A baroque church with two columns and a reflecting pool — free to look at, ticketed to enter, and worth it for one specific reason.
What it costs
Free from the square, and the square with its pool is where the photograph is taken.
Ticketed inside, and what the ticket buys is unusual: a lift up into the dome, which puts you a few metres from the ceiling frescoes. Very few churches let you do that.
When to go
Open most days, closed during services. The dome lift is subject to restoration work, so check that it is running if that is why you are going.
Getting there
Metro U1, U2 or U4 to Karlsplatz. The church is across the park from the station.
If you only have an hour
If the dome lift is running, take it — it is the only reason the ticket is unusual, and you will be closer to a baroque ceiling than you will ever get again. If it is not, look from the square and walk into the Resselpark instead.
What people get wrong
The two great columns flanking it are not decoration copied from Rome for the sake of it — they carry carved scenes from the life of St Charles Borromeo, spiralling upward like Trajan’s Column. It was built as a votive offering after the plague of 1713.
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.