Large open greenhouse in Vienna. The Palmenhaus Schonbrunn

Our city break in Vienna has included everything from rides on Giant Ferris Wheels to rotating restaurants up 150 metre tall viewing towers and viewing insanely crazy architecture at the kunst house. Our next attraction to visit is a giant greenhouse and desert house. Both situated in the grounds of the Schonbrunn Palace gardens we decided that it would be a good idea for a nice walk through the park to totally freeze ourselves to the core before warming up in the tropical indoor gardens! 

Schonbrunn Palace gardens, Vienna

Walking from the hotel to the Schonbrunn Palace and gardens

The Palmenhaus Schonbrunn Palace Vienna. 

The walk through the gardens were completely and utterly frozen in places

The green house originally opened in 1882 and is filled with hundreds of plants from all over the world. It was a great place to warm up on such a freezing cold day and was full of beautiful bright colours and smells of all the flowers. 

It doesn't take long to walk around the palm house but it was worth a look to imagine how on earth the building was constructed all those years ago. The construction is facinating!

 The Palm House in Schronbrunn Palace Gardens Vienna

Beautiful flowers in the palm house at Schonbrunn Palace Vienna.

Flowers in the palm house at Schonbrunn Palace Vienna.

 

Opposite the Palm House is another greenhouse and this one was pleasantly even warmer! This one known as the desert house was full of cactus plants and even a few snakes and a lot of birds flying around the inside.

The desert house at Schonbrunn Palace Vienna

The desert house at Schonbrunn Palace Vienna

After an afternoon at the Palace Gardens we decided to walk back to our hotel to thoroughly warm up after being outside in such freezing temperatures. It's a totally different climate to being in the UK and the evenings regularly drop down deep into minus figures and the day times barely get above freezing and most days there was light snow falling in the air. 

Here is one of the tributaries of the river running alongside the railway line that is completely frozen either side of the flowing water.

Frozen river in Vienna