While organising the trip to Vienna I had to decide which tourist card to use for my stay. The choice was between:
Which is he best card to use to save money?
It is difficult to give an absolute answer because there are several aspects to consider when deciding the tourist card to buy.
For example it depends on length of your stay, the number of attractions you want to visit, the location of your accommodation, how often you use the public transport and how you travel between Vienna Airport and the city centre.
All prices listed in this article are valid as of April 2024, any update is available on the purchase pages.
Vienna City Card
In my opinion, it represents a good compromise for those who want to make full use of the city’s public transport (very efficient!) and take advantage of discounts for museums and attractions.
I bought the Vienna City Card on its official website.
The card is valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours from its activation and it includes all public transport in Vienna. As for the connections to/from Schwechat Airport, you can save money compared to the general fares.
In fact, when travelling with the S7 line or ÖBB Railjet trains, thanks to the Vienna City Card I only had to paid €2 instead of €4.40.
If your hotel is located near Wien Mitte railway station or you wish to travel as quickly as possible between the airport and the city centre, you should opt for the CAT – City Airport Train. This is the most expensive means of transport and it is included in the Vienna City Card + Airport Transfer.
You can read more about transport between Vienna<->Airport in this article.
Besides that, with the Vienna City Card you get special discounts on the entrance tickets to attractions and museums, for example:
- Kunst Haus Wien-Museum Hundertwasser, -30%;
- Sigmund Freud Museum, -29%;
- Imperial Crypt, -19%;
- Danube Tower, -20%;
- Vienna Giant Ferris wheel, -7%;
- Upper Belvedere, -9%.
Prices of the Vienna City Card are €17 (for 24 hours), €25 (for 48 hours) and €29 (for 72 hours).
For further information and online purchase, please have a look here.
Vienna Pass
It includes more than 90 Vienna attractions such as the Giant Ferris Wheel in the Prater amusement park, Schönbrunn Palace, the Natural History Museum, the Albertina, the Spanish Riding School, the Hofburg, the Opera House, the Belvedere Museum, Madame Tussauds, the Danube Tower and so on.
Where available, you can also take advantage of priority entrance, which saves a lot of time as you avoid queues at the ticket office. Here are some examples:
- Belvedere 21;
- Albertina;
- Imperial Treasure Chamber;
- Museum of Art History;
- Leopold Museum;
- Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel;
- Zoo, Gloriette, Labyrinth, Orangery and Desert House at Schönbrunn.
The printed guidebook with lots of useful information and tips completes the offer.
Public transport is not included but you have unlimited travels on the Hop-on Hop-off buses across the city. There are 50 stops with the possibility of getting on and off whenever you want and once on board, free WiFi and an audio guide in English are available.
The Vienna Pass is valid for 1, 2, 3 or 6 consecutive days from the first use. Prices are: €87 (for 1 day), €123 (for 2 days), €153 (for 3 days) and €189 (for 6 days).
Cards are free of charge for children under 6 years of age whilst children up to 17 years old pay about half price (€45, €63, €77 and €95 respectively).
The real convenience is based on the number of attractions visited and the length of stay (the saving is greater as the number of days increases). To give a few examples, standard adult rates are the following:
- Schönbrunn Palace – €29;
- Schönbrunn Zoo – 26 €;
- Leopold Museum – 15 €;
- Spanish Riding School (morning admission) – 16 €;
- Museum of Art History – 18 €;
- Giant Ferris Wheel – 14 €;
- Upper Belvedere – 16,70 €;
- Daily hop-on hop-off bus ticket – 37 €.
The Vienna Pass can be purchased on GetYourGuide and the voucher must be redeemed at the tourist office located near the Opera House (all information is included in the booking).
Vienna Flexi Pass
Compared to the previous two, this is a lesser-known tourist card but particularly interesting for those who need flexibility.
In fact, it is valid 60 days from the first use and allows access to 2, 3, 4 or 5 attractions of your choice. Among the attractions included are, for example:
- the Sisi Museum;
- the Giant Ferris Wheel;
- the Natural History Museum;
- the Opera House;
- the Spanish Riding School;
- the Schönbrunn Zoo;
- Madame Tussauds;
- the Albertina Museum;
- the Danube Tower;
- the use of the Hop-on Hop-off bus for 24 hours;
- the Grand Tour of Schönbrunn.
Here too, where and where available, Vienna Flexi Pass holders are entitled to priority admission.
Speaking of prices, the pass including 2 attractions costs €47 per adult and €25 per child (up to 17 years); with 3 attractions it is €63 and €33 respectively; with 4 attractions it is €75 and €39; then with 5 attractions it is €89 and €49.
Children under 6 years do not have to pay.
The Vienna Flexi Pass can be purchased on GetYourGuide and the voucher obtained must be exchanged at the office located near the Opera House.
Finally, I would like to point out that all three tourist cards can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before the start of the activity.
