How long Hellbrunn Palace takes
Going without a car?The boat trip includes the palace ticket, the Salzburg Card covers admission and the bus, and every option cancels free up to 24 hours before. Reserve the date now, decide later.
Check availabilityThe ticketed part, in minutes
The ticket covers three things and each has a rough clock. The trick fountains are walked at your own pace with the mobile audio guide in about 50 minutes, from the prince’s table through the grottoes to the mechanical theatre and the Altemps fountain; people who linger at the mechanical theatre take longer. The palace exhibition, GrandDelight, is interactive and takes about 30 minutes with its own audio track. The folk museum in the Monatsschlössl is up the hill above the park and has no published duration; call it a short detour on the way to the view. What the 50 minutes contain.
The park, the gazebo and the zoo
The park is about 60 hectares, free, and open 06:30–21:00. The Sound of Music gazebo is near the park entrance, so a photograph of it adds ten minutes, not an hour; the Stone Theatre and the Monatsschlössl are a walk up the hill. Families with children lose time at the adventure playground, in a good way. Salzburg Zoo is next door in the palace grounds, a five-minute walk from the palace, on a separate ticket that the Salzburg Card also covers; it turns a half day into a whole one. The full list.
A realistic plan
Bus 25 from the main station takes about 25 minutes, about 24 from the centre. Fountains, palace, a walk to the gazebo and the bus back comes to about three hours from the old town and back, which is why this site treats Hellbrunn as a half day and the old town as the other half. How it fits into two days.
The fountains are the part that needs the clock. Do them first, at opening if you can, then the palace, and leave the park for the end: it stays open long after the ticket office has closed. The hours by month.
The products, by the clock
| Product | Length | Time at Hellbrunn |
|---|---|---|
| Boat trip and double-decker bus | Two and a half hours | About an hour, fountains with priority entry and the palace; reviewers would have taken more |
| Salzburg Card | 24, 48 or 72 hours | As long as you like; bus 25 covered |
| Palace concert | 45 minutes | The concert only; fountains on a separate ticket |
| Sound of Music tour | 4 hours | A photo stop at the gazebo in the free park |
| Hallstatt and Sound of Music | 10 hours | A photo stop at the gazebo in the free park |
The boat trip is the one to read carefully. Its two and a half hours are about 30 minutes on the Salzach, about ten on the double-decker bus each way, and about an hour at the palace; that hour is enough for the fountains with priority entry and a quick pass through the palace, and the recurring note in its ratings is that people would have taken more time. Elaine (United Kingdom) saw it the other way: “We had enough time at the palace and transport back to Salzburg was well organised!” The boat trip, reviewed.
Book the boat trip with the ticket included
Two and a half hours from the old-town dock with admission and priority entry to the fountains in the price. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Frequently asked questions
How much time do you need at Hellbrunn Palace?
About 80 minutes for the ticketed part, fountains and palace, and up to three hours with the park, the gazebo and the folk museum. The zoo next door makes it a full day. What there is to see.
How long is the trick-fountain tour?
About 50 minutes with the mobile audio guide, at your own pace; it is no longer a scheduled guided tour. A children’s version runs about 30 minutes. The stations, in order.
How long is the boat trip to Hellbrunn?
Two and a half hours in all: about 30 minutes on the Salzach, ten on the double-decker bus each way, and about an hour at the palace with admission included. What reviewers say about the hour.
Can I do Hellbrunn and the old town in one day?
Yes. Hellbrunn is about three hours door to door by bus 25, which leaves the afternoon for the fortress or the cathedral quarter; with the Salzburg Card the bus and both admissions are covered. A two-day shape.