Prater Amusement Park Vienna: The Giant Ferris Wheel, Adrenaline Rides, and the Böhmischer Prater

The Prater is a 6km-long park in Vienna's 2nd district that was the Habsburg imperial hunting ground before Emperor Joseph II opened it to the public in 1766. Today it contains a famous amusement park (Wurstelprater), one of the most recognisable structures in Vienna (the Giant Ferris Wheel), and a straight tree-lined avenue (Hauptallee) stretching for 4.5km that Viennese people use for running, cycling, and Rollerblading on Sunday mornings.

The Wiener Riesenrad: Giant Ferris Wheel

Built in 1897 for the city's golden jubilee celebrations, the Riesenrad is 65 metres high, turns at walking pace, and takes about 20 minutes for a full rotation. Entry: €13.50.

From the top you get a genuine 360-degree view over Vienna — the Danube, the city centre, the Ringstrasse, the Vienna Woods. The gondolas are wooden and original (restored), which gives the ride an antiquated, slightly rattling charm that modern ferris wheels lack entirely.

The Riesenrad appeared in Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949), Orson Welles' character Harry Lime delivers his cuckoo clock speech here. If you have even a passing interest in film history, standing in the same gondola is worth the €13.50 alone.

The Wurstelprater

The amusement park surrounding the Riesenrad has been operating in various forms since the 18th century. Entry to the grounds is free — you pay per ride. Rides range from gentle children's carousels (€2–3) to serious rollercoasters and vertical-drop rides (€5–8 each).

The quality varies enormously. The Praterturbo and Hochschaubahn (the old wooden rollercoaster from 1909) are the rides worth seeking out. The surrounding fair-game stalls and food vendors are cheerfully kitschy.

The Prater is busiest on weekend afternoons and summer evenings. It has the pleasant quality of being genuinely used by Vienna locals rather than being a pure tourist attraction — you'll see Viennese families here on the same terms as anyone else.

The Hauptallee

The 4.5km Hauptallee (Main Avenue) runs arrow-straight through the park from the Praterstern to the Lusthaus at the far end. In the 19th century it was the place for the Viennese aristocracy to be seen in their carriages. Now it's a Sunday morning running and cycling route. Free, obviously, and a pleasant way to spend an hour if the weather is good.

The Böhmischer Prater

The Böhmischer Prater (Bohemian Prater) is a smaller, older fairground in the 10th district (Favoriten), about 20 minutes south by U1. It's more dilapidated, more local, and charmingly preserved from an earlier era — hand-painted carousels, old shooting galleries, the kind of fair that city planners would immediately demolish if they noticed it. Worth a visit for the atmosphere if you're in Vienna for several days and interested in the less-polished version of the city.

Getting There

U1 line to Praterstern station. The Riesenrad is a 3-minute walk from the station entrance.

Our Take

Ferris wheel for the view and the film reference, then a beer and a Käsekrainer from one of the park stands. Don't feel obligated to ride everything — the park is genuinely enjoyable as a wandering-around experience.