Vienna City Card with Public Transport & 200+ Discounts

Vienna's public transport network: metro, trams and buses

Vienna has one of the densest public transport networks in Europe. Five metro lines (U1, U2, U3, U4 and U6) cross the city, around thirty tram lines run along the Ringstrasse and out into every district, and buses and S-Bahn city trains fill the gaps. Trains run from about 05:00 until midnight, with the metro running all night on Fridays, Saturdays and before public holidays. Stations are clean, signed in English and almost all have lifts.

With a Vienna public transport card you never need to work out which ticket to buy. Your Vienna City Card covers every metro, tram, bus and S-Bahn ride inside the core city zone for 24 hours from the time you activate it. Simply board, keep the app ticket ready on your phone for inspectors, and change lines as often as you like. It also covers the night buses, which is useful after a concert or a late dinner.

The historic centre: Ringstrasse, Hofburg and St Stephen's

The old town of Vienna sits inside the Ringstrasse, the grand boulevard built in the 1860s on the line of the medieval walls. Along it stand the State Opera, the Parliament, the City Hall, the Burgtheater and the twin museums on Maria-Theresien-Platz, and inside it rise St Stephen's Cathedral with its patterned roof and the Hofburg, the former imperial winter palace that now houses the Spanish Riding School, the Imperial Treasury and the Sisi Museum.

Trams 1, 2, D and 71 circle the Ring, and a loop on a tram is the classic first look at Vienna. Metro stations Stephansplatz, Herrengasse, Karlsplatz and Schottentor put you within a few minutes of every sight in the centre. Many of the attractions here, including guided tours and some of the museums, are partners of the Vienna discount card for attractions, so show your card when you buy an entry ticket.

Museums, theatres and concert halls

Vienna is a city of museums. The Kunsthistorisches Museum holds one of the finest old master collections in the world, the Belvedere shows the golden paintings of the Vienna Secession in a baroque palace, the Albertina has a graphic collection that stretches from the Renaissance to the modern era, and the MuseumsQuartier gathers the Leopold Museum and the museum of modern art in a former imperial stable. The Natural History Museum, the Technical Museum and the Jewish Museum all sit within a short tram or metro ride.

The Vienna City Card's partner list covers museums, exhibitions, theatres and concert venues, so you save on entry at many of them for as long as the card is valid. The discounts apply to the same period as your transport ticket, which makes the 24-hour card ideal for a one-day museum sprint and the 72-hour or 7-day cards better for a slower, more thorough visit.

Schönbrunn, the Prater and the Danube by metro

Some of the best things to do in Vienna lie outside the Ring, and the metro reaches all of them. Line U4 runs to Schönbrunn Palace, the Habsburg summer residence with its gardens, Gloriette and the oldest zoo in the world. Lines U1 and U2 meet at Praterstern, the gateway to the Prater park, the Giant Ferris Wheel and the long chestnut avenue of the Hauptallee. U1 continues to the Danube Island and to Kaisermühlen for the UN City and the Danube Tower.

The Belvedere is a tram ride from the Ring on line D, the Naschmarkt is at Kettenbrückengasse on U4, and the vineyards and village lanes of Grinzing are reached by tram 38. All of these rides are inside the city zone and covered by your card. Only the airport lines are outside the zone: the S7 train and the City Airport Train need a separate ticket.

How the Vienna City Card works

After you book, we send you a voucher code. You redeem it on the official Vienna City Card website, choose the start date and time, and pick either an app ticket on your phone or a printable ticket. The card activates at the time you select, so you can buy it before your trip and have it ready for the moment you land and reach the city. There is nothing to collect and no office to visit.

Each card lets one child under 15 travel free alongside the adult, which makes it a very good value Vienna travel card for tourists with families. The app also opens the official city guide, with themed walks, practical tips and background stories for the main sights. If you are staying longer, compare the 48-hour, 72-hour and 7-day options in the booking panel; the discounts run for the same validity as the transport ticket.