Vienna Pass and Vienna Flexi Pass include admission to dozens of Vienna’s top sights, museums and attractions. In this article, we will show you a complete review of how to save in Vienna and whether one of the cards is worth it.
Vienna is a historic and elegant city. Beautiful sights, interesting museums and fun attractions. It is not for nothing that Vienna is one of the most popular European cities.
But then when it comes to calculating the total amount of the entrance fee, many of us may have our dolls spinning. That amount can create a typhoon in your wallet.
You can get an idea of the entrance fee from the previous article on the most beautiful places to visit in Vienna.
One way to save money in Vienna is with the Vienna Pass. In this article we will discuss it in detail.
How to save in Vienna: Vienna Pass
Vienna Pass is a tourist card that gives you free entry to more than 70 sights, attractions and museums in Vienna. It is valid for a pre-selected number of days and is activated upon entry to the first attraction.
What are the advantages of the Vienna Pass?
Free entry to more than 70 sights, museums and experiences. Most of Vienna’s most popular sights and museums are included, including Schönbrunn Palace, Belvedere Palace, Hofburg Imperial Palace, the Danube Tower, the Art History and Natural History Museum and Schönbrunn Zoo.
The Vienna Pass gives you priority access to certain places such as Schönbrunn Zoo, Belvedere, Albertina and the Natural History Museum.
Free ride on the sightseeing bus for the entire validity of the card. Also included is an audio guide in 16 languages, including Czech. If you stay near the centre, the sightseeing bus will fully replace public transport in Vienna. Buses stop at all known locations in the city and operate on three routes:
- The Red Line will take you through the centre of the Innere Stadt along the famous Ringstraße, including the Hofburg Palace, the State Opera House and the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
- The Blue Line leads to the Danube Tower and Prater Park.
- The Yellow Line takes you to Schönbrunn Palace and the Belvedere Museums, for example.
You can get off and back on each line at several stops. Here you can download a list of stations for the sightseeing bus and a map of the sightseeing bus routes.
You have 1 year to activate your card. This allows you to buy a card at a better price upfront and use it later.
Free cancellation within 30 days. If you change your mind after 30 days of purchase, you will receive a full refund.
A free detailed guide to help you plan your trip around Vienna. The guide is available in 5 languages: English, German, Spanish, Italian and French.
How does the Vienna Pass work?
You buy a Vienna Pass for a selected number of days – 1, 2, 3 or 6 days. It is valid for calendar days, so you need to think in advance whether it is worth activating your card late in the afternoon or in the morning. Regardless of whether you activate your card at 10:00 am or 3:00 pm, it counts as 1 day.
After purchase, you will receive a confirmation in your email, which you can then collect in Vienna. The address is: Vienna Sightseeing Tours on the corner opposite the Opera House in the city centre, Opernring 3-5/Top 17-24 – here is the address in Google Maps.
What sights, museums and attractions are included in the Vienna Pass?
The Vienna Pass includes entry to more than 70 venues in Vienna, including:
- Schönbrunn Castle Grand Tour (29 €)
- Labyrinth, orangery, train in Schönbrunn (total 13 €)
- Schönbrunn Zoo (26 €)
- Giant Ferris wheel in Prater Park (13,50 €)
- Little train in Prater Park (5 €)
- Danube cruise (27,50 €)
- Sightseeing bus ride for the entire validity of the card (32 €)
- Hofburg Imperial Treasury (14 €)
- Royal Carriage Museum (12 €)
- Sisi Museum (16 €)
- National Library (10 €)
- Belvedere (from 16 €)
- Military History Museum (7 €)
- Albertina (18,90 €)
- Danube Tower (16 €)
- Vienna Opera (12 €)
- Art History Museum (21 €)
- Natural History Museum (12 €)
- Spanish Riding School (16 €)
- House of Music (16 €)
- Leopold Museum (14 €)
- Kunst Haus Museum (12 €)
- Mumok (15 €)
- … Full list of attractions can be found here.
What is the price of the Vienna Pass in 2023?
Prices for the Vienna Pass vary depending on the number of days you purchase the card for – 1, 2, 3 or 6 day passes are available.
The prices are as follows:
Is the Vienna Pass worth it?
The price of the Vienna Pass may seem high at first glance. However, if you plan to visit more attractions, the amount will soon be refunded. To give you an idea, here is a sample example for 2 days in Vienna.
For transport around Vienna, use the sightseeing bus (€32), which you can hop on and off as you please. The bus runs around the main attractions in Vienna regularly throughout the day, so you save on transport costs.
On the first day we will visit the city centre. We start at the Hofburg Palace, where we visit the popular Sisi Museum (€16), the beautiful National Library (€10) and the Spanish Riding School (€16).
In the afternoon we can transfer to Belvedere Palace. Here you can visit both the Upper and Lower Belvedere (36€) or choose just one of them (I recommend the Upper Belvedere for 18€). The evening ends with a ride on the Giant Bike in the Prater Park (13,50 €).
The next day we transfer by sightseeing bus to Schönbrunn, where we visit the palace (29€) and the zoo (26€). In the afternoon, enjoy a different perspective of Vienna by taking a boat cruise on the Danube (€27.50) and in the evening enjoy Vienna from the Danube Tower (€16), which offers the best view of Vienna.
Without the card, you would have paid €204. The Vienna Pass costs € 123 for 2 days, i.e. with this itinerary, you would save €81 including transport in the price.
When does the Vienna Pass pay off?
You are not a student (up to 27 years old) or senior citizen (over 65 years old) – The card can normally be purchased in two variants: the full variant for adults over 19 years old and the reduced variant for children 6-18 years old.
Most sights and attractions offer reduced rates for students and seniors. It is therefore better to calculate the approximate amount you will spend on admission without the Vienna Pass and compare it with the price of the card. Often, you will then conclude that it is enough to go to Vienna with your regular student card.
You can calculate the entrance fee from the previous article What to see in Vienna.
You plan to visit more sights and attractions – visiting 2-3 sights will not save you any money on the Vienna Pass (if you plan to visit only a few sights, see the Vienna Flexi Pass below).
How to save in Vienna: Vienna Flexi Pass
Vienna Flexi Pass is a tourist card that gives you free entry to more than 40 sights, museums and attractions in Vienna.
What are the advantages of the Vienna Flexi Pass?
Free entry to 2 to 5 sights and attractions out of a total of 40 attractions and experiences in Vienna. The Vienna Flexi Pass includes Schönbrunn Palace (Grand Tour), the Imperial Treasury of the Hofburg Palace, the Danube Tower, the Giant Ferris Wheel, the Belvedere, the Albertina Gallery, the Schönbrunn Zoo and the Spanish Riding School.
It includes almost all the main attractions in Vienna, so it covers almost everyone’s itinerary, but the Vienna Pass includes even more sights in and around Vienna.
A free one-day sightseeingbus tour of Vienna’s most famous sites, saving you money on Vienna’s public transport and giving you a different perspective of the city. You can get on and off at any time. Buses run at regular intervals.
The card is activated by entering the first attraction and is valid for the next 60 days, so you are not limited by time. Example: you purchase a Vienna Flexi Pass for 3 attractions and 1. In April, you can activate it by entering Schönbrunn Palace, after which you can visit the Schönbrunn Zoo. In a month’s time, you’ll visit Vienna again and take advantage of a third attraction, such as the Art History Museum.
Free cancellation within 90 days – refund within 3 months without giving any reason.
You have 1 year to activate the Vienna Flexi Pass . You can enjoy a visit to Vienna in as little as 1 year at current prices.
How does the Vienna Flexi Pass work?
You choose how many attractions you want to visit and accordingly choose the Vienna Flexi Pass . Choose from 2 to 5 attractions from a package of over 40 attractions, tours and points of interest in the city. You can choose the specific attractions after purchasing the Vienna Flexi Pass.
After purchase, you will receive an email confirmation with which you can collect your Vienna Flexi Pass in Vienna. The address is the same as for the Vienna Pass: the Vienna Sightseeing Tours on the corner opposite the Opera House in the city centre, Opernring 3-5/Top 17-24 – here is the address in Google Maps.
Activate your Vienna Flexi Pass by scanning it at the first attraction. After activation, you will have 60 days to use the card.
What attractions are included in the Vienna Flexi Pass?
The sights and attractions included in the Vienna Flexi Pass are almost identical to the Vienna Pass. Here’s a selection of the most popular ones, including the entrance fee you’d pay without a tourist card:
- Schönbrunn Castle Grand Tour (29 €)
- Labyrinth, orangery, train in Schönbrunn (total 13 €)
- Schönbrunn Zoo (26 €)
- Giant Ferris wheel in Prater Park (13,50 €)
- Danube cruise (27,50 €)
- Sightseeing bus ride for 1 day (32 €)
- Hofburg Imperial Treasury (14 €)
- Sisi Museum (16 €)
- Belvedere (from 16 €)
- Albertina (18,90 €)
- Danube Tower (16 €)
- Art History Museum (21 €)
- Natural History Museum (12 €)
- Spanish Riding School (16) €)
- House of Music (16 €)
- Leopold Museum (14 €)
- Kunst Haus Museum (12 €)
- Mumok (15 €)
- … The specific list of attractions can be found here .
What is the price of the Vienna Flexi Pass?
Prices for the Vienna Flexi Pass vary depending on how many attractions you choose – there are 2, 3, 4 or 5 attractions on offer, which you have 60 days to visit.
The prices are as follows:
Is the Vienna Flexi Pass worth it?
The more places you plan to visit, the more the Vienna Flexi Pass pays off. I recommend choosing between sights and attractions with higher entrance fees – Schönbrunn Palace, Schönbrunn Zoo, Art History Museum, Danube Tower, sightseeing bus, Danube cruise, Albertina, etc.
Let’s take a concrete example: most visitors to Vienna plan to visit Schönbrunn Palace (€29) and the zoo (€26). The Spanish Riding School (€16) is also a popular attraction. The best view of Vienna is from the Danube Tower (€16). A cruise on the Danube gives you a completely different view of Vienna (€27.50). In total, you would then pay €114.50 for these five attractions, i.e. you save 24,50 €.
How to save in Vienna: Vienna City Card
As a third option we have the Vienna City Card. This differs from the previous two Vienna cards in that it offers free public transport in Vienna and discounts to more than 200 sights.
The card does not give you free entry to the sights and museums, but if you show your Vienna City Card when you buy your ticket on the spot, you will get a discount.
Discounts vary. They are usually around €1-2, but if you plan to visit more places, the savings add up quickly.
The Vienna City Card is the most common type of card in Vienna – see the previous article on the Vienna City Card for more information.
Where to book tickets in advance in Vienna?
Is the Vienna Pass 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 our guide and tips on how to save in Vienna. 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). 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.
Vienna Pass Summary: How to save in Vienna
The Vienna Pass includes the most famous attractions and sights in Vienna – check them out here .
The price varies according to the number of days you plan to visit Vienna. Read more about the price of the Vienna Card.
The Vienna Pass is a good choice for those planning to visit more sights and museums. If you plan to visit fewer places, check out the Vienna Flexi Pass. A comparison of the two cards can be found in the article.
