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Guide · Vienna

What Vienna costs

A day in Vienna per person, from a hostel, a sausage and a set lunch to a hotel, dinner in a Beisl and one big museum ticket.

2 profiles·Prices per person·Opera standing room
A day per person
frugal €36–69, middle €95–185
Beds
Hostel €15–40
Food
Set lunch €10–15
Vienna
Vienna · Hubertl, CC BY-SA 4.0

Where to go: five more questions →

A day in Vienna costs €36–69 per person with a hostel, a sausage, a set lunch and two rides, and €95–185 with a three-star hotel for two, dinner in a Beisl, a melange, a day ticket and one big museum ticket. The bed moves most, and the cheapest big thing in town is the Opera: standing room costs less than a museum ticket.

Prices line by line

ItemAmount
A hostel dorm bed, per night€15–40
A three-star hotel, per person in a double, per night€40–110
Set lunch (Mittagsmenü)€10–15
A sausage from a kiosk€3.50–6
A main course in a Beisl, no drinks€12–20
A melange in a coffee house€4.20–6.90
One ride, anywhere in the city€3.20
24-hour ticket€10.20
Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM), online€22
The Opera, standing room — cheaper than a KHM ticket€13–18

Accommodation is per person per night; the hotel with two sharing a room. Transport is the paper-ticket price — the app is slightly cheaper.

Two profiles, per person per day

ItemAmount
Frugal — a hostel with the tourist tax, a sausage, set lunch, two rides€36–69
Middle — a 3* hotel for two with the tax, set lunch, dinner in a Beisl, a melange, a 24-hour ticket, one museum ticket€95–185

The same basket for every city on the site, so days compare. The ticket is the median paid sight in town. Not included: breakfast, drinks and the airport run.

3 daysThe same three days, timed around the Kunsthistorisches and Schönbrunn slots:Vienna in 3 days →

Which transport ticket

The 24-hour ticket (€10.20) pays off only from the fourth ride — three singles come out cheaper. The 48- and 72-hour tickets no longer exist, so for three days or more take the seven-day ticket (€28.90): it is cheaper than three day tickets and overtakes singles on the tenth ride. In the Wiener Linien app each of these tickets is slightly cheaper than on paper.

From the airport

The S7 or REX7 train is €5.50 per person, the same fare as any other ride. If you already hold a multi-day Wiener Linien ticket, you pay only for the stretch from the airport to the city boundary, €2.30. Taxis run on a fixed fare set by each company.

Getting aroundWhich train to which terminal, and why the S7 doesn't run the whole way right now:Getting around Vienna →
Museums

A ticket or the annual pass

A ticket for the Kunsthistorisches Museum is €22 online, more at the desk, and the museum is closed on Mondays. The same group's annual ticket is €53 and is valid for a year in seven houses, the Imperial Treasury in the Hofburg and the Weltmuseum among them. It costs two and a half KHM tickets, so it pays off from the third visit — say the KHM twice and the Treasury. For 19- to 25-year-olds the annual ticket is €30, and under 19 entry is free.

The Opera from standing room

Standing room at the State Opera is €13–18: cheapest on the balcony, dearest in the stalls. It goes on sale online from 10 a.m. on the day of the performance, two tickets per account at most, with the rest sold at a separate box office 80 minutes before curtain.

When it is cheapest

January and February: on Kayak's figures these are the cheapest months for Vienna hotels, and December the dearest. Transport, museums and the Opera cost the same all year, so a cheap Vienna is made by the dates of your stay.

When to goWhat winter gives you, and what it takes away:The best time to visit Vienna →Where to stayBed prices in all three areas, and the difference in the ride to the centre:Where to stay in Vienna →FoodWhat a set lunch, a Beisl dinner and a melange actually cost:What to eat in Vienna →Day tripsExactly what the Wachau and Bratislava trips cost:Day trips from Vienna →Hidden gemsThree things the six main sights don't cover:The Vienna the six main sights don't cover →MistakesWhich of these mistakes cost the most in Vienna:Mistakes everyone makes in Vienna →

The same comparison for 143 places: hostel, hotel, getting into town and a day pass. Travel costs →

Frequently asked

Before you go

Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.

How much money do I need for a day in Vienna?

Per person, €36–69 in a hostel with a sausage, a set lunch and two rides, and €95–185 in a three-star hotel with a Beisl, a day ticket and one museum ticket. Breakfast, drinks and the airport are not included.

How much is the train from Vienna airport?

The S7 or REX7 is €5.50 per person; with a multi-day Wiener Linien ticket you pay only the €2.30 supplement.

Can you drink the tap water?

Yes. Vienna drinks spring water from the Alps, brought in by two mains; the first, from the Rax and Schneeberg, opened in 1873.

Plan the trip

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Checked at the source17 facts on this page carry a source and a check date.All sources →
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Photo credits and licences (10)

All photographs come from Wikimedia Commons and are used under the licence stated beside each one.