Vienna City Card

On this page you will find all important information about the Vienna City Card: What services does the City Card offer and for whom is it worthwhile? How long is it valid and where can you buy it?

You can get the City Card from our partner companies. We receive a small commission for the sale. Of course, this does not change the price for you.

Vienna City Card
  • Numerous discounts throughout Vienna
  • Family bonus: 1 child up to 15 years free of charge per Vienna City Card
  • Public transport in Vienna free of charge
  • Optional: free airport transfer
  • Optional: free hop-on/hop-off bus tour
  • Valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours
  • With the card you save money in Vienna!

How the Vienna City Card works

The Vienna City Card has been around for over 25 years and offers numerous benefits when visiting the Austrian capital - from mobility to sightseeing to gastronomy.

  • Numerous discounts in museums and sights
  • Free use of public transport in the city
  • Discounts for attractions, tours and restaurants
  • Family bonus: One child up to 15 years of age or one dog travels free of charge per ticket.
  • Optional: Airport transfer or hop-on/hop-off

In the basic version, you can use public transport with the Vienna City Card for 24, 48 or 72 hours without restrictions. Optionally, an airport transfer or a 24-hour ticket for the hop-on/hop-off bus can be booked as well.

The City Card offers discounts on over 200 sights, guided tours, museums, sports and leisure activities, restaurants and cafés, shops, concerts and theatres. Some of the discounts are very small, but can also be up to % 50.

You can buy the Vienna City Card online and then use it as a digital ticket on your mobile phone or print it out (Print@Home Ticket). In both cases, activation of the card on the official Vienna City Card website is required. The card can then be used as a discount card for 7 calendar days.


Who is the Vienna City Card suitable for?

Especially if you spend several days in Vienna, want to visit many sights and use public transport, the Vienna City Card is worthwhile.

The card also makes travelling much easier, as you don't have to worry about individual entrance tickets and tickets. In addition, the City Card pays for itself quickly, because those who use it regularly can save a lot of money with the Vienna City Card.


What does the Vienna City Card cost?

The price of the Vienna City Card depends on both the period of validity and any additional services selected.

  • 24-hour City Card + local transport: 17.00 EUR
  • 48-hour City Card + local transport: EUR 25.00
  • 72-hour City Card + local transport: 29.00 EUR

You can also book two optional additional services:

  • Surcharge for airport transfer: 22,00 EUR
  • Surcharge for Hop-on/Hop-off bus: EUR 31.00

Children do not receive their own City Card, but can use city transport free of charge until their 15th birthday if an adult is in possession of a City Card. This also applies to the additional service with the hop-on/hop-off bus. Furthermore, the airport transfer is even free for two children up to their 15th birthday.

However, families with more than one child per parent must purchase additional public transport tickets.

Unfortunately, the child bonus does not apply to reductions. Nevertheless, children and young people often already benefit from reductions or have free admission at many attractions.

All services of the Vienna City Card

With the Vienna City Card you can use public transport in Vienna free of charge. On the other hand, the City Card gives you reduced admission to numerous museums, sights, restaurants and much more.

You can find the complete overview of all price advantages here: Vienna City Card

Museums & Sightseeing Discounts

  • Albertina (-5%)
  • Austria Wien Museum (-50%)
  • Schönbrunn Palace (-6%)
  • Belvedere Palace (-1.50 EUR)
  • Schönbrunn Panorama Railway (-20%)
  • Museum Quarter (-7.50 EUR)
  • Danube Tower (-20%)
  • further discounts

Please note: It may be more favourable for senior citizens to take advantage of the senior discounts. These are sometimes higher than the discounts with the City Card.

Discounts Tours & Leisure

  • Schönbrunn Zoo (-15%)
  • Madame Tussauds (-30%)
  • Danube cruise with Blue Danube (-10%)
  • Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel (-7%)
  • Vienna Hofburg Orchestra (-20%)
  • Hidden Vienna Tour (-20%)
  • Classic Vienna Bike Tour (-20%)
  • further discounts

Show your Vienna City Card at the entrance to your desired activity to receive the corresponding discount.

Public transport with the Vienna City Card

With the Vienna City Card, public transport in Vienna can be used as often as you like for 24, 48 or 72 hours. The City Card is significantly more expensive than the tickets of the Vienna public transport system. It is therefore not worthwhile if it is used exclusively for local transport.

Every Vienna City Card also includes free travel on public transport for a child up to 15 years of age or a dog. From the 15th birthday onwards, a separate ticket must be purchased for the child.

When you activate your card, you specify the date and time from which your ticket is valid for local transport.

Please note: If you have printed out your ticket yourself (Print@Home Ticket) and do not use the mobile ticket on your mobile phone, you will have to validate your ticket the first time you use public transport. The ticket is then valid for 24 to 72 hours, depending on the option selected.

Public transport in Vienna
© Einar H. Reynis / Unsplash

Airport transfer

Optionally, you can also book an airport transfer as an add-on with the City Card. The surcharge for this is EUR 22.00. The airport transfer can be redeemed several times, so you can travel between the airport and the city centre as often as you like within 7 days. For each Vienna City Card with transfer add-on, two children up to their 15th birthday travel free of charge.

There are four different connections between the airport and the city:

  • City Airport Train
  • ÖBB Railjet
  • Rapid transit S7
  • Vienna Airport Lines

The transfer option is therefore only worthwhile if you want to use the fast connection with the City Airport Train or commute several times between the airport and the city. For a one-way trip from the airport to the city, it is cheaper to do without the additional option and buy a ticket directly.

Hop-on/hop-off

With the Tour Add-On you get a 24-hour ticket for the hop-on hop-off buses of Big Bus or Vienna Sightseeing, which offer two different routes through Vienna. If you buy a Vienna City Card with tour option, one child up to the age of 15 can travel for free. The bus ticket can be redeemed within seven days of purchase.

The tour option costs EUR 31.00. If you opt for the 24-hour Big Bus ticket only, you pay EUR 41.00. The 24-hour Vienna Sightseeing ticket costs 33.00 EUR. So if you want to use the hop-on hop-off buses, the tour option is a favourable alternative.

It is important to note that all services can be booked independently of each other. This means, for example, that you can first use the hop-on hop-off bus for 24 hours and only then activate your ticket for public transport.

Is the Vienna City Card worth it?


The Vienna City Card is an attractive offer especially if you use public transport in Vienna intensively, because the ticket is the core of the City Card. But that alone does not make the City Card cheap. To really save money, you should also take advantage of some of the many discounts offered by the City Card.

The following table shows how much you can save, using the 72-hour card as an example:

AttractionWithout Vienna City CardWith Vienna City Card
Vienna City Card 72h29,00 EUR
Public transport: 72h17,10 EURFree of charge
Schönbrunn Palace Classic Pass38,00 EUR36,00 EUR
Bank Austria Kunstforum Vienna12,00 EUR9,00 EUR
Schönbrunn Panorama Railway15,00 EUR12,00 EUR
Pedal Power Bike Tour47,00 EUR37,60 EUR
Danube Tower18,00 EUR14,40 EUR
MuseumsQuartier FAB527,50 EUR20,00 EUR
Danube tour by boat29,50 EUR26,55 EUR
Schönbrunn Zoo27,00 EUR23,00 EUR
Total231,10 EUR20,55 EUR

If you visit many sights and museums in Vienna and use public transport, you will definitely save money with the Vienna City Card. Even if the individual reductions are sometimes quite small, they add up quite quickly. In addition, there are also attractive discounts in some restaurants, cafés and shops that we have not included here.

If you want to explore the city exclusively on foot, you should check carefully whether it is really worth buying the card.

The more you use your City Card, the more it pays for itself!

Buy & collect Vienna City Card

You can buy the Vienna City Card online through various providers, including the following Tiqets.com. After booking, you will receive a voucher that you can either use as a mobile ticket on your smartphone or print out (Print@Home Ticket).

Before using the City Card, it must be activated or personalised. You can do this here: viennacitycard.at You will also receive the link for this with your order confirmation after booking. You will need your 12-digit order number for activation.

If you have difficulties with the activation, you will find detailed instructions here: Personalise Vienna City Card

When you activate your card, you specify how you want to use it:

  • App (mobile ticket on the smartphone/ "ivie App")
  • Print@Home (The ticket is printed out at home and in this case is already activated and validated. You only have to show the printout).

Activation can be done immediately after purchase or up to 6 months later. From the activation date, the card can be used for 7 days and public transport for 24, 48 or 72 hours depending on the option booked.

Tip: Download the "ivie App" for your visit to Vienna. This serves as a comprehensive travel guide and offers information on participating attractions, city maps with marked destinations, suggestions for self-guided walks and much more.

If your travel plans change, the purchase can be cancelled or rebooked free of charge up to 23:59 the night before your visit.

Vienna City Card

Advantages & Disadvantages

Advantages of the Vienna City Card

  • Many of Vienna's top sights can be visited at reduced prices.
  • You can use public transport as often as you like during the period of validity of your City Card.
  • With the airport transfer and hop-on/hop-off buses, practical additional options are available for your mobility.
  • The card does not have to be collected on site but can be conveniently printed out or used as a mobile card.

Disadvantages of the Vienna City Card

  • The Vienna City Card only grants discounts but not free admission.
  • The discounts are sometimes quite small, so you have to visit a lot to save.
  • The ticket for public transport is valid for a maximum of 72 hours.

More offers in Vienna

If you don't opt for the Vienna City Card, you can also book many sights and tours individually. We have put together a few options for you here:

FAQ about the Vienna City Card

How does the Vienna City Card work?

You buy the Vienna City Card online and use it as a mobile ticket on your mobile phone or as a Print@Home ticket to print out at home. You can then visit numerous museums and sights at a reduced entrance fee within 7 calendar days and use public transport free of charge for 24 to 72 hours.

Optionally, an airport transfer or a hop-on hop-off bus tour can also be booked.

Can I use public transport with the Vienna City Card?

Yes, with the Vienna City Card you can use public transport free of charge for up to 72 hours.

Is the airport transfer included in the Vienna City Card?

No, but the airport transfer can be booked for an extra charge of 22.00 EUR.

Can I cancel the Vienna City Card free of charge?

Yes, you can cancel or change your ticket free of charge until 23:59 the evening before your journey.

How is the Vienna City Card activated?

The Vienna City Card is activated via the official website: https://www.viennacitycard.at/ For use as a local transport ticket, the date and time of the desired activation is specified. From this time onwards, you can travel free of charge with the City Card for up to 72 hours.

Is the Vienna City Card worth it for families?

There is no separate City Card for children. One child up to 15 years per adult can use public transport and the hop-on/hop-off bus free of charge. The airport transfer is free for 2 children up to 15 years. Children also receive free admission to many sights and attractions.

Author: Patrick

Here writes: Patrick

Patrick has visited various metropolises such as Amsterdam, London, Paris and Barcelona. Here he writes about the most important City Cards. His aim is to present detailed and up-to-date information for the official tourist maps of popular cities.

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