Kurpark Oberlaa

At around 608,600 square meters, Kurpark Oberlaa is one of Vienna's largest green spaces and lies on the southern edge of the city. It's not a park you pass through but one you stay in: theme gardens, ponds, an animal enclosure and spacious play areas are spread across the gently rolling grounds. Admission is free, and since 2017 the U-Bahn (subway) has stopped practically at the entrance.

Is it worth a visit?

For an afternoon, yes, especially with children. The park has several themed areas that you can link up on a loop walk. The Rosenberg (rose hill) is planted with around 2,400 roses. The Takasaki Garden is a Japanese garden of about 600 square meters. The Allergy Garden is an information trail where you learn which plant flowers when, more useful than it sounds if you suffer from allergies yourself.

There are also eight named ponds and lakes, including the Swan Lake and the Water Lily Pond, as well as an animal enclosure with goats and sheep. Other areas include the Baroque Fountain Garden, the Flower Labyrinth, the Perennial Garden and the Garden of Love.

If you're only looking for a quick sight, this isn't the place. The park has no single photo motif to tick off; its appeal is its sheer size.

Tickets and prices

Entry is free, all year round and for all areas of the park. You only pay if you visit the neighboring thermal spa or stop at one of the restaurants or cafés.

Opening hours and best time

The park opens at 06:00 all year. Closing time changes with the season and, depending on the month, is between 18:00 and 22:00, so considerably later in summer than in winter. Check the current hours before an evening visit.

The best time depends on what you want to see. The Rosenberg is in bloom in June and again in a second flowering in September. The Japanese garden is at its most striking in fall, when the leaves change color. For families, late morning is a good time, as the play areas aren't crowded yet. On hot summer days, the open lawns make the park less shady than, say, the Prater.

Getting there

Take the U1 to the Oberlaa terminus. The station opened on September 2, 2017, and is right by the entrance to Therme Wien (Vienna's thermal spa); the Kurpark adjoins it to the north. The ride from Stephansplatz takes about 20 minutes.

You can drive, but it rarely makes sense: the U-Bahn stops at the entrance, and you save yourself the search for parking. Dogs are allowed in the park but must be kept on a leash.

History in brief

The park was created for the Vienna International Garden Show of 1974. The model was the 1964 garden show in Donaupark, which was considered a hit with the public, so the city decided on a second edition. The site chosen was a former brickworks on the southeastern slope of the Laaer Berg, enlarged through additional land purchases.

The 1974 garden show drew 2.6 million visitors. Unlike many exhibition grounds, the site remained a public park afterward, which explains the theme gardens that would never have come about in an ordinary green space.

The sloping terrain is a legacy of the brickworks: where clay was once dug, there are now meadows with a noticeable gradient. For strollers and wheelchairs this means not every path is equally comfortable, but the main paths are paved throughout. From the higher part of the park the view stretches across southern Vienna.

Nearby

The Kurpark is on the outskirts of the city, so the nearest places in our guide are correspondingly farther away:

• Funeral Museum at the Central Cemetery – a good three kilometers away, one of the most revealing museums in the city.
• Gasometer – four kilometers away, four converted 19th-century gas tanks.

Tip

Don't enter at the main entrance by the thermal spa if the Rosenberg is your goal. From the U-Bahn it's at the opposite end, and you'll walk across the entire park. If you're heading specifically for the theme gardens, use one of the northern entrances instead, or plan the walk as part of your visit and deliberately go through the park lengthwise once.