This article will provide you with a comprehensive overview of Prater Park in Vienna and everything you can do there. The article includes Vienna’s amusement park, the green nature park, recommended museums, and fun activities.
You can skip between sections of the article to quickly find the relevant information:
- Where exactly is Prater Park located?
- Vienna’s Amusement Park – Prater Amusement Park:
- General Information and History
- The Famous Giant Ferris Wheel – Information and Tickets
- Rides for Nostalgia Lovers
- Rides for Adrenaline Lovers
- Additional Attractions in the Amusement Park Area
- Opening Hours and Additional Information
- The Green Park – Nature and Gardens
- Recommended and Easy Walking Route in the Park (13 kilometers)
- Recommended Museums:
- The Prater Museum
- Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
- The Chocolate Museum
- Events and Festivals in Prater Park
- How to Get to the Park by Public Transport
Where Exactly is Prater Park Located?
The Prater complex is located in the second district of Vienna, not far from Taborstraße (the Jewish street) and the Vienna University of Economics and Business (Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien). As you can see on the map, the park’s area is large and partly located very close to the Danube River. In the northern part of the park, there is an underground station called Praterstern (lines U1 and U2) from which you can reach the park itself with a short walk.
Vienna’s Amusement Park in Prater Park
Vienna’s amusement park is located within the Prater complex and is called Wurstelprater. The park opened to the public in 1766, making it the second oldest amusement park in the world (after Bakken Amusement Park in Denmark). The park currently has about 250 experiential attractions for all ages, the most famous of which is the Giant Ferris Wheel (Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel), which has become one of Vienna’s symbols over the years. The amusement park is not fenced, so you can enter and walk around freely without payment. To ride the attractions, you must pay for each attraction separately. Prices for riding an attraction range from 1-14 Euros.
The History of the Park
The area where Prater Park is located is mentioned in writings as early as 1162 when Emperor Frederick I gave it to the aristocratic family de Prato (which may also be the origin of its name). Over the years, the area changed many hands and passed from one aristocratic family to another. In 1560, it was purchased by Emperor Maximilian II, who turned it into a hunting ground. For many years, city residents were forbidden to enter the Prater complex, and only in 1766 did Emperor Joseph II declare the place public. From the moment the park became a public place, restaurants, cafes, and an amusement park began to be built at its northern end. Despite all this, hunting remained popular in the park until its cessation in 1920.
In 1895, a complex called “Venice in Vienna” was built in the park, and in 1897, one of the city’s symbols, the Giant Ferris Wheel, was erected there. The Prater quickly became an experiential place for parents and children, and many of the city’s wealthy residents came to spend time there. In addition, the park was a source of inspiration for local writers and composers who wrote works and stories related to the park.
In 1938, the park became the property of the City of Vienna. During World War II, Allied bombings destroyed large parts of the park. In 1945, a fire broke out in the amusement park, destroying many attractions. The rehabilitation of the park took a long time, and most of it was funded by private individuals.
One of the park’s symbols is the statue of the Chinese man known as Calafati, which stands in its center. This statue once belonged to a famous carousel that operated in the park called “Great China.”
Vienna’s Amusement Park Today
The Prater amusement park is a wonderful combination of old and new rides and is especially suitable for adrenaline lovers. Throughout the park, there are 250 different attractions including roller coasters, flying chairs, a giant Ferris wheel, bumper cars, a ghost train, carousels, a planetarium, and more.
You can watch a video of the beautiful Prater Park here:
The Best Rides in Vienna’s Amusement Park:
The Famous Giant Ferris Wheel of Vienna (Wiener Riesenrad)
The Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel was erected in 1897 in honor of Emperor Franz Joseph I’s 50th birthday celebrations. In the 1920s, the wheel faced demolition, but fortunately, economic problems prevented its destruction. During the second world war, during the Allied bombings, the Giant Ferris Wheel was burned down and took a long time to repair. In 2008, it was renovated again and redesigned.
Interesting to know: In 1914, a spectacular stunt was performed in which a circus rider and stuntwoman sat on a horse standing on the roof of one of the wheel’s cabins and completed a full rotation in this manner.
You can watch a panoramic tour of the Giant Ferris Wheel here. For more information.
Essential Information for Visiting the Giant Ferris Wheel:
Operating Hours of the Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel:
Most attractions in the amusement park are only open from March to October, but the Giant Ferris Wheel is open all year round. View updated operating hours here.
Prices: Adult – 13.5 Euros, child (3-14) – 4.5 Euros, child under 3 – free. One Euro discount for Vienna Card holders. You can book tickets in advance for fast-track entry without waiting in line for the Giant Ferris Wheel. Purchase online tickets without a queue (with cancellation option) here.
Address: Riesenradplatz 1, 1020 Wien
Map:
Rides for Nostalgia Lovers
Vienna’s Oldest Roller Coaster
A wonderful and nostalgic family experience. If you want to show your children what amusement park rides used to be like, there’s no better way than to ride the old roller coaster in Prater Park with them. This ride is one of the only ones that has remained in its original form, and it is definitely authentic and old. Ride fast through mountains and hills, dark ravines, villages, and rivers – all on one ride!
Watch the roller coaster experience.
Prices for riding the roller coaster:
- Children up to 12 years old: 3 Euros
- Adults: 3.5 Euros
Rides for Adrenaline Lovers
Those who love a bit of extreme and adrenaline can choose from a variety of truly frightening attractions (payment for each attraction separately). We won’t elaborate, see for yourselves some of the best attractions in the park:
Turbo Boost
Ejection Seat – Sit comfortably and fly into the sky while sitting in a chair and connected only by ropes.
Black Mamba – A huge pole that spins at high speed. Spin at a dizzying speed of 80 km/h.
Skyfall – Plunge down at high speed until you stop very close to the ground.
Space-Shot – Experience what it feels like when you are shot upwards.
Praterturm – Flying chairs at a high altitude and at a speed of 60 km/h. Enjoy a spectacular panoramic view of Vienna.
Darkride Insider – Roller coaster in complete darkness combined with a laser show.
Hotel Psycho – The haunted house. A very frightening experience.
Aqua Gaudi – Water ride. A great attraction for a hot day. Get ready to get wet.
Additional Attractions in the Park Complex:
Floating Tunnel – Feel like you’ve parachuted from a plane and float in the air like a bird.
Opening hours: Weekdays open from 9:30 AM to 10:00 PM. Weekends and holidays open from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
Please note: You must book in advance and arrive 45 minutes before the scheduled time. Before floating, there is instruction and preparation. As part of the price, you will receive all necessary equipment.
Prices: Starting from 49 Euros for a 2-minute float.
Purchase on the official website here.
Address: Prater 38a, 1020 Wien, Austria
Map:
ViennaFlight – Flight Simulator
Sit inside the control cabin of a real airplane and control it like real pilots. This is an experiential simulator that wonderfully simulates how to fly an airplane. You can train real pilots.
Watch the experience.
Operating hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
Prices: Starting from 89 per person for a short flight.
Full price details here. You must book in advance.
Address: Schönngasse 15-17/2/Top 1020 Vienna
Opening Hours and Essential Additional Information for Visiting the Amusement Park in Prater
The park is open every day of the week from early morning until 1:00 AM. Between the months of March and October, the park is fully active. During the winter months, some of the attractions are closed. It is advisable to check the weather, as the operation of some attractions depends on it.
The park is not fenced, and you can walk around without paying. If you wish to ride the attractions, you will have to pay for each attraction separately (between one Euro and 12 Euros).
However, there is an option to purchase one ticket, called the Pratercard, which allows you to enter several attractions without paying separately for each one. It provides a discount for the park’s attractions. You can order the card in advance on the official website here.
The Green Prater – The Nature Park in Prater
Besides being a great amusement park, Prater is also a perfect place for a relaxed afternoon stroll. There are wide lawns, a forest, and water pond areas here. On a pleasant sunny day, you can see many people in the park, enjoying the sun on the lawns, riding bicycles, or exercising.
In the heart of the park, there is a wide main avenue crossing it. The avenue is about 4.5 kilometers long and leads from the amusement park in the north to the Lusthaus restaurant (which was once a hunting lodge) located at the southern end of the park. Along the avenue, there are 2500 trees.
The straight, paved avenue is a favorite attraction for runners, cyclists, rollerbladers, and also for the old horse-drawn carriages that transport tourists around the city.
If desired, you can rent bicycles in the park or ride the miniature train that departs near the Giant Ferris Wheel and makes a loop around the park.
Recommended Walking Route in the Green Prater Park
If you venture a little from the central avenue and turn towards the beautiful side paths, you can enjoy wonderful nature including forests, lawns, and water. The best way to experience the wonderful nature of the Prater is by walking along the marked path number 9 (within Vienna’s boundaries, there are about 11 marked nature trails). This is a 13-kilometer walking route that starts from the Praterstern subway station towards the Danube area called Freudenau.
Another attraction in Prater Park is the Heustadlwasser water channel. This place is located in the southern part of the Prater, where you can rent boats and enjoy a leisurely paddle.
Museums in Prater Park
Prater Park abounds with activities, and within a short walking distance, you can enjoy three interesting and experiential museums:
1. The Prater Museum
The museum of the amusement park is located in the Planetarium building and tells the story of the park from its early days to the present. The museum’s collection includes a variety of antique items such as photographs and paintings, figures from old carousels, a fortune-telling machine, the old ghost train, and many other special exhibits.
Opening hours (changes expected due to Coronavirus. Please check the attraction’s official website):
- Tuesday – Thursday: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
- Friday, Sunday, and holidays: 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
- Closed on Mondays, January 1st, and May 1st.
- Entry to the permanent exhibition is free on Sundays.
Prices: Adult 5 Euros, pensioner and student (up to 27 years old) – 4 Euros, children up to 19 years old – free.
Free entry every first Sunday of the month. Free guided tours for museum visitors.
Address: The Planetarium building near the Giant Ferris Wheel. Oswald-Thomas-Platz 1
Map:
2. Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
Madame Tussauds is actually a network of museums spread across major cities around the world, including Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Hollywood, Hong Kong, and more. The museum features life-sized wax figures that look just like real people.
If you haven’t heard of Madame Tussauds yet, you can see what it’s all about here.
In the museum, you can see and take photos next to about 80 important figures from Austrian history, as well as various celebrities who are still alive today. You can see Austrian figures like Gustav Klimt, Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Sisi, Maria Theresia, Mozart, or celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Will Smith, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Opening hours:
The museum is open daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. During the summer months, the museum is open until 8:00 PM. Last entry is one hour before closing.
Prices: Starting from 21 Euros.
Extended information and option to purchase online tickets for Madame Tussauds Museum here.
The museum is located at Madame Tussauds Wien, Riesenradplatz, Vienna, right next to the Giant Ferris Wheel.
Map:
3. BO-YO Chocolate Museum
It’s hard not to love this museum. The Chocolate Museum will present you with everything you ever wanted to know about the world of chocolate but were afraid to ask. Through interactive games, tastings, and fun workshops, you can spend a few hours of sweet and enjoyable experience.
The museum showcases the development of chocolate as a product we love so much. You can taste different types of chocolate and try your hand at making it.
In one of the exhibition rooms, you can admire large chocolate figures.
Opening hours: Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
Prices:
- Adult – 15 Euros
- Child (5-14) – 8 Euros
- Student/Pensioner – 12 Euros
You can buy tickets in advance on the museum’s website here.
Please note: You must register in advance for the chocolate workshop. Send an email to info@schokolade-museum.wien.
Address: Riesenradplatz 5, Prater, 1020 Vienna
Map:
In fact, this is not the only chocolate museum in Vienna. There is an older and larger museum located in another area of the city. This museum also offers chocolate tastings and does not require participation in any workshop to visit the museum. Read more about the Heindl Chocolate Museum here.
Events and Festivals in Prater
The wonderful park also serves as a venue for city events, and throughout the year, special festivals and cultural events take place there. For example, on New Year’s Eve, there is a wonderful fireworks display and live performances near the Giant Ferris Wheel.
On Labor Day, May 1st, the Praterfest takes place, featuring food and drink stalls and, of course, music.
In September, the Viennese Oktoberfest, called Wiener Wiesen, takes place in Prater, with pavilions offering traditional food and plenty of drinks.
During the winter months, around Christmas and New Year, a romantic winter market is held. You can enjoy hot punch, and on weekends, there will be live music performances in the area near the Giant Ferris Wheel. The market runs from November 17th to January 6th.
How to Get to the Amusement Park by Public Transport?
Near the park, there is an underground station called Praterstern (lines U1 and U2), from which you can reach the park itself with a short walk.
Additionally, you can reach the park by tram lines 5 and 0, or by bus lines 05.
Please note: Although Vienna is a very safe city, it is known among locals that the area around Praterstern station is not very pleasant in the evenings and at night due to the concentration of intoxicated and drugged individuals gathering outside the station. We recommend staying vigilant if you arrive there at night.
Map:
