Since 2026, there are no more 48- and 72-hour transit tickets, and that has changed the math for Vienna's sightseeing cards too. Using verified admission prices, we work out when each card pays off.
If you're traveling to Vienna for the first time, you'll quickly come across two cards: the Vienna City Card and the Vienna Pass. Both promise to save you money. Whether they do depends on how many museums you actually manage to visit, and which ones. We did the math using the admission prices from our price index. All prices as of October 2026.
In short: For most visitors, a public transport ticket plus individual tickets is enough. The Vienna Pass only pays off if you plan three major sights per day. The City Card is mainly interesting if you're traveling with a child.
The Two Cards in a Nutshell
- Vienna City Card: a public transport ticket for all of Vienna plus discounts at more than 200 partners, including museums, tours and restaurants. Admission isn't included; you just pay less.
- Vienna Pass: free admission to the major sights, from the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts) to the Giant Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad), plus the hop-on hop-off bus. Public transport is not included.
First, the Basics: What Public Transport Costs in 2026
Since January 1, 2026, Wiener Linien (Vienna's public transport) no longer sells 48- and 72-hour tickets. That leaves:
- Single ride: €3.00 digital, €3.20 from the ticket machine
- 24 hours: €9.70 digital, €10.20 from the ticket machine
- 7 days: €25.20 digital, €28.90 from the ticket machine
From the third day on, the 7-day ticket is already cheaper than three 24-hour tickets. Digital means bought in the WienMobil app; the digital 7-day ticket is tied to your name. Children under 6 ride for free, and children under 15 also ride free on Sundays and public holidays and during Vienna's school vacations.
Vienna City Card: Prices and What's Included
- 24 hours: €19 (with a 24-hour ticket)
- 48 hours: €31 (with two 24-hour tickets)
- 72 hours: €37 (with a 7-day ticket)
- 7 days: €39 (with a 7-day ticket)
Optional add-ons are hop-on hop-off (+€34) and the airport transfer (+€22, round trip). With each card, one child under 15 rides along for free, or one dog.
The discounts at the top sights are small: according to the brochure, €1 at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, €1.50 at the Belvedere, €2 at the Albertina and the Sisi Museum, €1 at the Giant Ferris Wheel, and €4 at the Natural History Museum and Schönbrunn Zoo. Participating restaurants give 20% off the bill once each.
Does It Pay Off?
Take the 72-hour card for €37. It includes a 7-day ticket that costs €25.20 (digital) or €28.90 (ticket machine) on its own. So you're paying €8 to €12 extra for the discounts.
If you visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Belvedere, Albertina, Sisi Museum, Natural History Museum and Giant Ferris Wheel in three days, the card saves you €11.50 in total. That's roughly what you pay extra for the card. Add a restaurant visit with the 20% off and you'll easily come out ahead, but it's not a big money-saver.
It looks much better with a child: with the City Card, the child rides for free, even on regular weekdays outside Vienna's school vacations. Without the card, the child would need their own ticket.
Vienna Pass: Prices and What's Included
The Vienna Pass is valid for full calendar days, not for 24 hours. It starts with the first scan.
- 1 day: €109 (currently €98.10)
- 2 days: €149 (currently €134.10)
- 3 days: €175 (currently €157.50)
- 6 days: €199 (currently €179.10)
Juniors aged 6 to 18 pay about half, and children under 6 are free. Included are, among others, Schönbrunn Palace (the shorter “State Apartments” tour), the Sisi Museum with the Imperial Apartments, the Upper and Lower Belvedere, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Albertina, the Giant Ferris Wheel, the Danube Tower, Schönbrunn Zoo and the Vienna Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus. At the Spanish Riding School, only the morning training session (Morgenarbeit) with standing room is included, not a performance.
Does It Pay Off?
A packed 3-day program at regular prices:
- Day 1: Schönbrunn State Apartments (€30) and Schönbrunn Zoo (€29)
- Day 2: Kunsthistorisches Museum (€22 online), Sisi Museum (€20) and Albertina (€20.90)
- Day 3: Upper Belvedere (€23), Giant Ferris Wheel (€14.50) and Danube Tower (€18)
That adds up to €177.40: just above the regular price of €175 and around €20 more than the current offer. On top of that comes the public transport ticket, which the pass doesn't include. If you manage only two sights a day instead of three, you'll pay more with the pass.
The 1-day pass practically never pays off: for €109, you'd have to visit five major sights in a single day. Also, at Schönbrunn only the 40-minute tour is included; the full tour of the Beletage (the palace's main floor) with the Palace Ticket costs €42 at the regular price.
The Alternative: Vienna Flexi Pass
The same provider offers the Flexi Pass: you choose a number of visits and have 60 days to use them. Three visits cost €79 (currently €71.10). If you only want the most expensive sights, such as Schönbrunn, the zoo and the Belvedere for €82 combined, you'll save a few euros without having to rush.
Our Recommendation
- You like walking and will visit two or three museums: 7-day ticket (€25.20 digital) and individual tickets. The cheapest and most flexible option.
- You're traveling with a child under 15: the 72-hour Vienna City Card. The child rides along, and you get the discounts on top.
- You want to see all the major sights in three days: the 3-day Vienna Pass, plus a public transport ticket. Plan ahead where you'll need which time slot: you have to reserve Schönbrunn and the Sisi Museum in advance even with the pass.
- You only want the two or three most expensive highlights: individual tickets or the Flexi Pass.
Free and Cheap, No Card Needed
Some of the best places cost nothing at all: the permanent exhibition at the Wien Museum is free, and so is Schönbrunn Palace Park. Some museums are free on the first Sunday of the month. More on this in our article Free Things to Do in Vienna and on our page Free in Vienna.
From the Airport to the City
Until the end of October 2027, the rail line to the airport is under construction. The S7 only runs as far as St. Marx, and the City Airport Train operates as a bus to Wien Mitte (€14.90 one way, €24.90 round trip, children under 15 free). The City Card's airport add-on (€22) is valid in both directions and for two children; compared with the CAT round-trip ticket, you save just under €3.
Prices as of October 2026. Sources: viennacitycard.at, viennapass.de, wien.info, cityairporttrain.com, City of Vienna press release of September 1, 2025, and the museums' websites (see price index). Prices change, so check them on the official website before you buy.
