Donauturm Vienna · A city view worth slowing down for
The Danube Tower gives you the wide-angle version of Vienna: the river, green parkland, modern towers and the historic skyline in one sweeping view. Add an express lift, a high-altitude slide and a café above the rooftops, and this becomes much more than a quick photo stop.
Known locally as the Donauturm, the tower stands in Donaupark, away from the Old Town. It works best when you give it a clear-weather window and leave a little time to explore the surrounding area. Here is how to choose your ticket, understand the different levels and make the most of the view.
The Donauturm stands in Donaupark, surrounded by green space and the wider river landscape. Photo: © Donauturm.
The view
150 metres above Vienna
The outdoor observation terrace offers a full circuit of the city, river and surrounding landscape.
The location
In the heart of Donaupark
Find the tower at Donauturmplatz 1, 1220 Vienna. Combine your visit with a park or waterside walk.
The ticket
Entry included with E-pass
Use your customer panel to generate the Danube Tower attraction QR code before you arrive.
What to Expect at the Danube Tower
The Donauturm is 252 metres tall, making it Austria’s tallest structure. Visitors do not travel to the very top of the mast: the observation and dining areas sit lower, at different levels around the tower.
The express lift reaches the observation level in approximately 35 seconds. Once there, take a slow first circuit before reaching for your camera. The change in perspective is the attraction: streets you have been walking along become part of a much larger city, framed by water and green space.
The tower’s visitor levels
| Area |
Height |
| Outdoor observation terrace |
150 metres |
| Indoor viewing level |
155 metres |
| Turm Café |
160 metres |
| Slide starting point |
165 metres |
| Turm Restaurant |
170 metres |
There is an open-air terrace and a glazed indoor viewing area. Access between the different areas matters if you have mobility needs; the express lift does not make every upper level step-free. We explain the practical restrictions below.
We suggest allowing around an hour for the view, plus your journey. Leave longer for food, the slide or a relaxed walk afterwards. Arriving with only a few minutes before the final lift gives you very little room to enjoy the visit.
Observation, dining and the slide occupy different levels around the tower. Photo: © Donauturm.
Danube Tower Tickets and Vienna E-pass
At our November 2026 check, the tower’s official online shop listed standard adult admission at €18. That ticket includes the express lift and observation deck. Other ticket categories have their own age or eligibility conditions.
Danube Tower entry is included with Vienna E-pass. Generate the attraction-specific QR code in your customer panel and follow the entry instructions shown there. Prepare it before leaving for the tower so your arrival is straightforward.
Three different experiences, three different arrangements: tower admission gives you the viewpoint; the slide needs a separate slide ticket; café and restaurant orders are paid separately. A restaurant table reservation also needs its own confirmation.
A lift time slot purchased directly from the tower relates to that ticket’s access arrangements. E-pass visitors should use their own customer-panel instructions. Allow for queues during busy periods, whichever admission option you use.
Ticket prices and visitor details checked on 3 November 2026. Offers, opening arrangements and admission conditions can change.
Your Skyline-Spotting Guide: Five Things to Look For
A panorama becomes more interesting when you can read it. Work from the landscape immediately below you towards the horizon, then return to the view that catches your eye. Use the on-site information to help identify distant landmarks.
1. Donaupark Below Your Feet
Begin with the park around the tower. Follow the paths, lawns and clusters of trees, then notice how the green space sits beside modern Vienna. This is the easiest part of the view to appreciate even when distant details are hazy.
2. The Danube and Danube Island
Trace the broad lines of water and the long green strip of Donauinsel. Looking at the river landscape from above helps explain why a trip to this part of Vienna feels so different from a walk around the imperial center.
3. Donau City and the Vienna International Centre
Find the modern skyline around Donau City and the Vienna International Centre, also known as UNO City. Look at the relationship between tall buildings, the river and the lower neighborhoods around them.
4. St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the Historic City
Look towards the older city and try to pick out St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Its place in the skyline is easier to understand after you have stood beside it at street level. Visibility and haze determine how much detail you can make out.
5. The Vienna Woods and Distant Hills
On a clear day, let your eye travel beyond the buildings towards the Vienna Woods and Kahlenberg. The farthest views depend on the weather, so enjoy the landscape you can actually see instead of judging the visit by a distant landmark.
Try a simple photo challenge: take one wide city view, one image that follows the water, and one photograph of the tower from the park afterwards. Together they tell the story of the visit much better than several nearly identical skyline shots.
The Best Time to Visit: Daylight, Sunset or After Dark
Choose visibility first, then choose the light. A clear afternoon usually gives you more to look at than a sunset hidden behind low cloud. Keep your tower visit flexible within your stay when your admission arrangements allow it.
For identifying landmarks
Daylight
Choose daytime when you want to follow the river, pick out buildings and understand the geography. It also leaves time for a nearby walk.
For changing colors
Before sunset
Arrive with time to enter, ride the lift and make a first circuit before the light changes. Leave a buffer for queues.
For an evening atmosphere
After dark
Enjoy illuminated roads, bridges and buildings. Expect a different experience from daytime landmark spotting, with less detail in the unlit landscape.
Three Small Photography Improvements
- Start wide. Capture the relationship between city, river and park before zooming into distant details.
- Watch reflections indoors. Move away from bright lights behind you and keep the camera flash switched off.
- Look behind you on the way out. From the park, the tower itself becomes the subject of the photograph.
The published viewing-platform schedule from 14 September 2026 is 10:00–22:00, with the last ascent at 21:15 and last descent at 21:45. Seasonal, holiday and maintenance arrangements can alter these times. Check the schedule for your actual visit date before setting out.
The Danube Tower Slide: What the Ride Is Really Like
The slide starts at 165 metres and follows a 40-metre track around the outside of the tower to the observation level. The descent takes approximately 7–9 seconds. The route includes transparent sections, adding a very different perspective to the calm experience on the terrace.
Artist Carsten Höller designed the slide. Its appeal is the combination of the setting and the short burst of movement: a small addition to your visit, with a memorable view along the way.
The slide offers a brief, exhilarating perspective on the city below. Photo: © Donauturm.
A separate single slide ticket was listed at €5 online when checked. You also need valid tower admission. The basic participation requirements are age 6 or over, a minimum height of 110 cm and a maximum body weight of 150 kg; the full operating rules and staff instructions also apply.
Weather or operational conditions can suspend the slide. If it is a priority for your group, check that it is running before buying the add-on. The observation deck remains a complete attraction for anyone who prefers to keep the visit relaxed.
Turm Café or Turm Restaurant: Choose the Right Experience
Turm Café: A Casual Break With a View
The café sits at 160 metres and serves coffee, cakes, drinks and light meals. During regular café service, tables are allocated on site according to availability. Reservations are available for brunch, which has its own booking arrangements.
Choose the café if you would enjoy sitting with the panorama after your terrace visit. Give yourself enough flexibility to wait for a table or continue your day if it is busy. Regular café service and brunch operate at different times.
Turm Restaurant: Make the Meal Part of the Outing
The revolving restaurant at 170 metres suits an occasion when you want to linger over lunch or dinner. Book a table in advance and read the reservation terms, including ordering requirements and cover charges. Restaurant service days and hours differ from the viewing platform’s schedule.
Admission and a dining reservation are separate arrangements. With E-pass, follow the tower-entry instructions and arrange any restaurant table independently. Food and drinks are additional purchases.
Leave time to sit with the view if you choose a café or restaurant visit. Photo: © Donauturm.
How to Get to the Danube Tower From Central Vienna
The address is Donauturmplatz 1, 1220 Vienna. The tower is in Donaupark in the 22nd district. Plan the journey as part of the outing rather than treating it as an Old Town stop you can reach between neighboring streets.
By Underground and Bus
From Stephansplatz, take the U1 towards Leopoldau to Kaisermühlen-VIC, then the 20A bus towards Neue Donau to the Donauturm stop. For a walking approach, continue on the U1 to Alte Donau and walk towards the tower through Donaupark.
Use the current public-transport journey planner for your departure point and date. Choose the bus connection when you want to reduce walking; choose a park approach when the weather is pleasant and everyone in your group is comfortable with the distance.
By Sightseeing Bus
The tower is also served by sightseeing buses. Confirm your operator’s current route, stop and final departure before arranging the rest of your visit. A stop at the tower and admission to the tower are separate parts of the outing, even when both are included in your pass.
Two Scenic Walks Around the Danube Tower
Keep the enjoyment going at ground level. These routes connect nearby places without turning your tower visit into an all-day march. The links open walking directions; they do not book entry or include transport.
Walk 1: A Gentle Donaupark Loop
Danube Tower → Irissee → Korea-Kulturhaus exterior → Danube Tower
Make a relaxed circuit through the park to the Irissee and the lakeside Korea-Kulturhaus building. Pause by the water, enjoy the paths and look back towards the tower. The cultural building is an exterior landmark on this walk; a visit inside depends on its own arrangements.
Choose this walk for: a compact green-space break, family photographs and a relaxed start or finish to the tower visit.
Open the Donaupark walk in Google Maps
Walk 2: From the Tower to the Old Danube
Danube Tower → Uferplatz at Alte Donau → Alte Donau U1 station
Continue towards the Old Danube and the Uferplatz area for a waterside pause, then return to Alte Donau station for your onward journey. The change from a distant panorama to the water’s edge gives you another way to appreciate this part of Vienna.
Choose this walk for: a longer outdoor extension on a comfortable-weather day. Check the route length on your phone before deciding it suits your group.
Open the Old Danube walk in Google Maps
In the cooler months, enjoy the park while there is daylight, then go up the tower for the changing evening view. In warmer weather, a waterside walk can become the main extension to your visit. Keep food stops flexible, as nearby seasonal businesses may have different operating periods.
Useful Details for Families and Visitors With Mobility Needs
Strollers cannot travel in the express lifts. The tower provides space to leave them in the entrance area. Arrange how you will carry a younger child before joining the lift queue.
Wheelchair access is limited to the lower observation terrace. Assistance and capacity conditions apply. The café, restaurant and indoor viewing terrace require stairs and are not wheelchair accessible. Contact the tower ahead of your visit to confirm the arrangements that fit your needs.
Travel with a manageable bag and a layer for the outdoor terrace. Prepare your QR code, check visibility and opening arrangements, and leave yourself time to look around. Those small preparations give the view room to become the highlight of the outing.
Add a Different Perspective to Your Vienna E-pass Trip
After exploring Vienna at street level, the Danube Tower shows you how the city fits together. Use your included tower admission, enjoy the panorama and choose a nearby walk to match the weather.
Generate your Danube Tower QR code in the customer panel before arriving. If you want to add the slide, a café stop or a restaurant meal, arrange those extras separately around your visit.