Schloss Hellbrunn

Castle · Hellbrunn ·

Schloss Hellbrunn

Castle · Hellbrunn ·

Palace with trick fountains, mechanical theater, and gardens

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Fürstenweg 37, 5020 Salzburg, Austria Get directions

@afar

25,132 Postcards · 3,699 Cities

"Hellbrunn Palace & Trick Fountains While the 17th-century Italian-style Renaissance palace at Hellbrunn is splendid, and its spacious park is filled with grottoes, sculptures, and fountains, the real draw is the unique Wasserspiele , or "trick fountains," which feature water shooting from various sources. (A highlight is the mechanical theater among the fountains with around 200 water-driven figures.) Commissioned by Prince-Archbishop Markus Sittikus in 1613, thepalace and grounds were designed as the ultimate Lustschloß , or "pleasure palace," worthy of entertaining a who's who of nobility—at least those who would tolerate his shenanigans. It still makes a fun getaway on a hot summer day in the Alps. The palace can be visited independently (an audio tour is available), but the trick fountains are fenced off and require a guided tour."

Salzburg and Salzburger Land

Photo courtesy of Tourismus Salzburg

Schloss Hellbrunn

@afar

25,132 Postcards · 3,699 Cities

The Best Things to Do in Salzburg

Photo courtesy of Tourismus Salzburg

Schloss Hellbrunn

@ricksteves

702 Postcards · 219 Cities

Salzburg Travel Guide Resources & Trip Planning Info by Rick Steves

"▲▲ Lavish palace on the outskirts of town featuring gardens with trick fountains." - Rick Steves' Europe

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/austria/salzburg

Schloss Hellbrunn

Tim S.

Google

We had a wonderful day here, the number 25 bus takes about half an hour from central Salzberg an drops you right by the entrance. Hellbrunne consists of a stunning palace, gardens and estate in the mannerist style. The surprise fountain garden is great fun but do expect to get a bit wet. The folk museum, palace and fountain garden are part of a 15 euro ticket which is good value. The water parterre gardens, stone theatre cut out of the rock, the wonderful views over the city and mountains, arboretum and playground are all free. There is a good cafe too.

Helen L.

Google

The trick fountains was an amazing experience. We didn’t expect to have spent so much time there but we are glad to have had. Lots to see. The palace was very interesting as well.

Dimitri B.

Google

I really enjoyed my visit to Hellbrunn Palace. The palace itself is beautiful, but the best part for me was the trick fountains—hidden jets that surprise you when you least expect it—and the water-powered moving sculptures that come alive as you walk by. It was playful and refreshing, and made the whole place feel magical

S K

Google

Must see attraction reflecting Austrian culture and finesse’ each sculpture, Fountain and Artwork is exemplary and enjoyable for a connoisseur. Reaching there is easy too. Just take bus 25 from HH central bus station. Have a great day when u visit… Best season between April to September.

Seimen B.

Google

The palace was built early 17th century in the early baroque style as a pleasure palace for day use in summer only and therefore had no bedrooms. It was commissioned by Prince-Bishop Markus Sittikus von Hohenems. You start your visit with a tour of the trick garden with all sorts of hidden waterfountains that the Bishop liked to use on his guests by surprise. This is a timeslot entry so after you get your ticket go there first. At the start you can have your photo taken which you can buy at the end of this tour. At the start you also get a language specific audio guide. You exit this part in the beautiful garden and can visit a museum inside the palace with interesting information about the Bishop

Finite T.

Google

Beautiful place to visit, main attraction is the trick fountains that you can only visit in groups every 30 min. The smaller interior can be visited any time and is not timed. Be mindful that you will most likely get wet or surprise your friends and keep it secret. I recommend being there when they open so you guarantee to be the 1st or 2nd group

Sonya C.

Google

Palace is exceptional and the trick fountains are wonderful. We loved the gardens and learning the history of the Palace. Biggest surprise was seeing a squirrel as we headed up the steep path to the museum and view of the mountain.

Hugo P.

Google

Had a great time visiting this gorgeous museusm / castle / park! Two things were particularly great: the Trick Fountains and the Children Playground as we were visiting with our 3yo toddler. We will definitely be back for the playground during our stay in Salzburg !

Carrie M.

Yelp

Hellbrunn is a beautiful park near Salzburg. I could have spent a whole day here, but I didn't have that luxury. The park is free to enter, but I bought a ticket for the trick fountains. It is an audioguide tour, and it was so entertaining. The fountains spray you with water. The Sound of Music pavilion is here. There is so much green space, a palace, and challenging trails that take you up for an amazing view of the Alps.

Eric W.

Yelp

This is a must see for Salzburg. It is a little bit far from the city but you can just hop on a bus and get here. The trick fountains were very fun, the museum was nice, basically everything here is nice, especially the folklore museum and the viewpoint near there. Nothing much to say other than go see it yourself. Overall, this place is a must.

Michael B.

Yelp

This is a beautiful compound where you can easily spend a few hours. The interior of the estate is beautiful and informative. You'll tour multiple floors and learn about the Prince Archbishop that created the estate. Outside the gardens are gorgeous. You'll love being exposed to the meadows, flowers, ponds, and even memorabilia from The Sound of Music. Behind the palace are the trick fountains. Those require a timed ticket which is worth your money and time. It's easily the highlight of your visit so book early or spend time exploring the garden until your entry time. The gift shop is pricey but cute. Restrooms are available for free and staff does speak English.

Chris C.

Yelp

Hellbrunn is a fun place to visit if you have the time. It's easy to get to by bus (#25 from the train station). The ticket to the garden with the trick fountains is time stamped although once you are inside you can take as much time as you like. The grounds outside the fountains are free and quite pleasant to wander around on as well. The trick fountains are fun although not as surprising as I expected - for one thing there is no danger of your getting soaked unless you purposefully try as they have staff around operating them on and off. The ones coming out of the seats is in a place where you just sit or stand around to watch - no one would be sitting on the fountain stools when they go off. The ticket includes the little Folk Art museum on a steep hill so that's worth a visit for the view if you don't mind the climb.

Kai A.

Yelp

I loved the grounds - we came on a perfect day when it was the small amt of time that it wasn't raining. The guides that they provided gave detailed information on each of the monuments.

Seth N.

Yelp

During a brief moment in which my fiancé and I were separated, an older employee in the trick fountains area first asked her if she was alone, and then got very physically close to her and said something creepy that made her very uncomfortable (this man was old enough to be her grandfather). I walked in the room right at that moment and saw her literally run away from him with a disgusted look on her face. She was so distraught and we were so uncomfortable with this man's presence that we simply left the palace, but not before telling another employee in an attempt to contact a manager, only to find out that this has happened to numerous female employees in the past. I would not recommend coming here, especially if you are a young woman, as they seem to be this creep's target of choice and the management refuses to do anything about his heinous behavior.

Robert F.

Yelp

Reading through prior reviews and recommendations located in the Salzburg City Guide App, we planned to visit Schloss Hellbrunn when they opened..and planned for a 3 1/2 hour visit. The administration moved our water pond tour up a bit so we could get started. The most fascinating aspect of the castle is its water park, the history behind it and how it came to be and how it continues to this day to entertain. The audio guide was quite good, much better than that provided by the Mozart House in Salzburg. We visited the Heimatmuseum..requires a brief walk up the hill (by the Zoo). Enjoyed the items on display there and because it was a walk uphill, there were hardly no visitors. Good Museum. Thereafter we walked and visited the Schloss Main Building and the history behind the castle,..which tied the water park and the creation thereof all together.

Mark G.

Yelp

What a wonderful place to visit. The palace and grounds are beautiful and well maintained. My wife and I spent about 5 hours on our visit and we didn't see everything on the grounds, (we could have, but decided to have a delicious and relaxing lunch at their restaurant). Whatever you do, be sure to take the tour of the trick fountains! It was about $15 Euros and totally worth the time and money. Be warned, Arch Bischop Markus Sittikus who lived here in the 1600's during the summer months was a bit of a joker, and had fun at his guests expense. Even dignitaries weren't safe from his shenanigans. You'll get to experience this for yourself. Visiting the grounds is free, except for a few Euros to park. The self guided tour of the palace/museum was beautiful, informative and surprisingly free as well. The history of the Palace, grounds, and Markus Sittikus are fascinating.

Rhada D.

Yelp

There are 3 parts to Hellbrunn: Trick fountains, Hellbrunn itself, and the park. The trick fountains are fun to look at, but it seems to be more for children. Beware--keep your electronics safe. The tour guides turn on the fountains without warning! Furthermore, the tour groups are far too large to really enjoy this part. You can see most of the fountains from the "free" parts of Hellbrunn as well. Also, if you don't want to get wet, pay attention to the areas where the ground is wet and don't stand there... Hellbrunn palace is quite lackluster inside. Don't expect much. You can go through it in about 10 minutes. There are a few interesting bits (painted ceilings, etc.), but you aren't really missing much if you skip it. The park is what makes the trip to Hellbrunn worthwhile. They are amazing, beautiful, large, etc.

Naomi K.

Yelp

All of the staff members were very friendly and helpful with guiding us to the gazebo. Definitely a must-see for all fans of The Sound of Music.

Paul L.

Yelp

Hellbrunn is definitely worth the visit. The highlight, of course, is the amazing trick fountains and the tour guide takes sadistic pleasure in getting unsuspecting people wet, which is part of the fun. It was very entertaining and it is amazing to see such old fountains so well preserved. While there, make sure to visit the little local cultural museum up the hill. Past that is a little walking trail that runs up to an open scenic outlook which overlooks not only the palace but the entire Salzach valley and Salzburg itself in the distance. It is a great spot to take a panoramic photo.

Jim P.

Yelp

Definitely worth a trip if you have small children. Don't want to give too much away but there will be water involved. We did a bunch of cool stuff with our 7 year old this particular day but this attraction was our favourite

Damon B.

Yelp

Unbelievably spectacular was my first impression of this Schloss, but i must admit I am a big fan of Sclosses in general. My words can not describe everything there is to see here, but i hope my FIVE STAR rating will say enough to encourage you to visit this Schloss if you have the chance. It is well worth the visit. Make sure you include a visit to the Water Trick park, that is also well worth a visit.

@afar

25,132 Postcards · 3,699 Cities

Salzburg and Salzburger Land

Photo courtesy of Tourismus Salzburg

Schloss Hellbrunn

@afar

25,132 Postcards · 3,699 Cities

The Best Things to Do in Salzburg

Photo courtesy of Tourismus Salzburg

Schloss Hellbrunn

@ricksteves

702 Postcards · 219 Cities

Salzburg Travel Guide Resources & Trip Planning Info by Rick Steves

"▲▲ Lavish palace on the outskirts of town featuring gardens with trick fountains." - Rick Steves' Europe

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/austria/salzburg

Schloss Hellbrunn

Tim S.

Google

Helen L.

Google

The trick fountains was an amazing experience. We didn’t expect to have spent so much time there but we are glad to have had. Lots to see. The palace was very interesting as well.

Dimitri B.

Google

S K

Google

Seimen B.

Google

Finite T.

Google

Sonya C.

Google

Hugo P.

Google

Carrie M.

Yelp

Eric W.

Yelp

Michael B.

Yelp

Chris C.

Yelp

Kai A.

Yelp

I loved the grounds - we came on a perfect day when it was the small amt of time that it wasn't raining. The guides that they provided gave detailed information on each of the monuments.

Seth N.

Yelp

Robert F.

Yelp

Mark G.

Yelp

Rhada D.

Yelp

Naomi K.

Yelp

All of the staff members were very friendly and helpful with guiding us to the gazebo. Definitely a must-see for all fans of The Sound of Music.

Paul L.

Yelp

Jim P.

Yelp

Damon B.

Yelp

Schloss Hellbrunn

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Salzburg Travel Guide Resources & Trip Planning Info by Rick Steves

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Salzburg Travel Guide Resources & Trip Planning Info by Rick Steves