A free public park with a funfair inside it, and a Ferris wheel that has been turning since 1897.
What it costs
The Prater is a public park and costs nothing. The Wurstelprater funfair inside it has no entrance fee either — you pay per ride, at the ride.
The Riesenrad is the exception worth knowing: it is a proper ticket, it is not cheap, and a rotation takes a good while because the wheel stops to load each cabin.
When to go
The park is open always. The funfair is seasonal in parts and busiest on summer evenings and weekends. The Hauptallee, the long chestnut avenue running through the park, is where Vienna runs and cycles, and is free and quiet at any hour.
Getting there
Metro U1 or U2 to Praterstern, which puts you at the funfair end. The park stretches for kilometres behind it.
If you only have an hour
Do not queue for the wheel. Walk the Hauptallee instead: a straight chestnut avenue running kilometres through the park, free, flat, and the part of the Prater the Viennese actually use.
What people get wrong
Most visitors see the funfair and think that is the Prater. The funfair is a small corner of it; the rest is a large wooded park that was imperial hunting ground until 1766, when it was opened to the public. The wheel’s cabins were rebuilt after 1945 — there were originally twice as many.
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.