Why go
The Wiener Riesenrad, the Giant Ferris Wheel, has turned above the Prater since 1897 and is one of Vienna’s most recognisable sights. It was built to celebrate the golden jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph and for decades was among the tallest Ferris wheels in the world. Film lovers know it from The Third Man, in which Orson Welles delivers his cuckoo clock speech in one of its gondolas.
A ride is short and gentle, but the view is wide: over the green expanse of the Prater, the Danube and the city’s rooftops to St Stephen’s Cathedral and the Vienna Woods on the horizon.
The wheel was badly damaged by fire in 1945 and rebuilt with fewer gondolas, and it is still run by a family company. For many Viennese it is less a tourist attraction than a familiar part of the skyline, especially when it is lit up after dark.
What to see
The wheel carries red wooden gondolas, some fitted out for private dinners, and a full turn takes about 12 to 15 minutes. Before you board, a small Panorama museum at the base uses old gondolas and models to tell the history of the wheel and of Vienna. For a special occasion, the Platform 9 experience takes small groups onto an open platform at the top, from €89.
The Riesenrad stands at the entrance to the Prater, a former imperial hunting ground that Emperor Joseph II opened to the public in 1766. The area by the wheel is the Wurstelprater, an amusement park with roller coasters, a historic carousel, ghost trains and stalls selling sausages and beer. Entry is free and you pay per ride. Beyond it the green Prater stretches for kilometres, crossed by the Hauptallee, a long chestnut avenue popular with walkers, runners and cyclists.
In winter, the Wintermarkt am Riesenradplatz brings Christmas stalls, mulled wine and lights to the square at the foot of the wheel, from 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027.
Plan your visit
Tickets cost €14.50 for adults and €6.50 for children aged 3 to 14, and include the Panorama museum. You do not need to book; buy at the ticket office, or online if you want to skip the queue at busy times. Opening hours change with the season, and the wheel closes for maintenance for part of January, so check the official calendar before you go. Late afternoon is a good time to ride, as you can watch the city lights come on.
The Praterstern station, served by the U1 and U2, is about five minutes’ walk away. Many funfair rides close or run reduced hours in the colder months, so check before you travel out specially.
Nearby
Madame Tussauds is beside the wheel. The Danube Canal and the old Jewish quarter of Leopoldstadt are a short walk west, and the Kunst Haus Wien and the Hundertwasserhaus are across the canal in Landstraße, about 20 minutes on foot. The Ernst Happel Stadium, Austria’s national football ground, lies further east beyond the Hauptallee.