Of all the things we’ve done in Vienna, Prater definitely tops the list as the most exhilarating.
Prater’s an old-school amusement park, and I think that’s part of the charm. One interesting twist is that entry to the park is free! You pay per ride, which is great if you just want to wander… and not so great if you’re interested in checking out a lot of rides. There are NO wristbands and NO batch ticket deals.
But, since there’s no entry fee, you can come and go as much as you’d like. (We walked through the park without going on rides two other times earlier in our trip.) It’s open 24/7 year-round, though the rides are only operational during the day.
It’s up to the individual rides (not sure who controls each ride?) to determine when they’ll open for the day. So some rides might be open by 11 am, and other’s might not open until the middle of the afternoon, especially in the off-season.
Visiting Prater was our “birthday” outing for Belle. In the end, we spent €131.50 (~$210 CAD), so it was a pricey outing. But it was also a lot of fun, highly memorable, and worth every penny.
Clowns ARE CREEPY. Full stop.
Prater has the tallest swing ride in the world (with a Guinness World Record certificate on the wall to prove it!).
The tower is 117 m tall (~385 feet), and you end up reaching a top speed of 60 km/h (~37 mph).
John and Indy weren’t too interested in this ride, so Belle and I went for it. It was scarier than I expected! I’ve been on a swing like this before, but it wasn’t this high and it didn’t go this fast and the chains didn’t seem nearly so thin. At one point, Belle looked at me and said, “You know if this thing breaks, we’re both going to die.”
VERY TRUE.
Spoiler alert: we made it back down safely. And the views from the top were incredible. That said, I was relieved when the ride was over.
There were 12 sets of swings in total, but only one set had an Austrian flag attached; John (wisely!) suggested we sit in that one so he and Indy could track us from below. So when you see the flag in a photo, that’s us up in the sky!
- Prater Tower: €10/ticket (card accepted)
We didn’t buy the official ride photo (I suspect this is obvious!), but I love how we’re both spinning with our arms thrown up in the air. I also just realized you can spot Indy’s reflection in the screen 🙂
Wiener Looping is a brand-new roller coaster at Prater. I was happy to save money and stay safely on the ground and just watch. There was a long wait for this ride, but they all loved it. There’s a STEEP drop early in the run, and one child—who shall remain nameless on the blog—was screaming the entire time. Apparently everyone was looking at said child when they pulled back into the unloading zone.
Hilarious.
- Wiener Looping: €10/person. When we were at the park, this ride only accepted cash.
I can’t remember the name of this roller coaster, but only Belle went on. It was €7.50/person, and they did take card.
Prater has multiple obstacle course/fun houses, and this one looked like the best. Both kids went through and enjoyed it! Apparently there are a few jump scares, moving sidewalks, tricky stairs, and a long twirling slide to exit.
- Super Top Dance Fun House: €4/person. I think this place only took cash.
The kids really wanted to do the drop tower… and they really didn’t want to do it without an adult.
Thankfully, John stepped up. I VERY happily stayed on solid ground and took pictures. (There’s 85 m of free fall; no thanks.)
- Free Fall Tower: €6/person. I think this ride only took cash?
We left the park at suppertime and grabbed food from a grocery store instead of paying inflated prices inside; we ended up eating in a little green space with a play structure, and Indy had a blast. There were also free bathrooms which was a bonus (you have to pay for bathrooms inside Prater).
Both kids wanted to do a haunted house. There were lots of options, but the one with the best reviews was a VR ride called The Klown. (John and I were content to sit this one out!)
They ended up loving it. When the ride ended (but they still had the VR headsets on) an attendant would sneak up behind riders and tickle their heads with something. Our kids did not know this was going to happen and SHRIEKED. It was one of my favourite moments of the whole day.
- The Klown: €6/person. I think this place might have taken card??
There’s a second, smaller Ferris wheel that we didn’t ride, but it’s very photogenic!
There are some water rides, lots of spinning/twirling options that made me want to vomit just looking at them, bumper cars, a Madame Tussauds, and lots of arcade games. I think I read there’s over 100 different attractions at the park.
But there’s one main attraction, and that’s definitely the famous Ferris wheel.
Prater is home to the Wiener Riesenrad, the oldest Ferris wheel in the world. It was built in 1897 to celebrate Emperor Franz Joseph I’s Golden Jubilee. It survived both World Wars, but it was badly damaged by a fire in 1944 and had to be rebuilt. (It’s also famous for its appearance in The Third Man.)
Instead of open seats, you ride in little cabins (when we were there it was 12 people loaded on per cabin). You can even book a private cabin for dinner, and there’s a glass-bottomed option if you want to make things extra thrilling (and expensive).
We timed it PERFECTLY and got on just after sunset. The ride takes about 15 minutes, so we got dusky skies at the start and a fully illuminated city by the end.
Highly, highly recommend.
- Wiener Riesengard: Family rate of €36. They do accept card.
To get onto the ride, you have to walk through this room full of old cabins with window displays. I suspect this is most appreciated in peak season when it’s hot outside. We didn’t have to wait in a long line, but I thought this was a great holding space.
Going up!
At the top…
Going down…
Definitely two thumbs up for this ride and for a wonderful afternoon at Prater!
Contented kids = happy parents! This was a really special day for the whole family.
I never, ever get tired of seeing lights at night. And amusement park lights are extra cool!
Pictures, of course, don’t do it justice.
This was the perfect way to celebrate Belle’s 15th birthday. She patiently waited for good weather (the only truly horrible day of weather we’ve had on our trip so far happened on her birthday), and I’m so glad we waited—this is NOT a place you want to visit in the rain.
If you’re exploring Vienna, I highly recommend a visit to Prater. It can cost as much (or as little) as you want, but it’s a very fun experience.
Your turn:
- Do you like thrill rides, or do you prefer to keep two feet planted on terra firma?
- How do you feel about clowns? Creepy—yay or nay?
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You got on those swings? Never never ever for me. You all are thrill seekers!
I don’t like scary or fast moving ride. I probably would get sick on most of them. I would love the obstacle course / fun house though. Clowns- mostly dislike/creepy.
You gave Belle such a special day- and you and John went on the rides too! You definitely get bonus points for being cool parents!
Extra fun fact- I live in the town where the inventor of the Ferris wheel was born!
John loves roller coasters. I’m not a huge fan, but the swing was a fun experience (especially once I was safe back on the ground). It was SO HIGH! And you’re just dangling from two little chains. Definitely makes you hyper aware of the fragility of life (and the concept of gravity…).
Ha. Can you let Belle know she has two cool parents???? I think the kids sometimes think we live mostly to ruin their fun, but goodness they have GREAT lives.
That IS an extra fun fact. I guess he was a railway engineer, so the proper term for the “cabins” is actually “wagons.”
This looks so fun! I think I need to go to Prater!
I’m more scared of rollercoasters than clowns; not sure what that says about me!
It’s a very lovely amusement park (definitely gives Tivoli vibes). I don’t know if I’m scared of rollercoasters, but I definitely don’t actively look forward to going on them.
That said, the adrenaline rush IS pretty cool. I just always feel like I am probably going to die. Hence the adrenaline, I guess!!!
Thank you for all your Vienna posts! I’ve been several times, but never with children, so you’ve given me lots of ideas!
Spending a month there gave us a lot of time to explore! We saw a lot, and there is still lots we left UNDONE! It’s a big city with a lot to offer.
Oh WOW this looks so fun!!! So fun! I would love to do all of these things. I love amusement parks and thrill rides – the only thing I really don’t like is a ride that spins too much (like the teacups at Disney). But the faster and higher the better for me! I want to go here!!! Maybe I will. What a great experience for a birthday – she will remember that always. Yes, expensive, but you only turn 15 once! I like the idea of having a big experience for a birthday, rather than a bunch of gifts. The memories will always be there!
Elisabeth, my goodness, the photos of you and Belle on the swings – you look like you could be her older sister. You look SO youthful and relaxed!!! I mean, it REALLY struck me – your skin is perfect and you look so young! I actually did a double-take. You look about 21!! *goes to apply serum*
I did NOT take you for a rollercoaster lover at all Nicole! How has this never come up in conversation before??? For some reason, I am feeling incredibly shocked.
YOUTHFUL. I actually laughed out loud. I feel so old lately. I think it’s a trick of the camera (and maybe the fact I have to resize them for the blog and it makes them a bit blurry); I assure you my skin is NOT perfect. But I adore the compliment nonetheless. I actually was incredibly relaxed at Prater. It was such a fun afternoon. And maybe the adrenaline jolt from hurtling through the air on swings outrageously high in the air made my skin glow???
What a wonderful birthday present – and one that the whole family could enjoy! I went on many roller coasters and scary rides as a kid, but now I’m definitely a “feet on the ground” person. The ferris wheel would be just my speed, and the views look amazing. I am terrified of fun houses, haunted houses, etc. I had a really bad experience when I was a kid. Luckily, I never had any bad experiences with clowns, so I’m OK with them!
I’ve never done a “fun house” in my life. I did really like the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney. That was very much my speed 🙂
I suspect my rollercoaster days are almost over. I’ve never loved them, but I’m happier and happier to stay put on firm ground!
What a fun family outing!
Gah, clowns are creepy! The stuff of nightmares.
Anytime you give me a lighthouse or a bridge, I’m all up in its business, but I would not be able to do the rides. I can’t explain why, but the idea gives me a feeling of dread.
That’s why it’s fun to go with people who have coats and sunglasses that need to be held. I lived vicariously via them and did not have to cheat death a dozen times, haha.
You know how I feel about lighthouse 🙂
GAH. That swing ride does look scary! I wouldn’t like the free fall one either, but I used to like roller coasters. Tragically, now I’m very prone to motion sickness, so I would have to be careful at this park. I wish I could go there as a kid- well, a teenager. I would have been up for all the rides then. It does sound like a fun experience, and the perfect birthday celebration for Belle!
Anything that spins my in circles or jerks me back and forth is a no-go. I feel so nauseous!
But the kids loved it and seem to have strong stomachs for roller coasters.
I used to be all about the roller coaster life, but in recent years, I have just totally lost my stomach for it! I can’t do it, and find the nervousness I get before the ride is not worth the actual ride. The last ride I went on was at a festival, and I got so nauseous on it! Blergh. Getting older is for the birds.
The anticipation is the worst part for me. And I scream the WHOLE rollercoaster ride!
Looks like a thrilling day! I would definitely have lost my lunch on those swings – good for you for being a good sport!
I was surprised how scary it was… turns out 117 m feels very HIGH!
Happy birthday Belle! I love that you don’t pay to get in, but per ride. That’s how it used to be at Disney World when I was a kid; you bought tickets for each ride.
The view from the Ferris wheel is amazing, especially with all the lights at night.
I’m not a fan of heights or going fast these days, so I would have been a cheap date!
I had no idea Disney used to function this way!