The Vienna City Card is the tourist pass I decided to use during the stay in the Austrian capital. My choice was based on the length of the trip and the itinerary I followed.
My experience with the Vienna City Card
There are many things to do and see, choosing between all the viennese museums to visit while strolling around the historic city centre declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Besides that, Vienna is synonymous with classical music thanks to composers such as Vivaldi, Paganini, Mozart, Salieri and Beethoven who lived and worked here.
In my case, considering it was not the first time here I decided to visit some places outside classic tourist routes as well as to look for different panoramic spots scattered around the city.
What is included?
First of all, the Vienna City Card allows unlimited travel on public transport (metro, bus, urban trains and trams) for 24, 48 or 72 hours. Connections to/from the airport are not included but you are still entitled to benefits.
Then, you can take advantage of a series of discounts for museums, attractions and much more for the entire duration of your stay.
For free entry, you need another card, which I will tell you about at the end of the article.
How much does it cost?
Prices per adult are the following: €17 (24 hours), €25 (48 hours) and €29 (72 hours). Children under the age of 15 travel for free.
Rates are updated on January 2024.
How does it work?
I bought the digital version from the Vienna City Card’s official website. The process was easy, quick and secure:
- choose the duration of the card (24, 48 or 72 hours), the number of people who will use it, and whether you want to add the 24-hour pass to travel on the hop-on hop-off tourist buses or the Airport transfer;
- click on “Buy now“, a new screen opens showing a summary of the current selection and the possibility of adding more cards;
- then you can personalize the Vienna City Card by entering the name/surname/date of birth of the person who will use it;
- choose the version of the card, digital (via the free Ivie city travel guide app) or paper version to print at home (print@home-ticket);
- select the date and time when the card will be used for the first time and, in case of purchasing the 24-hour hop-on hop-off pass, whether or not you wish to activate it at the beginning of your trip;
- by clicking on “Personalise now irrevocably” you confirm the order;
- fill in your personal data and select the payment method (VISA/Mastercard or PayPal);
- once the purchase is finished you will receive an email with the order confirmation and all the instructions for the correct use of the Vienna City Card.
The convenience of the digital card is in the fact that it is saved on your smartphone (on the Ivie app) and only needs to be shown at attraction ticket counters to take advantage of the discount provided. Access to transportation is free and therefore it can only be requested by ticket controllers.
On the other hand, if you opt for the paper card, you get it via email to be printed at home and carried with you at all times.
Is the Vienna City Card worthwhile?
The biggest advantage is undoubtedly the possibility of unlimited travels with Viennese public transport, really useful for quickly moving from one point to another in the city and also for reaching Schönbrunn Palace by metro (line U4).
The Vienna City Card was perfect for me because, since it was not my first time in the Austrian capital city, I did not need to visit many attractions.
These are the discounts I got:
- Kunst Haus Wien–Hundertwasser Museum, -30% (standard rate €11);
- Sigmund Freud Museum, -29% (standard rate €14);
- Imperial Crypt (Capuchin Crypt), -18% (standard rate €8,50);
- Danube Tower, -20% (standard rate €18).
All prices are updated on January 2024.
Travelling between Vienna Airport and the city centre
I have already written of the topic in this article. What I can say is Vienna City Card allowed me to save money.
In fact, from Vienna airport railway station (Flughafen Wien) I took the S7 Express train up to Praterstern station, located a few steps from the famous Prater Amusement Park and my accommodation, the Ibis Budget Wien Messe.
As I activated the tourist card immediately at the airport and being it still valid at the time of return, I spent 2€ each way instead of 4,40€. This because I only had to pay for the section of the journey between the airport and the city border, while instead the urban area was included with the card.
Train tickets can be purchased at the automatic machines at the railway stations, instructions are available in English as well. To get the discount you have to tick the option “from the city border” located in the top-right corner of the screen after having selected departure/arrival destinations (in my case Flughafen Wien and Wien Praterstern).
Having said that, if you want to avoid any kind of problem the Vienna City Card+Airport Transfer may be the ideal solutions as it includes all types of connections to/from the city.
How to visit Vienna’s museums and attractions for free
I recommend you the Vienna Pass which has a validity of 1, 2, 3 or 6 days and gives you free access to all the most famous Vienna’s attractions. Besides that, pass holders also have the benefit of Fast Track Entry to several places like Prater Giant Ferris Wheel, Belvedere Museums, Albertina and Imperial Treasury.
Prices of the tourist card start from €89 and its convenience depends on how many attractions you plan to visit.
Some of the museums and attractions included in the Vienna Pass:
- Sisi Museum Hofburg
- Schönbrunn Palace and Zoo
- Giant Ferris wheel
- Upper Belvedere (Klimt collection)
- Madame Tussauds
- Albertina
- Danube Tower
- Kunsthistoriches Museum
- Imperial Crypt
- Leopold Museum
Public transport is not included but the card allows unlimited travels on Hop-on Hop-off tourist buses which run throughout the city.
All information about Vienna Pass and online purchase are available on this page.
