Partners: Austria

Think roses. Are you thinking of roses? Good. Now think of even more roses.

Huge beds of tiered roses fill the sides of the Rose Garden: tall bushes at the back and smaller standards and bushes near the front. And each a different variety.

The flowers form a kaleidoscope of colour in the late spring and summer. And each rosebush carries a personal dedication to a lover, family member or similar.

You never know exactly what to expect in Hellbrunn. But one thing is certain: it never gets boring! Water machines, grottos and insidious spray fountains have been making faces wet and, above all, smiling for over 400 years. Explore Hellbrunn and embark on an entertaining journey through time to the era of Prince Archbishop Markus Sittikus. He built Hellbrunn as a place for entertainment and pleasure. And it has not changed until today.

The Augarten is a 52.2 ha public garden in the 2 nd district of the city and which houses the oldest Baroque botanical garden in Vienna. This French-style garden also offers large beds of magnificent flowers, large shaded paths of chestnut trees, elms, lime trees, ash trees and maples. However, as with almost all of the city’s public parks, access to the park is impossible at night, as the five park gates are closed. (from dusk to early morning – the times, which vary according to the season, are indicated on a metal panel in front of each of the doors.)

The park at Schönbrunn Palace was opened to the public around 1779 and since then has provided a popular recreational amenity for the Viennese population as well as being a focus of great cultural and historical interest for international visitors. Extending for 1.2 km from east to west and approximately one kilometre from north to south, it was placed together with the palace on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1996.