Is the Go City Vienna Pass worth it? Go Vienna Explorer Pass 2023 review and prices

City passes such as the Go City Vienna Explorer Pass seem to almost be too good to be true. They offer choices of “free” museums and attractions for a fairly modest price, usually including an expensive bus tour and all of the most expensive attractions. The Go City Vienna Explorer Pass is similar to the others in that it’s easy to be confused, so I’ve broken down the best and most worthwhile attractions below, which can all be visited in 2 or 3 days.

Unlike the older style passes that had a time limit in days, the Go City Vienna Explorer Pass offers you 2 to 7 of the major attractions without having to race between them. As long as the important and included attractions are worth enough, a pass like this is usually a good deal. In the case of the Go City Vienna Explorer Pass, it’s pretty straightforward as good value for enthusiastic visitors, but not for those who are unable to plan their days out at least a bit in advance. They also offer the more traditional All-Inclusive Vienna Pass, which buys you a set number of days from 1 to 6 in which to see as many things as you like. We will discuss the pros and cons of both types below.

Is the Go City Vienna Explorer Pass worth it? (short version)

Vienna is one of Europe’s grandest and most important cities, and fortunately for the first-time visitor, it has a fairly short list of must-see attractions and tours. If you are the typical visitor with 2 or 3 days to explore Vienna and you want to see most or all of these famous top attractions, the Go City Vienna Explorer Pass will save you money and at least some time as well.

Your next choice will be whether you want a Go City Vienna Explorer Pass, which buys you a set number of attractions or the Go City All-Inclusive Pass, which buys you a set number of days. We will offer some advice for which is best for you in the section below.

Long story short, both passes can save you quite a bit of money and time as well because you skip the ticket queue in most cases. But you have to choose the one that suits you best and then plan your sightseeing in advance to get the most out of either of them.

Go City Vienna Explorer vs. All-Inclusive Pass: Which is better for you?

The Explorer Pass buys you a set number of attractions and the All-inclusive Pass buys you a set number of days to enjoy as many of the included attractions as you want. Choosing which is the best for you will largely depend on how long you have to explore Vienna and how fast you think you’ll be able to move. Most people don’t normally have more than 3 sightseeing days on a first visit to Vienna, and many will only have 2 sightseeing days. In these cases it can be a close call, so let’s go through the options below.

Two sightseeing days:

The All-inclusive pass is €109 for adults.

And for €109 you can buy a 5-Choice Explorer pass.

It’s definitely possible to visit 6 or more of the attractions in 2 sightseeing days, but you have to plan ahead and move pretty quickly. In fact, the guided tour of Schönbrunn Palace and the (highly recommended) hop-on, hop-off bus will take most of a day between the two of them, as both will take a few hours or more.

In this case it’s probably better to buy either the 5-Choice Explorer Pass or the 4-Choice Explorer Pass for €94 and save the €15. This way you don’t have to rush around on the other day to make sure you visit at least 3 more included attractions.

Three or more sightseeing days:

The All-inclusive pass is €135 for adults, which is a bit cheaper than the 7-Choice Explorer Pass for €139.

Aside from the Schönbrunn Palace and the HOHO bus, most of the rest of the attractions should take 1 to 2 hours each, and most of them are fairly close together. If you’ve got 3 or more sightseeing days, it should be very easy to enjoy at least 7 included attractions and you will come out ahead.

Only interested in a few attractions?

Of course, not everybody like to fill their days with sightseeing and many people enjoy shopping or relaxing at a sidewalk cafe or just strolling around through the gorgeous city center. If this sounds like you it is probably best to just pick out the attractions that REALLY Interest you and buy an Explorer Pass for that number.

If you JUST do the Schönbrunn Palace and the HOHO bus, it would cost you €83 on their own, or only €59 with a 2-Choice Explorer Pass. And since we have a 10% discount code, it’s really €54 compared to €83. A 3-Choice Explorer Pass is only €72 after our discount, so you can choose a third attraction and STILL save money.

Prices of the 2023 Go City Vienna Explorer Pass

  • 2-Choice pass (adult): €59
  • 2-Choice pass (6-14): €34
  • 3-Choice pass (adult): €79
  • 3-Choice pass (6-14): €44
  • 4-Choice pass (adult): €94
  • 4-Choice pass (6-14): €59
  • 5-Choice pass (adult): €109
  • 5-Choice pass (6-14): €69
  • 6-Choice pass (adult): €124
  • 6-Choice pass (6-14): €79
  • 7-Choice pass (adult): €139
  • 7-Choice pass (6-14): €84

Prices of the 2023 Go City Vienna All-Inclusive Pass

  • 1-Day pass (adult): €77
  • 1-Day pass (6-14): €42
  • 2-Day pass (adult): €109
  • 2-Day pass (6-14): €58
  • 3-Day pass (adult): €135
  • 3-Day pass (6-14): €70
  • 4-Day pass (adult): €145
  • 4-Day pass (6-14): €73
  • 5-Day pass (adult): €155
  • 5-Day pass (6-14): €77
  • 6-Day pass (adult): €165
  • 6-Day pass (6-14): €80

EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT for Price of Travel readers

If you decide to buy you can use promo code GO5POT for 5% off on all passes at The Go City Vienna Explorer Pass using this link.

Look for Have a Promo Code in the Review Your Order process to enter code: GO5POT

The Go City Vienna Explorer and All-Inclusive Passes are only available online so you can’t buy them at any of the attractions once you get to Vienna.

What's included with the Go City Vienna Explorer Pass

The Go City Vienna Explorer Pass includes free admission between 2 and 7 of Vienna’s top attractions, and the All-Inclusive Pass includes visits to as many attractions as you like in 1 to 6 days.

Unlike the older style, the Go City passes work using the Go City smartphone app, which is used as your admission ticket to each attraction. This means that you don’t have to pay for delivery or keep track of individual cards. You can print out the pass to use without a phone if you prefer.

As is typical with the city passes, this one includes many attractions that are either relatively cheap on their own, or fairly obscure, but it also includes every top attraction that nearly all visitors come to experience.

Here are the key attractions that you’ll want to focus on:

Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour: €35.00

Vienna has a compact center, but several key attractions are in other districts. This hop-on, hop-off bus tour features 6 different routes and is justifiably popular. One route covers the central Ring area, which is where most landmarks are located. Another goes out to Schönbrunn Palace, which everyone wants to see. This is one of the few HOHO buses that can efficiently be used as transportation by many visitors due to the layout of the city.

Schönbrunn Palace Grand Tour (guided): €48.00

This amazing palace is the number one attraction in Vienna, in spite of its location outside of the center. You are going to want to do this tour whether you buy the Go City Vienna Explorer Pass or not. It’s on the outskirts of town so you have to take travel time into account. If you plan ahead you can start the morning on the Central Ring HOHO bus and then switch lines to the one that comes out to the palace. Once you reach the palace you can hop off (you won’t be alone, it’s a popular way of doing it), and then ride the bus back into town when you are done. It will take pretty much that whole sightseeing day, but by the end of it you’ll have seen most of the main attractions along a tour of the Schönbrunn Palace itself.

Empress Sisi Walking Tour, Hofburg and Imperial Apartments: €42.00

This slightly less impressive palace is located on the Ring in the center of Vienna so you’ll be passing it many times no matter what. The pass now includes a walking tour rather than just admission itself, which is normally €14.00, so it’s an even better deal.

If you don’t have the time or energy to take a bus or taxi out to the Schönbrunn Palace, then this is a great substitute. This one is right in the middle of town so visiting couldn’t be easier.

Craft Beer Tasting Tour: €49.00

Austria is a beer-drinking country and this two-hour tour includes tastes of four interesting beers and some snacks along with a proper tour of a brewing facility. Most brewery tours only include one sample of one beer, so this one is more geared towards beer fans who want to try some unique brews.

Schönbrunn Zoo: €24.00

The world’s oldest zoo (dating to 1752) is a fantastic stop for visitors with children. This is one of Europe’s finest zoos and it’s located on the Yellow hop-on, hop-off bus line that also goes to Schönbrunn Palace.

Madame Tussauds Vienna: €26.00

This one is optional, but if you have a Vienna Pass it’s definitely worth stopping in for an hour or two. These wax museums might not sound all that interesting, until you actually visit one and see how impressive they are. Seriously, I’m not sure I would want to pay full price, but when I get to visit one of these places for “free” as part of a pass, I’m always blown away by what they do and the professional presentation.

Giant Ferris Wheel in Prater Amusement Park: €14.00

Perhaps Vienna’s most famous landmark, this Ferris Wheel was famously featured in the movie The Third Man, and is incredibly popular with first-time visitors. You can reach it easily on the HOHO bus or a regular tram, and the views from the top are the best in the city.

Guided Walking Tours (1 hour): €20 to €30

New to the Go City Vienna Explorer Pass is a range of five different walking tours that range in price from €20 to €30 each. Instead of just a standard generic city tour, you can choose one or two that most interest you and your group.

Top attractions that are included in the Vienna Pass

  • Hop-on, hop off bus tour: €35.00
  • Schönbrunn Palace Grand Tour: €48.00
  • Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel: €14.00
  • Empress Sisi Walking Tour, Hofburg and Imperial Apartments: €42.00
  • Guided Walking Tours (1 hour): €20 to €30
  • Madame Tussauds Vienna: €26.00
  • Time Travel Vienna Magic Vienna History Tour: €21
  • Schönbrunn Zoo: €24
  • Classical Concert at Haus der Musik: €49
  • MAK: Museum of Applied Arts: €24
  • KICK Bike Guided Tour: €45
  • VR Experience Schönbrunn: €24.90
  • Scootseeing Electric Bikes – 1 hour rental: €29

There are about 45 more attractions that are included, but most of those cost less than €10 on their own, so the ones above are the ones to consider when deciding on a Vienna Pass.

Top attractions that AREN'T included in the Vienna Pass

  • Vienna Opera House Tour: €7.50

Is the Go City Vienna Explorer Pass a good deal?

If you are used to the city passes that are good for a set number of days and have you scrambling around to try to get your money’s worth, then the Go City Vienna Explorer Pass will be a relief because it’s much more straightforward. But if you have at least 3 sightseeing days in Vienna, the All-Inclusive Pass is probably the better deal.

Nearly everyone will want to do the guided tour of the Schönbrunn Palace Grand Tour, which is €48 by itself, and this is true whether you buy the Go City pass or not. After that, with just one more attraction you are saving money and the more choices you buy the more you’ll save.

The hop-on, hop-off bus tour is also highly recommended whether you buy the Go City pass or not, and that’s €35 itself. The Madame Tussauds museums are also much more interesting and fun than you might think, so if you do just these three things then you’ll be saving at least €40 from the normal prices.

Needless to say, it’s important for you to check the attraction list to make sure that you are genuinely interested in enough of the more expensive attractions at all. You’ll be saving a lot of money if you buy the Go City pass and visit them, but it’s not worth it if you didn’t really care about them in the first place.

Who should buy the Vienna Pass

  • First-time Vienna visitors who want to see the top sights in limited time
  • Visitors who are organized with a genuine interest in seeing Vienna
  • Visitors who want to do the Schönbrunn Palace Grand Tour, the HOHO bus, and a walking tour as well

Who should NOT buy the Vienna Pass

  • Visitors who don’t enjoy HOHO bus tours or walking tours
  • Vienna visitors on very-low “backpacker” budgets
  • Visitors who will be spending 3 or more days in Vienna and who prefer to space out their sightseeing

EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT for Price of Travel readers

If you decide to buy you can use promo code GO5POT for 5% off on all passes at The Go City Vienna Explorer Pass using this link.

Look for Have a Promo Code in the Review Your Order process to enter code: GO5POT

The Go City Vienna Explorer Pass is only available online so you can’t buy it at any of the attractions once you get to Vienna.

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All Comments

  1. Jingers says:

    Thank you! Our schedule has actually already changed but your advice is still very useful. Do you also happen to know which places can be visited in the evening, covered by the pass?

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Jingers,

      I don’t have a list myself, but on the Vienna Pass website they show the opening hours for each attraction it covers. -Roger

  2. Jingers says:

    Hi, I’ve just stumbled into your blog. My sister and I are planning to visit Vienna during 18-21 Oct. Our flight will arrive at 3pm of Fri 18 Oct and leave on the morning of 21 Oct so we’ll have a few hours on the afternoon/evening of 18 Oct and the whole weekend for sight-seeing. We’re good walkers and wouldn’t mind having a reasonably early start. Do you think it would be worth buying a 3-day pass? (I know even one hour use would still count as a full day.) Would you have any suggestions in terms of the route to make the most of the pass? We’d definitely like to visit the places you mentioned in your 2-day schedule. Would it also be worth buying a travel card due to the infrequency in the hop on-off buses?

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Jingers,

      I think it would be hard to use the Vienna Pass more than once that first day if your plane touches down at 15:00, and you’ll probably be a bit tired as well. So I’d go with the 2-day pass and focus on starting as early as possible the next morning.

      As for the travel pass, it really depends on where you are staying. If your hotel is within walking distance of any of the central attractions or within the Ring itself, you might not need to take many metro rides. As long as you start early and are well organized, you should be able to use the HOHO bus for transportation to most or all of the outer attractions. Take it out to Schönbrunn Palace in the morning and on your way back you can hit any others that interest you. Then you can focus the rest of your stay in the central Ring area, which is flat and easily walkable for fit people.

      You might end up taking a few metro rides if you are in a hurry, but the HOHO bus actually works pretty well in Vienna because the traffic is rarely too crazy. I’m sure you’ll have a great time. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

  3. Eliana says:

    Hi… after reading your post, i am still not sure what is the difference between the Vienna Pass with travel and the Vienna Pass no travel
    Thanks

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Eliana,

      The Vienna Pass includes the hop-on, hop-off bus, but it’s actually pretty inefficient to use those to get from place to place. So they offer an optional travelcard for 1, 2, or 3 days, which is good for unlimited transportation on the local metro and buses. For getting to the remote attractions such as the palace and the Ferris wheel, using public transportation is usually faster and more pleasant. I hope this helps. -Roger

  4. Flavia says:

    Hi Roger

    How easy is it to commute by HOHO buses since you mentioned 2 lines.

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Flavia,

      I’m not sure if this has changed, but it appears the HOHO bus now has four lines. I have mixed feelings about using the HOHO buses to get between attractions. The Red Line in Vienna goes along the Ringstrasse (Ring Road) that circles the city center, and many of the included attractions are very close to those stops. On the other hand, HOHO buses are rarely the fastest way to get from one place to another. My advice is to get a good seat on the HOHO bus and stay on for most or all of a loop first so you have a good view and can enjoy the commentary. If you get off after only a few stops it’s sometimes common that all the seats on the top level are taken and you have to ride down below without a great view.

      The Vienna Pass also comes with an option transit card for about €7 per day. The subway system in Vienna is quite nice and very fast and this is usually the fastest way to get between places. On the other hand, the Yellow Line goes out to Schönbrunn Palace, which is a bit out of town, and that can be handy since many people on the bus will get off and when you get back on your can usually get a good seat. -Roger

  5. Marilyn says:

    Hi Roger, My husband and I will be visiting Vienna in July. As we live in Australia, would it be possible to order our Vienna Pass and have it posted to Australia or is it better to collect it in Vienna when we get there. If so, where would we collect our Vienna Pass from?
    Thank you.
    Kind regards, Marilyn

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Marilyn,

      It’s much better to get the Instant mobile Vienna PASS, which is delivered for no additional cost on your smartphone right after you order. You can also pick up a Vienna Pass for free at the Vienna Airport or the Vienna Pass desk in the city center, and those are also free, but I’d do the mobile pass if you can. You can also pay €11 to get physical passes mailed to you, but that takes almost a month (or at least that’s the estimate). All of the options are laid out on the Vienna Pass collection page. Have a great trip. -Roger

  6. Vasilia says:

    Hello,i am from Greece so forgive me for my English.
    I”ll go with my husband in Christmas to Vienna 24-12 till 28-12.
    I think two days Vienna pass card will be fine but i would like to ask you if you know what happen with “everything” in Christmas day. Will be the museum’s open because of tourists? I mean, what do you suggest us? Vienna pass card for 26,27/12 must be better?
    Thank you very much.

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Vasilia,

      Your English is quite good by the way. This is an interesting question. Many years ago I think nearly all of these things would have been closed on Christmas Day, but in the last 10 years or so I’ve noticed that most large attractions are open and usually quite busy. So many people are visiting family and friends over Christmas that it looks like palaces and museums are open. I just checked Hofburg Imperial Palace and they are open every day of the year. I also checked Madame Tussaud’s and it says they close a bit early on Christmas Eve, but are open normally on Christmas Day.

      In other words, even if a few of the smaller places are closed that day, you’ll still have some major things to choose from so you can research each place and just make sure you are aware of which places are open normally. Have a great trip. -Roger

  7. Jackie Taylor says:

    Your post has been really helpful in our decision proces ofr our short stay in Vienna after a month in France,.
    I was assuming a lot of the value would be in the skip the line aspect, even if we do not actually see enough sights to add up to the cost of the pass. Do we really save a lot of time because of “fast track entry”?

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Jackie,

      With Fast Track Entry it is really hard to predict how much time you’d save. If you get to one of the more popular attractions shortly after it opens, the queues will be very short in either side, but if you arrive at 11am on a Saturday or even at 2pm on a weekday the normal queue might be 30 to 60 minutes. On the other hand, once or twice I’ve seen where the Fast Track queue is slightly longer than the normal one. Generally speaking, from 11am until 4pm and especially on weekends, the Fast Track will save you at least 15 to 30 minutes. Best of luck with this. -Roger