Where can I buy Vienna card?

Question

I will visit Vienna for a long weekend and I would like to ask if it better to buy a Vienna card(72 hours free transportation plus discount on museum tickets and CAT-18.50Euro) or 72hours ticket(only free transportation-12.00Euros).Also I would like to ask if there is a kiosk at the airport where I can buy Vienna card when I arrive.

Thank you in advance...

Dromeas (Greece)

Answer 1

Hi,

The card including discounts to museums are sold at the selling kiosks of the "Wiener Linien" only.

The 72hours only free transportation card will be sold at tobacco stores in Vienna too.

Check out if there is a tourist office/kiosk at the airport. They will help you. But anyway, I guess that you will have to pay the transportation to Vienna separately, because these tickets are only valid in Vienna and the airport of Vienna is outside of the town.

Answer 2

The Vienna Card is available from a number of places... "Available at hotels and the Tourist Information Center on Albertinaplatz, (daily 9am to 7 pm), at all sales offices or information booths of the Vienna Transportation System (for example, Stephansplatz, Karlsplatz, Westbahnhof, Landstrasse/Wien Mitte)".

You most probably will be able to buy the card at the airport, but if you can't, then I am sure you will be able to buy it at the hotel you are staying at.

If you intend to visit quite a number of museums and other tourist attractions, then I think it would be worth buying the Vienna card...but check out the link below, which shows you what discounts are available. Many of the offers are only available with a coupon, so make sure that you have your Vienna Card Coupon Book (which is supplied), with you at all times.

Answer 3

I was able to get one from my hotel while I stayed in Vienna last year. If you book your room directly from the hotel, they offer a variety of packages. For instance, I stayed at the Graben Hotel off Dorotheergasse by the Graben pedestrian area for three nights and it included breakfast, one free dinner, a 3 hour Cityrama tour, and a 72 hour Vienna Card. I couldn't get this deal from any of the popular travel websites. It was well worth it! So always ask what great deals your hotel can do for you.

Cheers,

Petra M, Vancouver

Answer 4

Hello Dromeas,

I'm so amazed at how thoroughly you are planning your trip...

Yes, you can buy the Vienna card when you arrive at the airport. Apparently, you can get it at the travel agencies in the arrival hall of the airport, or at the kiosk of the “Vienna Airport Lines”.

This is my source (bottom of the page - heading "where you can get the Vienna card"):

http://www.wienkarte.at/EN/?l=e

Concerning your question on whether it would be better to get a Vienna card or the 72-hour public transportation ticket:

It really depends on how many of the offers included in the Vienna card you would be taking advantage of during your time here in Vienna...

You can see the "benefits" of the Vienna card here:

http://www.wienkarte.at/EN/verguenstigun...

Of the places you said you were intending to see, I found the following discounts available with the Vienna card:

Leopold Museum:   € 8.10 instead of € 9  --> you "save" 90 cents;

http://www.wien.info/article.asp?IDArtic...

Mumok:   € 7.20 instead of € 9 --> you "save" € 1.80

http://www.wien.info/article.asp?IDArtic...

Kunsthistorisches Museum: € 9 instead of € 10 --> "save" € 1

http://www.wien.info/article.asp?IDArtic...

UNO-City guided tour (which as far as I'm aware is the only way to visit, at least it was when I visited some years ago): € 4 instead of € 5 --> "save" € 1.

http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/vis...

http://www.wien.info/article.asp?IDArtic...

I did not find any discounts available for Secession.

Then you will also need to travel from the airport to the city and back, I suppose the best options are either the CAT or the bus ("Vienna Airport Lines"). With the Vienna card you "save" some money in both cases. I'm not 100% sure how much, because I wasn't able to find out whether the discount is granted only on single tickets or also on return tickets.

If it is granted only on single tickets, you "save" € 1 in both cases. Because:

CAT: 2*single tickets with discount = 2*€7.5 (instead of € 9) = € 15  instead of € 16 for an ordinary return ticket without discount, and

VieAirpLines: 2*single tickets with discount = 2*€5 = € 10 instead of € 11 for an ordinary return ticket without discount.

If the discount (of 17%) is granted also on return tickets, then:

CAT: € 13.28 instead of € 16 --> "save" € 2.72

VieAirpLines: € 9.13 instead of € 11 --> "save" € 1.87

http://www.wien.info/article.asp?IDArtic...

In the latter case, you do break even, and the Vienna card would be even a tiny little bit advantageous.

In the former case (only € 1 saved on transportation from and to airport), you do not break even yet and would need to take advantage of more discounts available with the Vienna card in order for it to be worthwhile.

I don't know if you are intending to go on the "Riesenrad" in the Prater. That would be € 7 instead of € 8 with the Vienna card. http://www.wienerriesenrad.com/cgi-bin/t...

Then you would definitely break even and be a little bit better off with the Vienna card.

But I'd better stop trying to figure it out... as the answerer above me already said, best to check out the discounts available and see if there is enough that interests you to make it worthwhile.

Personally, but this is just me, unless I planned on seeing more than the above mentioned and hence taking advantage of more discounts, I think I'd prefer to get just the 72 hour transportation ticket and then not have to worry about getting the additional €6.50 spent back in the form of discounts... I'd prefer not to have to carry around a booklet of vouchers and not to feel bound to eating at any particular restaurant just because there is a Vienna card discount there. I do admit I did get a "Venice card" in Venice though! :) It kind of makes you feel like you are saving money... but I kind of suspect it is actually conceived to get you to spend more (by making you feel like you are saving money if you take advantage of more discounts, and so making you end up buying things you may not have bought otherwise and so on).

On the other hand, you said you and your gf were very much into museums, so you may end up wanting to see more museums, and then the Vienna card would really be worthwhile. So now I've written a long answer just to say I don't know what advice to give you :) but I'm sure you'll come up with the perfect solution.