activity otherwise forbidden.
copyright (c) 2018 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit our website.
No comments:
Post a Comment