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Vienna City Passes

What’s a Vienna City Pass?

Vienna City Passes are sightseeing tickets with which you can visit many attractions free of charge or at least get a discount. In some cases, city passes grant fast track admission to popular attractions, so you don’t have to queue at the box office. Often, bus tours and walking tours are included and with one of the three major Vienna city passes, you can also travel on public transport as often as you like.

However, no two city passes are the same. The included attractions vary a lot, therefore there’s a vast price range. The cheapest Vienna city pass is available from just €17. The most expensive pass costs €159. However, the scope of services is not the only decisive factor for the purchase price of a pass: the period of validity also determines the price. Between one day and 30 days of validity everything is available in Vienna.

All Vienna passes are available on the Internet, often on the official websites of the issuing companies, but sometimes also from renowned ticket agencies. After you have purchased your Vienna city pass, you can either use it on your phone, print it out on paper or pick it up in Vienna with a voucher. This is also different with every city pass.

On this page we compare the three most important Vienna city passes with each other so that you can decide which one suits you best.

This page contains partner links. This means that we receive a commission when you buy a product through an affiliate link (e.g. a Vienna City Pass). This does not make the product more expensive for you.

When Is a Vienna City Pass Worthwhile?

  • When You’re in Vienna for the first time

    A city pass is specially suitable for travellers who are in the city for the first time, as each pass includes mainly the most important attractions of Vienna. If you want to visit them, you can save both money and time with a city pass. However, one of the three passes, the Vienna City Card, can also be worthwhile for repeat travellers.

  • When you’d like to do intensive sightseeing

    City passes are especially worthwhile if you want to do as much sightseeing as possible in a few days. Because for a Vienna city pass to be worthwhile, you have to take advantage of many of the offers included. So if you want to explore Vienna intensively, a city pass is the right tool for you. However, there is one pass, the Vienna Flexi Pass, which is also worthwhile if you choose only three to five attractions.

  • When you spend several days in Vienna

    An important limitation is the validity of a city pass. Some passes are only valid for one day, others for several days. Although the longer running city passes are more expensive, the price per day decreases with each additional day. This is why passes with three to six days’ validity are more profitable than passes that are only valid for one or two days.

  • When you’re interested in culture

    The most important sights in Vienna are castles and museums. Most of them are part of the Vienna city passes, which means you can visit many of the top attractions free of charge with just one pass. In some cases you benefit from fast track admission. If you are interested in Viennese culture, some of the city passes may be worthwhile for you.

  • When you like to use Hop-on Hop-off buses

    Tourist buses are a good way to explore a big city. In Vienna there are two companies that operate Hop-on Hop-off buses, which you can get on and off as often as you like. Two out of three city passes include free rides on these buses. With the third pass you can book the ride optionally. If you want to use Hop-on Hop-off buses anyway, it is probably worthwhile to buy a city pass.

  • When you know what you want

    The best way to save money with a Vienna city pass is to know which sights you want to see and compare your wish list with the included attractions of any city pass. If there are many overlaps, you will probably save money with a pass.

  • When you travel unprepared

    On the other hand, some travellers do not know any of Vienna’s attractions. They may be inspired by a city pass, as most of the times, there is a small handbook attached to the pass which provides some information about the sights included. By travelling this way, you won’t necessarily save money with a city pass, but it is still a comfortable way of exploring a place.

All Vienna City Passes at a glance

In the following section we briefly introduce the four most important tourist cards for Vienna.

Please click on the respective icon.

Vienna PassVienna Flexi PassVienna City Card

Benefits of the Vienna Pass

Vienna Pass
Buy Vienna Pass (from €79)

Benefits of the Vienna Flexi Pass

  • Choose 3, 4 or 5 from 33 attractions
  • Including Hop-on Hop-off bus and boat cruise
  • Fast track admission to some attractions
  • 15% discount on Vienna Sightseeing tours
  • Valid for 30 days after activation
  • Detailed information about the Flexi Pass
Vienna Flexi Pass
Buy Vienna Flexi Pass (from €45)

Benefits of the Vienna City Card

  • Public transport free of charge (24, 48 or 72 hours)
  • Optional: Airport transfer
  • Optional: 24 hours Hop-on Hop-off bus
  • Discount on 200+ attractions, shops, restaurants etc.
  • Detailed information about the City Card
Buy the City Card (from €17)

Vienna City Passes Compared (Table)

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Last update: 05/2020

Differences between City Passes

Each Vienna city pass is a complex package of many attractions and discounts, and none of these city passes is like any other. If you don’t know what to look out for at first, we would like to point out the following essential differences of the tourist passes:

Time-based vs. Attraction-based: Most city passes are time-based. This means that you can basically take advantage of all offers, but only have a limited number of days to do so. This applies to the Vienna Pass and the Vienna City Card.

The Vienna Flexi Pass, on the other hand, is an attraction-based city pass: With the Flexi Pass, you have a lot of time (30 days), but are only allowed to visit a limited number of attractions (3, 4 or 5).

Validity: The duration of the three Vienna city passes varies greatly. The Vienna Flexi Pass offers a very long time period of 30 days. With the Vienna Pass you can choose between 1, 2, 3 and 6 days validity. Unfortunately there is no version for 4 or 5 days. With the Vienna City Card you can use public transport for 24, 48 or 72 hours. However, you benefit from discounts and airport transfers for a full seven days.

 Public Transport: Only the Vienna City Card includes unlimited use of public transport within Vienna (up to 72 hours). With the Vienna Pass you can book the public transport ticket as an option when you buy the pass. However, this does not save you any money, as day tickets cost the same at any ticket vending machine. The Vienna Flexi Pass does not include the use of public transport.

Hop-on Hop-off Bus: The Vienna Pass and the Vienna Flexi Pass each include the Hop-on Hop-off buses by Vienna Sightseeing. With the Vienna Pass you can travel as long as your pass is valid – up to six days. With the Vienna Flexi Pass, you can travel on the buses for 24 hours only, but you save a lot of money compared to buying a single ticket. With the Vienna City Card, you can buy Big Bus tickets as an option, but you will save very little money.

Included Attractions: Most travellers want to visit the top sights of a city. However, not all of these are included in the scope of every city pass. Only the Vienna Pass includes all the major sights. Unfortunately, the Vienna Flexi Pass does not include the important attractions Schönbrunn Palace and the Vienna Hofburg. With the Vienna City Card you’ll only benefit from small discounts on all attractions.

Fast Track Entry: Some city passes grant fast track admission to top attractions. This means that you don’t have to queue up, but can enter a sight immediately with your city pass. Most of the so-called “fast-track offers” are included in the Vienna Pass, a few less are included in the Vienna Flexi Pass. With the Vienna City Card there is no preferential admission anywhere. In any case, you should take a close look at each city pass to see which attractions provide fast admission.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Each Pass

Vienna PassVienna Flexi PassVienna City Card

Advantages of the Vienna Pass

 Most of Vienna’s top attractions are included in the pass.

Hop-on Hop-off bus unlimited for the duration of the pass.

You can save a lot of money with a Vienna Pass valid for 3 days or more.

Flexibel delivery: mobile pass, pick up in Vienna or delivery by mail.

Fast-track entry for some attractions.

Disadvantages of the Vienna Pass

 A pass with four or five days validity would be useful, but is not offered.

The Vienna Pass does not calculate in 24-hour units, but in calendar days. Therefore it is only worthwhile if you activate it in the morning.

Not all attractions offer fast track admission.

The Vienna Pass can only be used digitally if you do not buy a Travel Card.

Advantages of the Flexi Pass

 Very flexible pass: You choose your favourite attractions yourself.

24 hours Hop-on Hop-off bus and a boat cruise are included.

Fast track admission to some attractions.

Valid for 30 days from first use.

Disadvantages of the Flexi Pass

 Not worthwhile for all of the 30+ sights.

Schönbrunn Palace and Vienna Hofburg are not included in this pass.

The Flexi Pass has to be picked up at the opera in Vienna.

Advantages of the City Card

 You can use public transport as often as you like. Vienna’s public transport system is considered exemplary.

The additional mobility options are convenient: airport transfer and/or Hop-on Hop-off bus.

There is a discount on many top attractions. Those who do a lot of sightseeing will save money with the pass.

Downloading the pass to your phone or printing it out is very convenient.

Disadvantages of the City Card

 The City Card does not include free admission, only discounts.

The discounts are often small. Those who do only little sightseeing will not save any money with the City Card.

 The public transport ticket is valid for a maximum of 72 hours.

Which Vienna City Pass is the Best?

The Vienna city passes differ significantly in their scope of services, price and validity. Therefore, it is unfortunately not possible to determine the one best Vienna city pass. Each pass has its advantages and disadvantages and therefore each Vienna pass is suitable for a different target group. However, we favour the Vienna Pass, as it is the most comprehensive Vienna city pass.

In the following section we evaluate the three most important passes according to different preferences. If you find your situation in a headline, click on it and read our recommendation:

The Vienna Pass is suitable for you, as only this pass includes all important sights of Vienna. If you want to concentrate on the essentials, the two or three day pass is probably sufficient.

A good alternative is the Vienna Flexi Pass, where you choose three to five attractions that are important to you. However, the Schönbrunn Palace and the Vienna Hofburg are missing here.

The Vienna Pass is the most comprehensive city pass for the city of Vienna. You can visit 60+ attractions free of charge. Therefore, this pass is the best for travellers who want to do as much sightseeing as possible.

The Vienna Pass promises the greatest savings, at least with a validity of at least three or six days. Although it is the most expensive pass, you get the most value for your money and can save a lot if you do a lot of sightseeing and take advantage of other offers during the validity period. You can also save money with the Vienna Flexi Pass and the Vienna City Card, but the savings will be small.

The Vienna Pass contains the largest selection of castles, palaces and museums. With this city pass you will hardly miss any sights. However, you should keep in mind that some of the palaces and castles are located far outside Vienna. It is not worth using a time limited city pass for the long journey. If you are interested in the offside attractions, you should rather buy single tickets.

Basically, all Vienna city passes are suitable for you, as they all include journeys with Hop-on Hop-off buses. With the Vienna City Card, you can book the ride as an optional extra. This is a bit cheaper than buying the ticket separately. The Vienna Pass even includes bus tickets lasting several days (you can travel as long as the Vienna Pass is valid).

If you want to take the bus and don’t want to do a lot of sightseeing, the Vienna Flexi Pass is the best choice, because the savings with this pass are greatest when one of the chosen attractions is the Hop-on Hop-off bus.

For a short stay in Vienna, the Vienna Flexi Pass can be worthwhile, with which you can choose three to five attractions that you can easily manage in two days. The Vienna City Card is also worthwhile for short stays, as it allows you to use Vienna’s efficient public transport system and the card is not expensive.

For a longer stay in Vienna the Vienna Pass is worthwhile. The 6-day pass offers the best value for money, because the price per day is so low that you don’t have to visit more than two attractions a day to save money.

An alternative for travellers who do not want to do much sightseeing is the Vienna Flexi Pass. With this pass you have 30 days to visit only three to five attractions.

If you are travelling with small children aged five or under, it doesn’t matter which Vienna city pass you choose, because they can visit the included attractions free of charge.

For children and young people aged 6 to 18, the Vienna Pass and the Vienna Flexi Pass are available at half price each.

Although there are no reduced prices for children for the Vienna City Card, each adult city card holder can take one child up to their 15th birthday on public transport free of charge. Similar conditions apply to airport transfers and Hop-on Hop-off buses.

Alternatives to Vienna City Passes

Public Transport Day Pass: If you are mainly interested in public transport but do not want to do much sightseeing, you can also buy single tickets for 24, 48 or 72 hours at any ticket vending machine.

Single tickets: If none of the Vienna city passes appeal to you, you should buy tickets for your favourite attractions individually. It is often worth doing this online, as there are discounts on the internet compared to the box office. Here you can find tickets for the most important offers: