<p>Vienna is built low, and that's exactly why every spot from which you can look out over it is worth the trip.</p>
<p>The Giant Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad) has been turning since 1897 and is the symbol of the Prater – slow enough that one ride actually leaves you time to look around. You go much higher at the Danube Tower, which at 252 meters is the tallest structure in Austria and, in clear weather, offers a view all the way to the Schneeberg.</p>
<p>Free and at least as beautiful is the Kahlenberg: from there you see the city with the Danube and vineyards in the foreground. The Gloriette terrace in the Schönbrunn Palace Park is free as well.</p>
<p>For experiences beyond the view, there's the Prater as a whole and the Spanish Riding School, whose Morning Exercise is much cheaper than a gala performance.</p>
<p>It's worth comparing: the paid viewpoints – the Giant Ferris Wheel, the Danube Tower, St. Stephen's Cathedral – offer height and proximity to the center. The free ones – the Kahlenberg and the Gloriette – offer a wider sweep of landscape and the better photo angle on the city as a whole.</p>
<p>For all of them: the view is best in clear weather shortly before sunset. When the Föhn (a warm, dry wind that brings exceptionally clear air) is blowing, the view from the Kahlenberg reaches all the way to the Schneeberg, around eighty kilometers away.</p>
Gloriettestraße, 1130 Vienna
Vienna is built low, and that's exactly why every spot from which you can look out over it is worth the trip.
The Giant Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad) has been turning since 1897 and is the symbol of the Prater – slow enough that one ride actually leaves you time to look around. You go much higher at the Danube Tower, which at 252 meters is the tallest structure in Austria and, in clear weather, offers a view all the way to the Schneeberg.
Free and at least as beautiful is the Kahlenberg: from there you see the city with the Danube and vineyards in the foreground. The Gloriette terrace in the Schönbrunn Palace Park is free as well.
For experiences beyond the view, there's the Prater as a whole and the Spanish Riding School, whose Morning Exercise is much cheaper than a gala performance.
It's worth comparing: the paid viewpoints – the Giant Ferris Wheel, the Danube Tower, St. Stephen's Cathedral – offer height and proximity to the center. The free ones – the Kahlenberg and the Gloriette – offer a wider sweep of landscape and the better photo angle on the city as a whole.
For all of them: the view is best in clear weather shortly before sunset. When the Föhn (a warm, dry wind that brings exceptionally clear air) is blowing, the view from the Kahlenberg reaches all the way to the Schneeberg, around eighty kilometers away.