There are several tourist cards to visit Vienna, and in my opinion, the most “complete” among them is the Vienna Pass.
Why?
It includes free access to over 90 attractions, among the most important museums and monuments in Vienna. In this article I explain you how the Vienna Pass is really convenient for you stay in the Austrian capital city.
How to save money with the Vienna Pass
If I consider this the most comprehensive tourist card for visiting Vienna, it is because, although public transportation is not included, it also allows you to get around the Austrian capital for free thanks to the Hop-on Hop-off buses.
Only the connections to/from the airport remain excluded. You can read this article to learn more about this topic.
Back to the Vienna Pass, here you find:
- what is included;
- duration;
- benefits;
- prices and online purchase;
- convenience;
- difference with the Flexi Pass.
What’s included with the Vienna Pass
Museums, monuments and Hop-on Hop-off buses.
The list is quite long since there are more than 90 attractions located both in Vienna and in the surrounding areaa such as the castles of Forchtenstein, Liechtenstein and Esterházy as well as the Klosterneuburg Abbey.
Of course, the most famous places of interest in the city are not missing:
- Sissi Museum (Hofburg);
- Prater Ferris Wheel;
- Upper Belvedere;
- Madame Tussauds;
- Albertina;
- Danube Tower;
- Kunsthistoriches Museum;
- Zoo and Schönsbrunn Palace.
Is Schönbrunn Palace also included?
The Vienna Pass offers the “Grand Tour ticket,” including the entire main floor of the palace: private rooms of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth, reception rooms, State Apartments and Maria Theresa’s rooms.
Important!
There is no fast track entry at Schönbrunn Palace and therefore visitors with Vienna Pass must go to the “Group Center ticket office” to get their free ticket with the fixed time slot. This office is located immediately at the entrance in the main courtyard.
For this reason I suggest arriving at Schönbrunn around opening time so that you have a better chance of getting in at the desired time. This is valid especially in high season and on holidays.
Hop-on Hop-off tourist buses
These are the classic double-decker buses available in the world’s most famous cities.
During the period of validity of the Vienna Pass you are entitled to unlimited travel from one part of the Austrian capital to another by taking advantage of 45 stops divided among four lines:
- red, runs along the historic center;
- blue, from the center to the Danube Tower via the Prater;
- yellow, from the Belvedere Museum to Schönbrunn;
- green (summer months only), to Grinzing and the Kahlenberg Hill.
These buses operate daily, approximately from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with an average frequency between 20-30 minutes. Audio guide on board is included as well.
The Vienna Pass validity
The card is valid for 12 months from the date of purchase and is activated with the first use, at an attraction or on board the Hop-on Hop-off bus.
Then, it can be used for 1, 2, 3 or 6 consecutive calendar days, from midnight to midnight, depending on the type of ticket.
Vienna Pass benefits
In addition to those already mentioned above, together with the Vienna Pass you will receive a free guidebook with detailed information of the attractions, a map of the city and much more.
In addition, the card gives you the Fast-track-Entry to various places of interest. For example:
- Albertina
- Upper/Lower Belvedere and Belvedere 21
- Imperial Treasury
- Kunsthistorisches Museum
- Leopold Museum
- Prater Ferris Wheel
- Schönbrunn Zoo.
Vienna pass prices and online purchase
The rates indicated below refer to March 2025. Children aged 6 to 18 pay about half price, while infants up to 5 years old do not need any ticket. Age is considered at the time of card use:
- Vienna Pass-1 day: adult, 99 € / child, 49 €;
- Vienna Pass-2 days: adult, 139 € / child, 67 €;
- Vienna Pass-3 days: adult, 165 € / child, 81 €;
- Vienna Pass-6 days: adult, 199 € / child, 99 €.
The Vienna Pass can be purchased on the GetYourGuide website, partner of the company that manages this tourist card (along with the Flexi Pass that I will talk about later).
Afterwards, you must collect the paper card at the “Vienna Sightseeing & Vienna Pass” office in front of the Opera House, at 3-5 Opernring, no. 17-24. It is open every day from 9 to 18.
Free cancellation is guaranteed if made up to 24 hours in advance before the first use.
Is Vienna Pass really convenient?
First of all you have to consider the average cost of the attractions, which varies between 12-20 €.
Having said that, the longer the validity of the Vienna Pass, the greater the savings. With the 6-day validity you get the best quality/price ratio given that its daily cost is around 33 €.
Generally speaking, the real convenience starts with a Vienna Pass valid for 3 days, calculating two or three daily entries with the addition of unlimited travel on board Hop-on Hop-off buses.
Regarding Schöbrunn, there are several attractions whose visit takes up a whole day. They are all included in the Vienna Pass, ensuring significant savings given that, for example, an adult would spend 32 € for the Grand Tour, 27 € for the Zoo and 14 € for the Imperial Carriage Museum.
And this without considering that you can reach it free of charge thanks to the Hop-on Hop-off bus.
Prices refer to March 2025.
What about the Vienna Flexi Pass?
It’s a less-known tourist card and, as the name suggests, flexibility is its main feature.
In fact, it allows you to choose 2, 3, 4 or 5 attractions to visit among the 60 available with a saving of up to 30% compared to the prices of single entrances. It is also valid for 60 days from first use.
Some of the museums and places of interest included in the Vienna Flexi Pass:
- Albertina (fast-track entry);
- Danube Tower;
- House of Music;
- Prater Ferris wheel (priority entrance);
- Hop-on Hop-off Bus (24 hours);
- Habsburg crypt;
- Imperial Treasury Chamber (skip-the-queue ticket);
- Schoenbrunn Palace (Grand Tour);
- Leopold Museum (fast-track entry);
- Schoenbrunn Zoo;
- Upper/Lower Lookout (priority entrance);
- Madame Tussauds.
Prices of the Vienna Flexi Pass are shown on the this page. Children between 6-18 years old get a discount of almost 50%.
