Vienna PASS vs FLEXI vs City Card: which one should you buy?
Vienna PASS: All-inclusive Sightseeing Pass for 85+ Attractions
Which Vienna pass is best — PASS, FLEXI, or City Card?
The Vienna PASS (€89/1d, €119/2d, €145/3d) suits intense sightseers visiting 3+ paid attractions per day. The FLEXI Pass (€50–130) suits selective visitors who want 2–5 specific sights. The City Card (€17–29) suits travellers who plan to pay attractions individually but want unlimited public transport plus 200+ discounts.
Three different products that do three different things
The Vienna PASS, FLEXI Pass, and City Card are marketed as alternatives to each other, but they are fundamentally different products. Understanding which category your travel style fits into is more important than comparing prices directly.
This guide explains what each pass actually covers, the mathematics of when each provides value, and a concrete recommendation by trip length and sightseeing intensity.
The Vienna PASS: maximum sightseeing, maximum commitment
Vienna PASS: all-inclusive sightseeing pass for 85+ attractionsThe Vienna PASS is an all-inclusive daily sightseeing pass. One price buys free entry to over 85 attractions for consecutive calendar days.
What is included
The PASS covers virtually every major paid attraction in Vienna:
- Schönbrunn Palace Grand Tour (€32 individually — the single most valuable PASS inclusion)
- Upper Belvedere and permanent collection (€18 individually)
- Imperial Treasury at the Hofburg (€14)
- Spanish Riding School morning exercise (€16 — closed July–August)
- Natural History Museum (€14)
- Kunsthistorisches Museum (€18)
- Leopold Museum (€15)
- Haus der Musik (€16)
- Mozarthaus Vienna
- Vienna Hop-on Hop-off bus (€31 for 24h separately)
- Albertina Museum (€17)
- Many additional smaller museums and sites
The full list is published on the official Vienna PASS website and updates annually.
What is NOT included
- All performing arts (Staatsoper, Musikverein, Vienna Boys’ Choir, Spanish Riding School performances — the PASS covers morning exercises but not ticketed performances)
- Schönbrunn Zoo (separate admission)
- The Imperial Apartments at the Hofburg (included on some versions — verify current inclusion before purchase)
- Restaurants, cafés, shops
- Airport transport — the CAT or Railjet must be purchased separately
PASS pricing (2026)
- 1 day: €89
- 2 days: €119
- 3 days: €145
- 6 days: €175
The 2-day and 3-day incremental costs (€30 per additional day) are very efficient. A single additional attraction per extra day justifies the upgrade.
When the PASS makes financial sense
Break-even calculation for the 1-day PASS (€89):
| Attraction | Individual price |
|---|---|
| Schönbrunn Grand Tour | €32 |
| Upper Belvedere | €18 |
| Imperial Treasury | €14 |
| Subtotal 3 attractions | €64 |
| One more (e.g., Haus der Musik) | €16 |
| Total 4 attractions | €80 |
Four popular attractions purchased individually cost €80 without the PASS. The PASS pays off from your 4th attraction onwards on day 1. If you plan to visit Schönbrunn, Belvedere, and the Imperial Treasury in one day — a completely achievable itinerary — the 1-day PASS already breaks even and adds the Natural History Museum, Hop-on Hop-off, and Haus der Musik for free on top.
The 1-day PASS makes sense for: Intensive first-day sightseeing with 3–4 major attractions.
The 2-day PASS makes sense for: Two days with 3+ paid attractions total.
The 3-day PASS makes sense for: A first full Vienna visit with a broad sightseeing agenda.
The Vienna FLEXI Pass: selective sightseeing, no time pressure
Vienna FLEXI Pass: choose from 70+ top sights in one ticketThe FLEXI Pass is for visitors who know which specific attractions they want, prefer not to rush through a packed itinerary, or are combining Vienna with day trips.
How the FLEXI Pass works
You select 2, 3, 4, or 5 attractions from a menu of approximately 70 options. The pass is valid for 30 days from first use — you can spread your attractions across multiple days at your own pace. You do not need to visit on consecutive days.
This makes the FLEXI Pass ideal if you are doing the Wachau Valley one day, the Vienna Woods another, and Bratislava a third — and want to slot your Vienna attractions around day trips without wasting consecutive daily credits.
FLEXI Pass pricing (2026)
Approximate pricing (verify at purchase):
- 2 attractions: approximately €50
- 3 attractions: approximately €75
- 4 attractions: approximately €100
- 5 attractions: approximately €130
The per-attraction cost decreases with more attractions, similar to the PASS logic.
When the FLEXI Pass makes sense
The FLEXI is more cost-effective than the PASS when:
- You are visiting fewer than 3 attractions per day
- You are travelling with day trips mixed in
- You want 3–4 specific attractions and nothing else from the full PASS menu
- You have a longer Vienna stay (5+ days) but are not doing intensive museum days
Example calculation: Schönbrunn (€32) + Belvedere (€18) + Imperial Treasury (€14) = €64 individually. A 3-sight FLEXI costs approximately €75 — slightly more, but includes the convenience of skip-the-line access at FLEXI-participating venues, and the 30-day validity removes time pressure entirely.
For visitors doing 2 major attractions, a 2-sight FLEXI at €50 versus paying individually (e.g., Schönbrunn €32 + Belvedere €18 = €50) breaks exactly even, adding no financial benefit — but skip-the-line access at busy periods may justify the convenience.
The Vienna City Card: transport first, discounts second
Vienna City Card: public transport including 200+ discountsThe City Card is a transport pass with a discount programme attached. It is not a sightseeing pass in the same category as the PASS or FLEXI.
What the City Card includes
- Unlimited public transport (metro/U-Bahn, tram/Strassenbahn, bus) for 24, 48, or 72 hours within Vienna city zones
- Access to 200+ discount offers at museums, attractions, restaurants, and shops — typically 10–30% off, some higher
What the City Card does NOT include
Free entry to any attraction. This is the single most important misunderstanding about the City Card. You still pay for every attraction; the card gives you reduced prices.
City Card pricing (2026)
- 24 hours: €17
- 48 hours: €22
- 72 hours: €29
When the City Card makes sense
The City Card is the right choice if:
- You prefer paying attractions individually (control over spending, no pressure to rush)
- You are visiting attractions that are not covered by the PASS/FLEXI
- You are making heavy use of public transport — a single 24h transport ticket without the City Card costs approximately €8, so the €9 premium at the 24h level buys you 200 discounts cheaply
- You are on a tight per-attraction budget and each discount adds up
The City Card is not the right choice if: You want free entry to the main attractions. For that, you need the PASS or FLEXI.
Comparison at a glance
| Vienna PASS | FLEXI Pass | City Card | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free attraction entry | Yes, 85+ sites | Yes, 2–5 selected sites | No |
| Public transport | Included | Not included | Included |
| Duration | 1–6 consecutive days | 30 days from first use | 24/48/72 hours |
| Price range | €89–175 | ~€50–130 | €17–29 |
| Best for | Intensive sightseers | Selective or flexible visitors | Transport-heavy, pay-per-attraction |
| Skip-the-line value | High at peak times | Yes at participating venues | No |
The Welcome Card and EasyCityPass: additional options
Vienna Welcome Card: public transport and discountsThe Vienna Welcome Card is a close equivalent to the City Card — unlimited transport plus attraction discounts. The discount network and duration options differ slightly. Compare both at purchase time to see which currently offers better terms for your dates.
Vienna EasyCityPass: transport and savings cardThe Vienna EasyCityPass is a budget-tier option providing public transport access and a discount programme. It occupies the same category as the City Card and Welcome Card — not a free-entry sightseeing pass, but a transport and discount bundle. Useful if you are spending significantly more time in transit than in attractions.
Recommendations by visitor type
First-time visitor, 3 days, typical tourist itinerary
Recommendation: Vienna PASS 3-day (€145)
A typical 3-day itinerary covers Schönbrunn, Belvedere, the Hofburg complex, Natural History Museum, and Hop-on Hop-off. The 3-day PASS covers all of these. Transport is included. You save approximately €80–100 over individual purchase. No need to track spending per attraction — just queue at the PASS entrance and go in.
Visitor on 5+ day trip, mixing Vienna with Bratislava or Salzburg day trips
Recommendation: Vienna FLEXI Pass 4-sight (approximately €100)
On a longer trip, your Vienna days are mixed with day trips. Consecutive daily passes waste money on days you are not in Vienna. The 30-day FLEXI validity lets you spread 4 major attractions across 5 days at will — one attraction per leisurely day, with no pressure.
Budget traveller, 2 days
Recommendation: Vienna City Card 48h (€22) + pay 2–3 attractions separately
If you are limiting paid attractions to 2–3 total, the PASS premium (€89–119) is hard to justify. The City Card handles transport efficiently. Use free attractions liberally — St. Stephen’s Cathedral interior is free, the Naschmarkt is free, Belvedere gardens are free, the Ring Road palaces are free to walk past. Add one major paid attraction (Schönbrunn Grand Tour, €32) and one mid-range attraction (Haus der Musik, €16) without needing a pass.
Visitor in July or August
Recommendation: Check closures first, then City Card or FLEXI
The Spanish Riding School is completely closed July–August — a significant PASS attraction absent from the value calculation. Several other venues reduce summer schedules. The FLEXI Pass’s 30-day validity is more appropriate in summer: choose only attractions you have confirmed are open. Alternatively, the City Card handles a summer visit efficiently without locking you into PASS inclusions that may be closed.
Visitor interested primarily in performing arts
Recommendation: No pass required
If your Vienna visit centres on Staatsoper performances, Musikverein concerts, or the Vienna Boys’ Choir Sunday mass, no city pass covers these. Buy tickets directly from the venues (staatsoper.at, musikverein.at, hofmusikkapelle.gv.at). Add a City Card for transport.
Where to buy
All three passes are available through GetYourGuide (links above), through the official Vienna Tourist Board app and website, and at Vienna info points in the city centre and airport. Prices are identical across channels in most cases — check for promotional pricing around your travel dates.
The PASS and FLEXI Pass can also be purchased as digital passes (QR code on smartphone), which is the most convenient format for moving quickly between attractions.
Practical considerations for PASS use
Queue strategy: The PASS includes skip-the-line access at Schönbrunn and Belvedere — significant at peak hours (10 am–2 pm June–August). At other times, the PASS entrance typically processes 5–10 minutes faster than the regular queue. Use the PASS entrance lane marked at each attraction.
PASS activation: The PASS activates on first use. If purchased in advance, hold off activating until the day you plan to start sightseeing — not at the airport or the evening before.
Schönbrunn Grand Tour vs Classic Tour: The PASS includes the Grand Tour (40 state rooms, €32 individually). The Classic Tour (22 rooms, €17 individually) is also available but the PASS covers the Grand Tour, so use it — there is no upcharge for PASS holders.
Frequently asked questions about Vienna city passes
Which Vienna pass is the best value?
For intensive sightseeing (3+ attractions per day), the Vienna PASS. For selective visits or flexible schedules, the FLEXI Pass. For transport-heavy trips paying attractions individually, the City Card.
Does any Vienna pass include the Staatsoper?
No Vienna city pass covers live performances. Staatsoper, Musikverein, and Vienna Boys’ Choir tickets must be booked directly from the venues.
Is the Vienna PASS worth it for 2 days?
The 2-day PASS (€119) pays off if you visit 5+ attractions total across both days. If you are planning 3–4 attractions, run the individual-price calculation before committing.
Can I use the Vienna City Card on the U-Bahn to the airport?
The standard City Card covers only inner-city zones. The airport (VIE) is in a separate zone — the Railjet and CAT require separate tickets regardless of which city pass you hold.
What happens if I buy the Vienna PASS and the Spanish Riding School is closed?
The Spanish Riding School closes mid-July to mid-September. If your visit falls in this window, verify the current schedule at srs.at before purchasing the PASS — one of the higher-value inclusions will be unavailable.
Frequently asked questions about Vienna PASS vs FLEXI vs City Card: which one should you buy?
What does the Vienna PASS include?
What is the Vienna FLEXI Pass?
What does the Vienna City Card include?
What is the break-even point for the Vienna PASS?
Does the Vienna PASS include the Staatsoper or Vienna Philharmonic?
Which pass is best for a 2-day Vienna visit?
Is the Vienna PASS worth it in July and August?
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