The DC Tower is Austria's tallest skyscraper and stands in Donau City in the 22nd district (Donaustadt). If you're coming for the view, you should know one thing in advance: there is no public observation deck. The sky terrace on the 58th floor was open for an admission fee until the end of 2016, but not since. The only way up is as a guest of the restaurant or bar.
That depends on what you expect. From the outside, the tower is an architectural destination: Dominique Perrault designed it so that one side of the facade is folded and the other stays smooth. From a distance, the building therefore looks wider or narrower depending on your angle. Around it is Donau City, a high-rise district from the 1990s and 2000s, unusual by Viennese standards and therefore exciting if you're into architecture.
Inside, the tower is only worth it if you go to the restaurant or bar. Both are on the 57th and 58th floors, with the terrace at a height of 207 meters. The operator calls the bar Austria's highest rooftop bar. If you just want to look without ordering anything, you'll be disappointed: the lobby is open to visitors, the upper floors are not.
For a view-only visit, the Danube Tower (Donauturm), just under a kilometer away, is the better choice: it has a real observation deck with tickets.
There is no admission fee for the building itself, but there is also nothing to see. The restaurant and bar charge normal restaurant prices; booking is advisable on weekends. We deliberately don't list prices here because they change, so check the operator's website before your visit.
The lobby is open during the day; the restaurant and bar have their own hours. For the view, the best time is the hour before sunset: the city lies to the west, so you see it against the light, and then the blue hour begins. In winter this falls early in the afternoon, in summer after 20:00.
On a clear day the view stretches across the Danube to the Vienna Woods (Wienerwald). With high fog, which is common in Vienna in November and December, you may see less from the top than from the street.
Take the U1 to Kaisermühlen-VIC; from there it's a few minutes' walk through Donau City. The ride from Stephansplatz takes about ten minutes. You don't need a car: Donau City is designed for pedestrians, and parking is scarce and paid.
If you're coming on foot, the best route is across the Danube Island: from there you see the tower at its full height, which doesn't work when you're standing right below it.
Construction began in June 2010, the tower was completed in October 2013, and the official opening followed in February 2014. The roof height is 220 meters, or 250 meters including the antenna. The tower has 60 floors above ground and four below.
It is mixed-use: floors 1 to 15 house a hotel with 253 rooms, plus a fitness club. Floors 18 to 42 and 45 to 56 are office space with more than 30 tenants. At the very top, on the 57th and 58th floors, are the restaurant and bar with terrace.
A second, lower tower was originally planned, hence the name DC Tower 1. It has not been built to this day.
If the view matters more to you than the building, combine the two: first go to the Danube Tower for the observation deck, then walk to the DC Tower for the architecture. Donaupark lies between them, so that's twenty minutes through greenery instead of concrete.
Not as a regular visitor. There is no public observation deck: the sky terrace on the 58th floor was open for an admission fee until the end of 2016, but not since. The only way up is as a guest of the restaurant or bar on the 57th and 58th floors. If you're looking for a real observation deck, the nearby Danube Tower (Donauturm) is the better option.
The roof height is 220 meters, and with the antenna the tower reaches 250 meters, making it Austria's tallest skyscraper. It has 60 floors above ground and four below. The terrace at the very top is at 207 meters. For comparison: St. Stephen's Cathedral is 136 meters tall, and the nearby Danube Tower 252 meters.
There is no admission fee for the building itself, but there is also nothing to see there. You only pay in the restaurant and bar, at normal restaurant prices. Because these change regularly, we don't list amounts here; check them on the operator's website before your visit.
Take the U1 to Kaisermühlen-VIC; from there it's a few minutes' walk through Donau City. The ride from Stephansplatz takes about ten minutes. Driving isn't worth it: parking is scarce and paid, and the district is designed for pedestrians anyway.
It was designed by the French architect Dominique Perrault. Construction began in June 2010, the tower was completed in October 2013 and opened in February 2014. The facade is striking: one side is folded, the opposite side smooth. A second, lower tower was originally planned, hence the name DC Tower 1.
The hour before sunset, if you're coming for the view. From the tower the city lies to the west, and the blue hour follows. In winter this falls in the afternoon, in summer after 20:00. With high fog, which is common in Vienna in November and December, you may see less from the top than from the street.
No additional photos available.
Places nearby, sorted by distance from DC Tower.
Wagramer Str. 5, 1220 Vienna
Donauturmplatz 1, 1220 Vienna
Prater 92, 1020 Vienna
Gabor-Steiner-Weg, 1020 Vienna
Gaudeegasse 1, 1020 Vienna
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