I visited the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna

This time, for the Viking Danube River Cruise, I chose the Budapest—Vienna route. Since the visit to Schönbrunn Palace was an upgraded project in Vienna for the cruise, it required an additional fee, and it was already full when I signed up on board. Vienna was the last stop, with three days to spend. Besides the group activity on the first morning, the rest of the time was free, so I went to Schönbrunn Palace in the afternoon of the second day. The transportation was convenient; I took the subway line 1 to line 4, and it was just a few minutes' walk from the station. Schönbrunn Palace is the second-largest palace in Europe, second only to the Palace of Versailles in France. It is a Baroque architectural masterpiece and was once the imperial palace for the Holy Roman Empire, the Austrian Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Habsburg dynasty. Legend has it that in 1612, the Holy Roman Emperor Matthias went hunting here, drank from the spring water, found it refreshing and pleasant, and thus named the spring 'Schönbrunn', which thereafter became the name of the area. Today, Schönbrunn Palace is Vienna's most renowned tourist attraction, and the palace and its gardens are listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. There are 1400 rooms in the palace, but the most eye-catching is the portrait of Queen Marie Antoinette of France when she was a young girl. The royal garden behind the palace is a typical French-style garden, with huge flower beds flanked by neatly planted green tree walls, inside which are 44 statues from Greek mythology. At the end of the garden is a 'Neptune Fountain', and to the east is the unassuming 'Schönbrunn' spring, which gave the palace its name. Opposite the spring is a man-made Roman ruin and an obelisk. The highest point of Schönbrunn Palace is the Gloriette. The palace is vast, and less than fifty rooms are open to the public for visiting, which requires at least half a day to explore thoroughly. There are several tiers of ticket prices, including over 40, over 20, and over 10 euros. When I queued for tickets, I had to wait until 16:00 to enter (as there was a concert arranged by the cruise that evening), so I chose the experience price, which allowed immediate entry and photography, but only a few rooms were available for viewing. Therefore, it is recommended to book online in advance, and there are Chinese audio guides available. Besides the palace itself, be sure to visit the gardens and the square, and climb the small hill behind to get a bird's eye view of the entire Schönbrunn Palace. The gardens outside the palace do not require an admission fee.