Accessibility of Vienna's Top Sites

Vienna has numerous sites that attract millions of visitors a year. From two palaces, to multiple museums and a 150 year old ferris wheel, there is something for everyone. Tickets are available to purchase online for each of these sites we cover in this post. Are you looking to learn about accessibility of Vienna’s top sites? Keep reading to find out as well as how to get to and from each site based on your mobility needs! I have included links to the sites’ official pages below in English when available.

Home » Location Guides » Accessibility of Vienna’s Top Sites

Schönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn Palace is Vienna’s most visited tourist sight. The palace as you see it today is from the mid 1700s. It was a mansion in the 1500s, and then was primarily used as a hunting lodge and grounds in the 1600s. After the Hapsburg monarch ended in 1918, Schönbrunn became a museum. Schönbrunn Palace and it’s gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is highly recommended that you buy your tickets online ahead of time. There are several different ticket options on the palace website. The accessibility of this top site makes it possible for most people to visit though it does require covering a lot of ground. Learn more below.

Entrance/Exit

The Palace: You enter the palace after entering through the main gates on smooth cobblestones. The entrance is stair-free and is on the left side of the palace. You can see this in the picture above where the majority of the people are located.

The Gardens: If you will be visiting both the palace and gardens, there is an accessible entrance to the right of the palace when facing the front of the palace. There is also an entrance to the left but this does require maneuvering stairs to get into the gardens. If you are looking to only visit the gardens, you can do so without a ticket during opening hours. If you want to avoid the people congregating to get into the palace, you can enter through the Meidling Tor (gate). This is on the northeast side and is the closest entrance/exit from the underground stop and the parking lot.

Inside the Site

Wheelchairs are available for both inside the palace and for outside in the gardens at the main gate. There is some seating in the state rooms and throughout the gardens. Elevators and ramps improve this Vienna site’s accessibility to access all display rooms. There are accessible bathrooms inside the palace.

A picture of the Schönbrunn gardens with a view of the Gloriette provides an example of the accessibility of Vienna's top site. The pavement is packed gravel but stairs are required to get up to the Gloriette.

The Park

The park is about a 1 kilometer by 1.2 kilometer (0.62 miles by 0.75 miles) in size. View this pdf map of the grounds to get a sense of what areas you want to cover. If your mobility level limits how much ground you can cover, you will want to prioritize what you want to see. You will be walking on dirt and packed gravel. There are accessible bathrooms within the park which are indicated on the map above. According to the Schönbrunn website, the Privy Garden, Maze, and Gloriette viewing terrace are only accessible via stairs. You can see the viewing terrace above in the picture of the Gloriette.

Getting to the Site

Underground: The U4 line takes you to Schönbrunn Palace from the city center. The Schönbrunn stop delivers you across the street from the entrance gates to the palace.

Tram: If you would like to stay above ground, you can take tramline 60 from the Westbahnhof train station and get off at Schloss Schönbrunn. This tram stop is also located across the street from the entrance.

Bus: There is not a bus that departs from the center of Vienna to Schönbrunn Palace. If you are staying outside of the center of Vienna to the west, take bus 10 A and get off at Schloss Schönbrunn.

Taxi: Taxis can drop you off directly in front of the site.

Car: There is a parking lot at the northeast corner of the palace grounds.

Useful Links

The Official Website of Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens

A PDF Map of Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens

Information on barrier-free-access from the official palace website

Photo on sunny day of the Ferris Wheel in Vienna

Wiener Riesenrad

People have been enjoying views from this ferris wheel since 1897. It was constructed to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Franz Josef I. It was victim to a large fire in 1944 but was operational again by 1947. The Wiener Riesenrad was also made famous by appearing in the film The Third Man.

Entrance/Exit

The entrance to the ferris wheel is barrier-free. After going inside to buy your ticket, you are taken through a one-room museum covering the history of the Riesenrad and then get in line for the ferris wheel. This is all one level.

View of Vienna while riding the Ferris Wheel

Inside the Site

A long metal rampway (with bars to hold if needed) brings you up the level to get into the carriage. There is a similar rampway on the exit side of the ferris wheel. There is a large wooden bench in the middle of the carriage if you would like to sit or there are bars on both sides below the windows if you want to stand for a better view. The carriage remains farily steady except for some rocking at the start and end of your journey. Those with fear of heights or vestibular issues may want to skip this. You will spend about 20 minutes on the ferris wheel depending on how many people are getting on/off the other carriages.

Getting to the Site

Underground: Both the U1, U2 stop at Praterstern station. This is across the street from the Prater amusement park entrance. It is about a quarter of a mile from the Praterstern stop to the ferris wheel.

Tram: Tramlines O and 5 drop you at the Praterstern station.

Bus: Bus lines 80A and 82A also drop you off at the Praterstern station however neither run through the center of town. Both routes are on the east side of the RingStraße.

Taxi: Taxis can drop you/pick up directly in front of the entrance to the park.

Car: There is a parking garage on the north side of the amusement park.

Useful Links

Official Wiener Riesenrad Website

Theme Park Worldwide’s YouTube video of their experience riding the ferris wheel. This will give you a better idea of the smoothness of the ride in case you are unsure if this site is right for you.

Note: I was unable to find specific information about accessibility for the Wiener Riesenrad. Prater, the amusement park in which it is located, has accessible bathrooms. The accessibility information provided above is from my experience when I visited.

Kunsthistorisches Museum

Vienna’s third most visited site that we will cover is the Kunsthistorisches Museum. This is Vienna’s art and art history museum. It contains an Egyptian collection, Roman and Greek artifacts, a portrait gallery and more.

Entrance/Exit

The main entrance of the site requires you to climb 8 large concrete steps. There is a barrier-free entrance on the north side at Burgring 5 (off of the Ringstraße). The museum is across the Ringstraße from the Hofburg Palace.

Inside the Site

The museum is spread out over three levels. Wheelchairs are available. The museum suggests requesting a wheelchair a day in advance by emailing them at [email protected]. There are elevators available to access all floors of the museum. There are also barrier-free restrooms and there is an accessible cafe.

Getting to the Site

Underground: The U2 line’s Museumsquartier stop is the closest stop to the museum. You will need to traverse around the museum to enter in front at the Maria-Theresien-Platz. U2 and U3 also have stops at Volkstheater which is one block away to the west.

Tram: The museum is just off the RingStraße. Lines 1, 2, 71 and D all stop at the Burgring stop on the northeast corner of the museum.

Bus: Line 57A terminates at the Burgring but heads mostly west away from the center of Vienna.

Taxi: There is a taxi stand in front of the barrier-free entrance at Burgring 5.

Car: There is a a parking garage on the opposite side of Museumsplatz street on the opposite side of the museum from the RingStraße