Donauturm — Danube Tower
Vienna from 150 metres, 35 seconds after the lift doors close
The Donauturm is the tallest thing in Austria: 252 metres of concrete standing in the Donaupark, on the far side of the river from the old city. Hannes Lintl designed it for the Vienna International Garden Show and it opened on 16 April 1964. The express lift covers 150 metres in about thirty-five seconds — fast enough to feel in your ears, slow enough to watch the numbers climb.
The terrace
You step out onto an open-air platform that runs the whole way round, and the geography of Vienna finally makes sense. The Danube lies below you in a straight cut, the Donauinsel splitting it lengthwise; the Alte Donau curls off to one side; the UN complex and the towers of Donau City stand in the foreground; and the old city spreads out to the south-west, with St Stephen’s spire and the Ringstrasse buildings picked out of it. On a clear day the view reaches the Rax and the Schneeberg, or east towards Bratislava — up to eighty kilometres. When the wind gets up or the rain comes in, the glazed indoor terrace just below stays open and the view is the same.
Above and below the platform
Two floors sit above it, and both of them turn. The Turm Café is at 160 metres, doing Viennese coffee-house service and brunch; the Turm Restaurant is at 170 metres, with a seasonal menu and a rotation slow enough that a meal takes you the full circle. Outside, starting at 165 metres, runs the Donauturm slide — a forty-metre drop that is over in seven to nine seconds and is among the highest slides in Europe.
When to go up
Take a slot about an hour before sunset. You get the city in daylight, then the low sun on the water, then the lights coming on, all from the same railing. Forty-five minutes to an hour is enough unless you are eating, and the walk back through the Donaupark to the U1 takes about ten minutes.
Highlights
- An open-air 360° terrace at 150 metres — the highest public viewpoint in Austria
- A glazed indoor terrace just below it, open whatever the weather
- The revolving Turm Café at 160 metres and Turm Restaurant at 170 metres
- Views to the Rax, the Schneeberg and towards Bratislava — up to 80 km on a clear day
- The Donauturm slide: a 40-metre drop from 165 metres, over in seven to nine seconds
Good to know
- Tickets are for a timed slot; the last ride up is 45 minutes before closing, the last ride down 15 minutes before
- The open terrace closes in strong wind or storms — the glazed terrace stays open all year
- Prams cannot go in the lifts; there is pram parking at the entrance
- One wheelchair per lift cabin, with a companion, and a maximum of three on the terrace at a time
- Assistance dogs only, and there is a security check at the entrance
Visitor information
- Opening hoursDaily 10:00–22:00 · last ride up 45 min before closing
- Typical visit45–60 minutes
- LocationDonauturmplatz 1, 1220 Vienna · 22nd · Donaustadt
- Getting thereU1 Kaisermühlen–VIC or Alte Donau, then bus 20A to Donauturm; about 10 min on foot through the Donaupark
Did you know?
Photographs
Photo: Alireza Javaheri · CC BY 3.0
Photo: Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Manfred Werner (Tsui) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Booking conditions
Timed entry: your ticket is valid for the date and time slot you choose at checkout. Arrive a few minutes early; most attractions stop admitting visitors 30–60 minutes before closing. Tickets are non-refundable, non-changeable and non-transferable once confirmed, in line with each attraction’s own conditions. The price shown on the page is the total price — nothing is added at checkout. If anything is wrong with your order, email us and we will sort it out.
