The sky was grey, colourless. Most trees had long shed their leaves, the shrubs shrivelled and lost their green.  Little colour was left apart from the slightly tired-looking lawn, but it was not hard to image how magnificent the Schloss Schonbrunn’s gardens would look come Spring and Summer, mainly because a few months earlier, Kristina over at Le fabuleux destin had made me drool over her stunning shots of the palace during her summer visit to Vienna (I don’t usually like directing readers away from my site, but, since these photos are so beautiful and as long as you promise to come back, click here).

My own photos, taken on a cold December day, though less spectacular, play with the delicate yellow colour of the Schloss Schonbrunn, a beautiful building in any season, and the green colour of the lawn in the palace gardens.

Do I wish I had visited in the Spring and Summer? The short answer would be yes. The palace gardens, which can be visited for free looked very sombre surrounded by mostly dormant trees, and some statues and sculptures had been covered up to prevent damage through frost…but the truth is, in Spring and Summer the place is probably overrun by tourists, many more than the small amount which was strolling through the grounds that day, and which very conviniently, formed neat little clusters making for pleasant photos.

Whatever the weather, the imposing yet delicate fountain and the Gloriette, perched high up a small hill (the walk to which is perfect to warm you up in Winter), made me, as usual, go all camera-clicking crazy, with the following results…

…and I found this little fountain, surrounded by trees bearing shrivelled, ochre foliage, to be particularly beautiful.

The Schloss Schonbrunn is a popular tourist attraction any time of year, and to visit, you need to pre-book or pre-purchase tickets either online or at a stand by the palace (it is advisable to do so at least 1 week in advance in order not to be disappointed). If you’re short of money or could not book in advance, it is completely free to gape at the beautiful building itself and, as I did, spend an hour or so exploring the palace grounds. Vienna itself is also a very accessible city. There are a number of ways to see Vienna,  and you can research the hotels and flights yourself and book separately or you can book a guided tour to Vienna where tours, hotel and transport are all sorted in advance.

Next time I find myself in Vienna (and I have to, because my time there was just to short), I’ll make sure I get myself booked on the tour of the palace. Until next time, I have these photos to hold on to

-Text and Photography by Denise Pulis @ www.theartofslowtravel.com. All rights reserved. This is a sponsored post.

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