Before you Travel

Bookings needed & things you can prepare in advance to make the most of your time once in Vienna

Tickets & activities you NEED to book in advance


The huge majority of travelers visit the following attractions. They need to be booked to avoid huge queues or to guarantee availability.

The first tickets you should book in advance are the ones for the Schönbrunn Palace. It's he most visited attraction in Austria, so make sure to book your tickets in advance if you want to tour the rooms!

Schönbrunn Palace Tickets

The second tickets you should book are the ones for Belvedere Palace. This complex is one of the most beautiful baroque complexes in Europe, and it consists of two Palaces, the Upper and Lower Belvedere, the Palace Stables and the Orangery, and it also houses the Belvedere 21 museum.

Belvedere Palace tickets

Albertina museum is probably the most visited museum in Vienna, so it's always smart to book beforehand to avoid the long queues if you want to see famous pieces of art, such as Dürer’s “Young Hare”, Klimt's studies of women and other works of Picasso, Monet, Rauschenberg and Klimt.

Albertina Museum tickets

PASSES TO MAKE THE BEST OF YOUR VISIT

There are different Passes you can buy to enter attractions and each has its own options, so you should check them out before choosing. If you read the descriptions and still can't decide which pass to get, send me a message and I'll help you with it!

The Vienna City Card is valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours. It provides unlimited access to public transportation (metro, buses, trams, regional trains and night buses) and discounts to enter over 210 museums, points of interest, shops, theaters, cafés and restaurants. The price goes from € 17.

Vienna City Card

The Vienna PASS is valid for 1, 2, 3, or 6 consecutive days. It provides free access to some of the attractions, like Schönbrunn Palace, the Giant Ferris Wheel, the Spanish Riding School and the Albertina Museum, including some skip-the-line tickets, and unlimited travel on the hop-on hop-off sightseeing buses that have 6 routes. The price goes from € 70.

Vienna PASS

The Vienna Flexipass lets you choose 3, 4 or 5 attractions out of a list of 30 to enter for free, including a Hop-on Hop-off Ticket for 24-hours, the Albertina, Schönbrunn Zoo and the Ferris wheel. The price goes from € 45.

Vienna Flexipass

The Sisi Ticket is valid to visit the Hofburg, the Imperial Furniture Collection and Schönbrunn Palace with a fast track admission to the Grand tour with audio guide. It costs € 34,00 for adults.

Sisi ticket

Pick your Transfers & Transport Cards


There are different ways to get from Vienna International airport to the city center:

The fastest and most comfortable door-to-door option: Private transfer

With this service your driver will be waiting for you at the arrival hall and you'll avoid long queues for a taxi. The price is approximately €35 per car, depending on the location of your hotel, and it takes approx. 20 min. to get to destination.

Vienna Private Transfer

The most common options with Public Transport: Trains

There are 2 trains you can catch. The S7 S-Bahn goes from the Airport to Wien Mitte in about 25 minutes. A single ticket costs around €4.20, and it leaves every 30 minutes. Tickets can be bought at the machines. The City Airport Train (CAT) gets to Wien Mitte in about 16 minutes. A ticket costs 12€, it also departs every 30 minutes, and you can buy tickets through this link:

City Airport Train tickets

Once in the city walk as much as you can so you take in the beautiful architecture and spaces of the city. For longer distances:

Public Transport

Vienna's public transport works very good and it consists of metro, buses, trams, trains and S-Bahn regional trains. There are different tickets you can purchase: single tickets are €2.20 and you can change lines with it. There's a 24-hour ticket that costs €7.60, 48-hour ticket costs €13.30 and 72-hour ticket costs €16.50, you have to validate the three of them the first time you use any mean of transport.

The Vienna City Card gives you unlimited access to public transport.

Public Transport in Vienna City Card

Hop On - hop off buses are the perfect option for those who don’t like crowded metros or buses. You'll be able to hop on and off on the different stops they have designated.

- Big Bus Vienna: you can buy tickets for 1, 2 or 3 consecutive days. There are 2 routes with over 25 stops around the city. There's the option of Premium and Deluxe tickets that include a Guided Walking tour around the city and a Hundertwasser tour. The price goes from € 30 per person.

Big Bus Vienna

- Vienna Sightseeing: it offers the option of tickets for 24, 48 and 72 hours. It has 5 different routes with 50 stops around the city and it includes a Guided Walking tour. The amount of routes included in the ticket depends on the length of it, the 72 hour ticket has all of them included.  The price goes from € 25 per person.

Vienna Sightseeing bus

Other recommended arrangements


Book your tours, guides & activities: the best tours sell out fast. Try to do your research and book before you go. Have a look at our Love Your Trip selection, we have the best services and experiences in town.

If you need advice to choose your activity or you’re looking for something specific, send me a message.

Curated Experiences & Tours Vienna

Have you just started to plan your trip? Too many things to decide? Too long do it all by yourself? Special needs or wishes? Then, you should plan your trip with a local to get tailored travel plans & advices.

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