A neo-Gothic town hall whose square is the city’s living room — a film festival in summer, a Christmas market in winter, and an ice rink in between.
What it costs
The square is free and is the point. What happens on it changes with the season and most of it costs nothing to walk through.
The building itself is seen on a free guided tour on set days — one of the few genuinely free interiors of this quality in the city, and it is not advertised loudly.
When to go
The Film Festival occupies the square through the summer with a screen and food stalls, free to attend. The Christkindlmarkt takes it over from mid-November. Between January and March it becomes the Eistraum, a ticketed ice rink.
Getting there
Metro U2 to Rathaus, or any tram on the Ring to Rathausplatz.
If you only have an hour
Whatever is on the square — film festival, Christmas market, ice rink — is the reason to be here, and all of it is walk-up. Then cross the Ring to the Volksgarten, which is free and full of roses.
What people get wrong
It looks medieval and is not — it was finished in 1883, part of the same Ringstrasse building programme as the museums and the opera. The tower figure, the Rathausmann, is a standard-bearer in armour and is a little over three metres tall.
Nearby
Ticketing arrangements and opening patterns as published for 2026 and checked on 4 September 2026. These change without much warning — confirm with the site itself before you travel. More sights, and how they fit together, in Landmarks & Sights.