Photo: Thomas Ledl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 13th district
Hietzing
Schönbrunn, zoo, Lainzer Tiergarten. Green, refined, ideal for families.
About this district
Hietzing is where Vienna turns genteel and green: Schönbrunn Palace with its vast park, the Tiergarten as the world's oldest zoo, and the Gloriette with its view over the city are right on the doorstep. Beyond them begin villa neighborhoods and finally the Lainzer Tiergarten, a fenced-in stretch of the Vienna Woods complete with wild boar. Stay here and you have the palace park almost to yourself in the morning before the coaches arrive - an advantage no central hotel can offer.
We currently list no hotels in Hietzing - accommodation in the district consists mainly of small pensions and private guesthouses, and big chains and scene hotels are nowhere to be found. Many Schönbrunn visitors therefore stay in the districts along the U4, such as Mariahilf or Wieden, and still reach the palace in about fifteen minutes - our district and category pages give an overview. If you do find a room in the thirteenth, it is usually larger and cheaper than in comparable inner-district locations, and parking is far more relaxed - relevant if you arrive by car.
The district's lifeline is the U4: from the Schönbrunn and Hietzing stations you reach Karlsplatz in about fifteen minutes without changing. On foot you can reach the palace park with the Gloriette, the maze and the zoo from the district center - for everything else you take the U-Bahn, because the cathedral, the museums and the Naschmarkt are decidedly not around the corner.
Hietzing is the right choice for families on a Schönbrunn-and-zoo itinerary, for peace-seekers, and for anyone who prefers returning to greenery rather than bustle after sightseeing. Drivers benefit twice over. The thirteenth is less suited to first-time visitors with a packed city-center program and to anyone who wants to head out spontaneously for dinner or drinks - the choice of restaurants is limited, and after the U-Bahn ride back, the evening is usually over.
Schönbrunn quarter. You'll find 1 sights here.
District scorecard
Six dimensions, each rated 1 to 10 against a fixed framework. Not user ratings but our editorial assessment - every number with its reasoning. How we rate
Walkability
3/10Apart from Schönbrunn little is walkable - for everything else you need the U4 every day.
How much of the classic Vienna programme you can cover on foot, without a transit ticket.
Sights
8/10Schönbrunn Palace, the world's oldest zoo and the Gloriette are all in the district.
Density and weight of the sights within the district itself.
Public transport
7/10The U4 runs to Karlsplatz without changing, about a quarter of an hour into the centre.
Metro, tram and rail links, including routes to the airport and main stations.
Nightlife
2/10Villa territory: it gets very quiet after dinner and the choice of restaurants is thin.
Restaurants, bars and evening options within walking distance of the hotels.
With kids
8/10The zoo, palace park and the Lainzer Tiergarten offer more space than any inner district.
Playgrounds, green space, short distances and room to breathe.
Value for money
7/10Rooms are usually bigger and cheaper than further in - though we currently list no hotel here, so this score is an assessment without price data of our own.
What a night here buys you, measured against the Vienna average.
What to do in the 13th district
- 1
Visit Schönbrunn Palace
The former imperial summer residence and Vienna's most visited sight. The palace park is free to enter; the state rooms need a ticket.
- 2
Climb up to the Gloriette
The walk up through the park takes about 15 minutes and ends with the best view over the palace and the city. Free unless you go up onto the viewing terrace.
- 3
Go to Schönbrunn Zoo
The oldest surviving zoo in the world, founded in 1752 as an imperial menagerie, right inside the palace park.
- 4
Hike through the Lainzer Tiergarten
A walled woodland on the western edge of the district with free-roaming wild boar and deer. A former imperial hunting ground, now a nature reserve.
- 5
See the Otto Wagner Court Pavilion
The emperor's private railway station near Hietzing, an Art Nouveau building by Otto Wagner. Small, well worth seeing, and almost always empty.
- 6
Walk through Hietzing cemetery
Gustav Klimt and Otto Wagner are buried here, among others. Far smaller and quieter than the Zentralfriedhof.
Sights here
Frequently asked
Which district is Hietzing?
Hietzing is Vienna's 13th district, west of the centre. At 37.72 km² it is one of the largest districts but has only around 56,000 inhabitants, because much of its area is woodland and parkland.
Is Schönbrunn in Hietzing?
Yes. Schönbrunn Palace with its park, the Gloriette and the zoo all lie in the 13th district. The U4 station Schönbrunn, however, sits just across the border in Meidling.
How do you get to Hietzing?
Take the U4 to Hietzing or Schönbrunn, plus tram lines 10, 58 and 60. From Stephansplatz the journey takes about 20 minutes.