Vienna Pass Review – Is it worth your money?
Welcome to my review of the Vienna Pass, the ultimate sightseeing pass that offers free entry to over 60 top attractions in Vienna. If you’re planning a trip to this magnificent city, you’re probably wondering whether the Vienna Pass is worth your money. With so many different passes and ticket options available, it can be overwhelming to decide which one to choose.
But fear not, as I’m here to help you make an informed decision. In this review, I’ll be sharing my personal experience with the Vienna Pass, as well as all the key features and benefits you need to know. So sit back, relax, and let’s explore whether the Vienna Pass is a smart investment for your Vienna adventure.
If you are planning to visit Vienna then it is obvious that you would hear or read about Vienna Pass. This is used by thousands of travelers every year.
In short — the Vienna Pass is a tourist pass that gets you into more than 60 museums and attractions throughout Vienna (in some cases, you get to skip the long ticket lines). It has an optional Travelcard for public transport. You will get a free pocket Size guidebook. Almost everything in the small package for making your trip to Vienna, Austria fruitful.
It ends up being a great deal for some visitors but that’s not always the case. In this guide, we’ll break down the cost of the pass and explain who should and who shouldn’t buy the Vienna Pass.
Vienna Tourist Pass
Vienna Pass
The Vienna Pass is your sightseeing card to discover the city of Vienna. Tailor-made for visitors to the Austrian capital, you can enjoy the city’s rich history with a HOP ON HOP OFF VIENNA SIGHTSEEING TOURS bus tour, a guidebook, and an optional travel card.
There’s so much waiting to be discovered with the Vienna PASS – saving you time, money, and stress of planning your trip in Vienna.
What’s included in the Vienna Pass?
- Free entry into over 60 of Vienna’s most popular attractions and museums, including the Imperial Palace, Schönbrunn Zoo, and the Natural History Museum
- Unlimited use of the HOP ON HOP OFF VIENNA SIGHTSEEING TOURS buses for the duration of your pass
- Free guidebook to help you explore the city and plan your visit
- Fast Track Entry to a number of Vienna’s top attractions
- Optional: travelcard for Vienna’s public transport network to explore the city, valid across the tram, tube, and bus networks
How many days do you get with Vienna Pass?
The Vienna PASS is your all-inclusive ticket to experience Vienna. Available for 1, 2, 3, or 6 consecutive days you can explore Vienna at your leisure and enjoy free entry into Vienna’s most popular monuments, museums, and galleries.
Which are the cheapest Place to buy Vienna Pass?
Let us talk about the Cost of the Vienna Pass and How can you save money on buying your Vienna Pass.
Before buying any tour Attraction ticket I always like looking at all the different website which offers attraction tickets to find the discount on the product as they really offer some great discounts.
You can find the discount on Vienna pass on this website. The below table will give an idea about the normal price for Vienna Pass.
| Days | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Day | 87 | 45 |
| 2 Day | 123 | 63 |
| 3 Day | 153 | 77 |
| 6 Day | 189 | 95 |
Places where you can buy the Vienna Pass on Discount are mentioned below
How does the Vienna Pass Work?
The Vienna PASS saves you both time and money. You no longer need to carry around spare change for admission tickets, all your entry is included in one pass. Just turn up to one of over 60 attractions, show the card at the entrance, and step right in without paying an extra cent!
How is the pass activated?
The pass will become activated upon first use at an attraction. It works by scanning a barcode which will activate the card at first use. This simple system means users can visit their chosen attractions* at ease, without the hassle of queuing to buy tickets.
Depending on your selected pass duration – 1, 2, 3, or 6 days – the pass is then valid for consecutive calendar days from activation. Once the pass has expired, the card will stop working and you will no longer be granted entry into any sight or attraction. Please date and sign your pass at the space provided, otherwise, it is not valid.
If you select the travel package, your travelcard will become activated when you validate it in the blue ticket-punch machine in tube stations, trams or on buses and will then be valid for consecutive 24, 48 or 72 hours.
*The Vienna PASS allows single entry into the attractions, except for the HOP ON HOP OFF VIENNA SIGHTSEEING buses, which can be used unlimited for the entire duration of your Vienna PASS.
Price Breakdown – Buying Ticket Separately VS Vienna Pass
The Vienna PASS promises to save you money while offering you the best there is to see and do in Vienna. With free entry into over 60 attractions in and around the city, you’re making a saving even before you start your sightseeing adventure. This is something which the claim would save you money.
This pass is going to be handy for you if you are travelling with family and you are going to spend around a more than three days in the capital. This pass is going to save you money and hassle of planning things out and standing in queues for buying the tickets.
I just calculated the cost of some of the major attraction tickets and it was summing up to around 140 Euro which is more than then cost of the Vienna Pass.
| Attractions | Actual Cost of Tickets in Euro |
|---|---|
| HOP ON HOP OFF VIENNA SIGHTSEEING TOURS (72 hours) | €49.00 |
| Schönbrunn Palace | €26.50 |
| Schönbrunn Zoo | €21.50 |
| Leopold Museum | €14.00 |
| Spanish Riding School – morning exercise | €13.00 |
| Museum of Art History | €16.00 |
Without a Vienna PASS, just visiting these six top attractions would cost you €140! That’s not including the savings you’d be making if you opted for additional travelcard to take care of all your transport needs, too.
If you are interested to know more about the attraction which is covered in the pass you check on the website Vienna Pass Attractions.
Does Vienna Pass Include the Travel Card?
The answer to this is No, It doesn’t the only thing which is included is the Unlimited rides on Vienna Sightseeing hop-on hop-off buses (6 routes, 50 stops).
So in case you want something with which you can use a normal travel card for unlimited travel in Vienna then you will have to look for the travel card options.
What you can do in this scenario is you can get the Vienna Travel Card which will cost you around 17 € but then you can use unlimited free transport.
One thing to note is that it doesn’t include Vienna airport transfer, so you have to get that seperately.
Benefits of a Travelcard
- One ticket to cover all networks within the inner zone
- 24, 48, or 72-hour ticket variations for flexibility
- Networks include: underground, train, tram and buses, including Nightline buses
- No need to carry spare change for daily tickets
Where can you use the Travelcard?
The travelcard allows you unlimited travel across all transport networks in Vienna (zone 100)
- Underground
- Trams
- Buses (incl. Nightline buses)
- S-Bahn urban railway
The undergrounds (U-Bahn) run from around 5am until midnight, but run 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays and the night before public holidays. Your travelcard is also valid on all night buses and night tubes.
Buses and trams have less operating hours and stop running earlier in the evening.
For more information regarding Vienna’s public transport network (Wiener Linien) please visit here
How do you activate the Travelcard?
At every tube stop, you will find a small blue ticket machine to activate your card, as well as inside the trams and buses themselves. You must slot your travelcard into the machine to stamp and activate it. The first time you do this will be the activation date and time of your travelcard. From then on, the travelcard will be valid for the duration of your ticket; 24, 48, or 72 hours.
Children under 6 travel for free on the transport network. During school holidays in Vienna, on Sundays and public holidays, as well as on 2 and 15 November, children and youths travel free of charge on Wiener Linien’s network until the age of 15. Please show an identity card with a date of birth. School holidays in Vienna are listed here.
Top Reasons to Get the Vienna Pass
Convenience
A single word answer for the reasons to get the Vienna Pass is Convenience.
Additionally, it makes buying tickets simple. Instead of purchasing your tickets separately, over 60 of the top attractions in Vienna are included on the card – perfect for first-time visitors and those who plan to do a lot of sightseeing.
Fast Track Entry
Waiting Line is frustrating at any place; It is waste of time for the starting. And when you are travelling to a new place, Time is money and you want to make the most of your visit by saving time as much as possible.
Unfortunately, lines at the most popular spots in Vienna can stretch over an hour long. With the Vienna Pass, you’ll skip the ticket lines at many attractions and save yourself some valuable sightseeing time. (Please note: You may still have to queue with others who bought advanced tickets.)
Hop on Hop Bus Tours
A hop-on-hop-off bus tour is an excellent way to familiarize yourself with Vienna. It’s also a good way to get from one side to the next.
The tour makes 9 stops throughout Central Vienna and features audio guides in 8 different languages. During the summer, buses run every 8-15 minutes (10-15 minutes in the winter). Please be aware that, once activated, the HOHO Bus Tour is only good for one day.
You can take a look at the Hop on Hop Off Bus Tour Maps.
Is Vienna Pass a Value for Money Product?
Well, this question may pop up in your mind when you are planning to buy Vienna Pass.
To understand whether it is value for money or not, You should break down the cost of the Pass to Days Basis.
- 1-Day Pass: €79.00/day
- 2-Day Pass: €49.50/day
- 3-Day Pass: €43.00/day
- 6-Day Pass: €26.50/day
The more days you spend in Vienna with the Vienna Pass, The lesser you spend on a daily basis. But in that case, you will have to visit as many places as you can in order to make the most benefit of your pass.
In my opinion, first-time visitors and heavy sightseers can get their money’s worth from the pass, but you’ll need to go for it. (Better yet, use our coupon code from above – or check for an even better deal – when you buy the Vienna Pass on sale here!)
If you look at the prices of the museums listed above, you’ll see that the average tickets cost around 15€ to 20€. That gives you an idea of how much you would need to do in a day for the pass to make financial sense.
First, pick which museums, places, and attractions you will find interesting. We caution against cramming your museum-filled schedule just to get your “money worth,” because you’re going to burn out. And don’t forget that half of Vienna’s charm comes from strolling the streets, admiring the architecture, and relaxing in the parks and gardens — all free.
Lastly, As we quoted Time is money when you visiting a new place, The Vienna Pass gives you an escape route from the time you are going to spend in queues for buying tickets with the skip the line option of the Vienna Pass. In general, you are going to spend around half an hour in queues of tickets.
Vienna Pass Review: Is Vienna Pass Worth It?
Let us go through 3 days itinerary of the Vienna Pass which is you are spending around 51 Euro Daily in Vienna and see how much you can save with the Vienna Pass if you are buying one for your trip. ( The Vienna pass for 3 days costs around 153 Euro which averages out to 51 Euro/day)
Day 1
| Hop-on Hop-Off Bus Tours | €49.00 |
| Madame Tussauds | €24.00 |
| Museum of Art History | €16.00 |
| Daily Total | €89.00 |
Day 2
| Schönbrunn Palace Grand Tour | €20.00 |
| Schönbrunn Zoo | €20.00 |
| Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel | €12.00 |
| Imperial Carriage Museum | €9.50 |
| Daily Total | €61.50 |
Day 3
| Spanish Riding School Morning Exercise | €15.00 |
| Hofburg Imperial Palace | €15.00 |
| Albertina | €16.00 |
| Daily Total | €46.00 |
As you can see, once you factor in public transportation, it’s fairly easy to reach our €51.00/day goal which makes the Vienna Pass worth the cost. Each day is certainly full of activities but it’s not unrealistic and the average cost sums up to 65.5 without the Vienna Pass.
But if you buy the Vienna Pass then in that case you are going to spend daily around €48/day so on the whole with the 3 days Vienna Pass you are saving €71.50.
Who should consider buying the Vienna Pass?
- First-Time Travellers – For most first-time tourists the Vienna Pass can be a good choice. The card is super convenient, and by including most of the attractions you would like to see any way it simplifies your experience. Often, access to public transport through the travelcard is a good perk.
- Travelers who want to cover extra things – If you’ve already arranged to see a few museums and decide to take the hop-on-hop-off shuttle, visit the Schönbrunn Palace Grand Tour, see the Hofburg Imperial Palace, then the pass is going to be a nice deal. Fortunately, all these activities are items that we will strongly recommend to all tourists.
- People who want to cover a lot in a few days – If you want to avoid getting into the lines of tickets for any attractions, This covers everything on that front. As we said, time is your enemy when you are traveling, So you have to spend that very precisely and you would not like to spend it standing in queues.
- Travelers Who Want to See Vienna at Their Own Pace – Well this may happen to you, Since there so many options to cover in case you don’t like the museum which you entered or the attraction you visited you can come out and head out to a different place which is unlikely if you buy a single ticket, in that case, you have to stick with that for the money which you spent on the ticket.
- Convenience/ Skipping the line – If you are really not fond of standing in line and waiting. Then you don’t really need any other reason to buy the Vienna Pass. Also, being able to skip the lines is going to be a huge time saver — especially in the summer when there are more people traveling.
Who should skip buying the Pass?
- Budget Traveller who are only visiting one/two museums – Well if you are travelling Europe on Budget then absolutely this pass is not for you. The actual cost of the Vienna Pass is the total amount in which we were able to visit Vienna from Germany for one day tour.
- Not interested in the Extras – If you don’t want to go inside the Museum and just want to visit the place from outside. Don’t buy the pass.
- Visitors who are visiting for 30 days – If you don’t want to cover all the places and just want to explore 3-4 places in Vienna then you can select those places and buy the Vienna Flexi Pass. We will cover the review for Vienna Flexi Pass if you want us to cover this.
- Staying in Vienna for Longer Duration – In case you are staying in Vienna for a longer duration then the max days which you can get on Pass is six days so in that case, you can plan in your own pace.
- Travelers Who Just Want to See a Few Places — If you just want to see a few places over the course of your trip, the pass isn’t worth it.
Tips for using the Vienna Pass and Getting the most out of it
- Buy the Pass on Sale – You will get a discount on the pass very often so you just look for it and buy it during the discount. We shared the cheapest place to buy the Vienna Pass above, You can buy from there.
- Check for Closure – Most museums are at least one day a week closed — normally a Monday or a Tuesday. Some museums close also quite early — like 4-5 pm. In addition, some museums are open one day a week late, which can be a great way to get some more museum time in (plus the crowds tend to be much smaller during these times).
- Night Activities – If you have some museums and attractions which are open during the night, Then visit them during the night and use the daytime to cover those places which close early.
- Don’t waste your first day – The time of the pass starts the first day you use it, So you should plan to start using the pass early in that day, So you can utilize your first day in an effective way.
- Group you Sightseeing by Area – This is actually not about the Vienna Pass but in general when you are building your itinerary. You should consider keeping the attraction which is close on a single day in that case you can utilize most of your Vienna Pass.
How to Buy Vienna Pass
You can buy the Vienna Pass online via the Vienna Pass Website. or you can buy the Vienna Pass at Discounted Price – by any of the options below
Conclusion – Is Vienna Pass Worth It?
There isn’t a small answer to this, it depends on various factors and the kind of traveller you are.
The best way you evaluate it to understand and see If you can utilize the maximum of your ViennaPass or not.
If you’re a Vienna tourist for the first time, a sightseeing pass is an easy way to make the most of your time. Having a pass simplifies issues (not getting individual passes, waiting in line, etc.) plus it helps set your sightseeing goals.
A Vienna Pass might also be a good choice for those who want to do a lot of sightseeing and want to do so as quickly as possible and as conveniently as they can. Purchasing the pass when on sale will also help you get even more bang for your dollar.
If you’re not on your itinerary to visit museums, you probably don’t need a pass at all-but you’ll miss some of the best art and sightseeing in the country!
So, is the Vienna Pass worth it? That’s really up to you.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this Vienna Pass review, and please let me know if you have questions. Above all, have a great time in Vienna. Until next time, happy traveling!
