The Vienna City Card is a card that includes unlimited travel around Vienna and discounts to most of Vienna’s sights, museums and attractions. In this article, we’ll give you a full review of how to save in Vienna and whether the Vienna Tourist Card is a good choice for you.
Vienna is described by many as the most vibrant city in the world. It is a safe, elegant city, full of history and interesting places. But a visit to Vienna can get pretty expensive. Admission to many places is around €15 and that can make your wallet a bit of a whirlwind.
The Vienna City Card is one way to save money in Vienna. In this review, we’ll go over it in detail, including the benefits, price and whether it’s worth buying.
What is the Vienna City Card?
Vienna City Card is the official tourist card designed in cooperation with monuments, museums, restaurants and shops to save you money on transport and admission to more than 200 places when visiting Vienna.
What are the advantages of the Vienna City Card?
Free shipping unlimited for the duration of the card validity. You can travel anywhere in Vienna by tram, bus, train or metro. The card is ideal for anyone planning to travel outside the historic centre of the Innere Stadt – for example to Schönbrunn Palace, the Zoo, the Prater, the Danube Tower or Belvedere Palace.
You can travel for free for 24 hours, 42 hours or 72 hours. The time is calculated in hours from the first activation of the card. This does not include the airport and the Ringstrasse circular route.
Discounts to more than 200 sights, museums, shops, tours or restaurants. We’ll list the highlights and how much you’ll save a little further down. Discounts are most often in the range of 10-30%. What’s more, the discounts are valid for 7 days from the activation of the card, so if you’re planning to spend, say, 4 days in Vienna, you can plan the first 3 days for more distant places and the fourth to enjoy central Vienna, where you can easily walk everywhere.
Families with children can also use the Vienna City Card. One child under 15. birthday is entitled to free travel with every card purchased. If you are travelling with 4 people – 2 children and 2 adults, you only need 2 cards and the children travel free on your cards. Children also get reduced admission to many sights (some even free), so they don’t need a Vienna City Card.
After you purchase the card, you download an app where you simply enter the code to activate it – a link to download the app will arrive in your email along with the code. In it, you’ll find everything you need to travel by transport and a list of all the discounts in Vienna. The app also works offline. You don’t have to go anywhere, the card is simply in your mobile phone.
How does the Vienna Card work?
Purchase a Vienna Card for a selected number of hours – The Vienna City Card is available for 24 hours, 42 hours or 72 hours. The card is not activated by purchase – you have 6 months from purchase to activate it.
After purchase, your booking confirmation will arrive in your email with a link to download the ivie – Wien City Guide app. Simply download the app from Google Play or the Apple App Store.
After downloading, you enter the 13-digit code that arrived in your email along with your booking confirmation: select the menu in the top left corner, click on My Card and enter the code in the My Cards section.
From now on, you can travel unlimitedly on Vienna’s transport for a selected number of hours. You also get a discount at over 200 locations for 7 days after activating your card. Just show your card when you buy a ticket or pay in a restaurant or shop.
Read: Vienna Pass and Vienna Flexi Pass are other popular ways to save money in Vienna.
What sights and attractions are included in the Vienna City Card?
The Vienna City Card covers almost all sights and places of interest in Vienna. You’ll save money almost everywhere, but some places have low discounts, so it depends on what you plan to visit.
Below you will find discounts for popular places in Vienna, including a percentage discount:
- Danube Tower 20 %
- Giant Ferris Wheel Prater 8 %
- Haus der Musik 25 %
- Museum of Military History 29 %
- Schönbrunn Castle 6 %
- Schönbrunn Children’s Museum 12 %
- Schönbrunn Zoo 15 %
- Schönbrunn Maze 20 %
- Palmenhaus 13 %
- Glorieta Schönbrunn viewing terrace 20 %
- Karlskirche including view 21 %
- Kunst Haus Museum 30 %
- Art History Museum 5 %
- Natural History Museum 25 %
- Leopold Museum 16 %
- Technical Museum 20 %
- Albertina 10 %
- Capuchin Crypt 18 %
- Mozarthaus 18 %
- Austrian National Library 15 %
- Madame Tussauds Museum 30 %
- Spanish Riding School 11 %
- Imperial Treasury Hofburg 7 %
- Lower Belvedere 14 %
- Upper Belvedere 9 %
- Sisi Museum 6 %
- …and many more (see the app for a complete list of locations)
In addition to sights, museums and attractions, the Vienna City Card also includes some restaurants, shops and even concerts at the opera, Karlskirche or Vienna Concert Hall. The list of places can be found again in the ivie app – Wien City Guide.
What is the price of the Vienna City Card?
Prices for the Vienna City Card vary depending on the number of hours you purchase the card for:
- 24 h – 17 €
- 48 h – 25 €
- 72 h – 29 €
Is the Vienna Card worth it?
The Vienna City Card is worthwhile for those planning to use public transport and visit more sights, attractions and museums. Here’s an illustrative example to give you an idea of whether the card will pay off for you. For a better exploration of Vienna, 3 days are ideal (itinerary for Vienna for 3 days).
A convenient itinerary could look something like this (discounts are marked only for places where you pay an entrance fee and these places are also part of the Vienna City Card):
- Day 1: St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Ankeruhr, Capuchin Crypt (discount 1,50 €), Vienna Opera, Karlskirche (discount 2 €), Belvedere Palace (discount 1,50-3 €), Military History Museum (discount 2 €)
- Day 2: Hofburg Palace (1-2 € discount), Austrian National Library (1,50 € discount), Spanish Riding School (2 € discount), visit one of the museums – Albertina, Art History Museum or Natural History Museum (1-4 € discount depending on the museum), Parliament, Town Hall, Votive Church
- Day 3: Schönbrunn Palace (depending on what you choose – up to 6 € discount), Schönbrunn Zoo (4 € discount), Kunst Haus Museum (3 € discount), Giant Wheel (1 € discount), Donaucity and Danube Tower (4 € discount)
The itinerary above covers most of the main sights and attractions in Vienna. The final saving depends on how many of the places on your itinerary you would visit inside – so the total saving will be between €25-36. A ticket for transport in Vienna after 72 hours costs € 17.10 separately.
In this case, without the card, a visit to Vienna would cost €42.10-53.10. The Vienna City Card costs € 29 for 3 days.
Alternatives to Vienna City Card
There are other alternatives to the Vienna City Card. The Vienna Pass and the Vienna Flexi Pass are worth mentioning. I have written a detailed article about both of them, where you will learn everything you need to know, but I will list the main differences here.
Vienna Pass is the ideal card for those planning to visit more sights and museums in Vienna. You pay one amount and then you can use the Vienna Pass to see as many sights as you want for a pre-selected number of days.
With the card Vienna Flexi Pass you purchase the number of attractions you want to visit in Vienna. The card is valid for 60 days, so you are not limited by time.
Both cards include free admission to Schönbrunn Palace, all museums in Vienna (Albertina, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Belvedere, Sisi and others), the Danube Tower, the Spanish Riding School, Danube cruises or the Giant Wheel in Prater Park. Find out more in our detailed review.
Where to book tickets in advance in Vienna?
Is the Vienna City Card not worth it? For some places it is better to book a ticket in advance to avoid long queues. These include:
Schönbrunn Palace – the vast and imposing palace has so much to offer that you can spend a whole day here in peace. You’ll also stand in long queues, so it’s best to book in advance.
Spanish Riding School is a very popular activity in Vienna, so you can avoid queues by booking your ticket in advance.
Attend a classical music concert – it is a wonderful experience even for those who do not seek classical music. Tickets sell out fast, so if you want to hear Mozart in the Golden Hall or Vivaldi in the Karlskirche, book in advance.
This was a review of the Vienna City Card. Do you have a question? We’ll be happy to answer it in the comments below. Have a safe journey!
More information about Vienna
THINGS TO DO IN VIENNA: Check out the best things to do in Vienna (including information on entrance fees and opening times) or how to create an itinerary for 3 days in Vienna. In the article Vienna with kids we share tips on how to enjoy Vienna with the whole family.
ACCOMMODATION IN VIENNA: In our guide to where to stay in Vienna you will find tips on the best neighbourhoods and accommodation in Vienna, including practical information.
AUSTRIAN ALPS: Get inspired with tips on what to visit in the Austrian Alps (hiking routes, excursions).
Tyrol is one of the most popular parts of the Austrian Alps, as is the Dachstein mountain range. If you want to enjoy the beautiful untouched nature of the High Tauern National Park, take a look at what to visit in the Hohe Tauern.
Read on for even more inspiration for travelling around Europe.
