Vienna Flexi Pass with 2 to 8 Top Attractions

Schönbrunn Palace and Schönbrunn Zoo

Schönbrunn Palace was the summer residence of the Habsburg emperors and, with its gardens, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. The State Apartments tour leads through the rooms where Empress Maria Theresa held court and where Emperor Franz Joseph lived and worked, with gilded mirrors, porcelain cabinets and the Great Gallery used for balls and banquets.

With the Flexi Pass you book a time slot online and get guaranteed entry at your preferred time, the key to avoiding the long queues for Schönbrunn Palace tickets in high season. In the same park, Schönbrunn Zoo, founded in 1752, is the oldest zoo still in operation and another option on the pass list, together with the panorama train that circles the gardens. Plan at least half a day for Schönbrunn: take metro U4 to Schönbrunn or Hietzing.

The Hofburg: Sisi Museum, Imperial Treasury and Spanish Riding School

The Hofburg, the vast winter palace in the centre of Vienna, was the seat of Habsburg power for more than six centuries. The Sisi Museum and the Imperial Apartments tell the life of Empress Elisabeth through her dresses, travel items and private rooms, while the Imperial Treasury displays the crown jewels, including the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian imperial crown.

The Spanish Riding School, where white Lipizzaner horses train in a baroque hall of 1735, is also on the pass list, as is the Albertina with its Habsburg state rooms and world-famous graphic art collection. All of these sights are within a few minutes' walk of each other, so a pass with 3 or 4 attractions fits a full Hofburg day. Check each venue's opening hours before you go, as some close on certain weekdays.

Museums Quarter and the Upper Belvedere

Opposite the Hofburg, the twin palaces of the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Museum of Natural History face each other across Maria-Theresien-Platz. The first, opened in 1891, holds one of the great old-master collections of the world under a spectacular domed hall, while the second shows meteorites, dinosaurs and the tiny prehistoric Venus of Willendorf.

Behind them, the Museums Quarter adds the Leopold Museum and the modern art of mumok, and a short tram ride away the Upper Belvedere displays Austrian art around 1900 in a baroque palace. Art lovers can choose the 6 or 8 attraction pass to combine these museums. Museums are open most days, but several close on Mondays, so plan your week around that.

Views and rides: Giant Ferris Wheel, Danube Tower and hop-on hop-off

For views over the city the pass offers the Giant Ferris Wheel in the Prater, a Vienna landmark since 1897 whose red wooden cabins rise to about 65 metres, and the Danube Tower, opened in 1964, with an observation deck about 150 metres above Danube Park. On a clear day you can see the Vienna Woods and, beyond them, the hills of Lower Austria.

If you want to see Vienna without planning every transfer, the 72-hour hop-on hop-off bus ticket with all lines counts as just one attraction and connects many of the other sights on the list. Further options include a city cruise on the Danube Canal, the State Opera guided tour and day-trip sights outside the centre such as Klosterneuburg Monastery and the baroque Schloss Hof estate.

How the Vienna Flexi Pass works

After booking you receive the digital pass on your phone. There is nothing to collect and no app to download: the full list of attractions, with addresses and opening times, is in the online booklet. The pass is activated the first time you scan it at an attraction and is then valid for 60 days, so you can spread your visits across a long stay or a return trip.

Is the Vienna Flexi Pass worth it? It is best value when you already know which sights you want and choose the number that matches. Some attractions need an advance reservation, and Schönbrunn Palace requires the online time slot; the booklet explains each step. If you have questions in the city, the help desk opposite the State Opera at Opernring 3-5 is open daily from 9:00 to 18:00.