Riesenrad

LoginSave

Top of every Prater wish list is the Riesenrad – at least for anyone of an age to recall Orson Welles' cuckoo clock speech in British film noir The Third Man (1949), set in a shadowy postwar Vienna. Built in 1897 by Englishman Walter B Basset, the Ferris wheel rises to 65m and takes about 20 minutes to rotate its 430-tonne weight one complete circle – giving you ample time to snap some fantastic shots of the city spread out at your feet.

This unmissable icon also achieved celluloid fame in the James Bond flick The Living Daylights, and Before Sunrise, directed by Richard Linklater.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Staatsoper (Opera House), Innere Stadt.

    Staatsoper

    1.58 MILES

    Vienna's foremost opera and ballet venue, the neo-Renaissance Staatsoper, is one of the finest concert halls in the world. Even if you can't get tickets…

  • Detail of Stephansdom Cathedral roof.

    Stephansdom

    1.22 MILES

    Vienna’s Gothic masterpiece Stephansdom – or Steffl (Little Stephan), as it’s ironically nicknamed – is Vienna's pride and joy. A church has stood here…

  • VIENNA, AUSTRIA - APRIL 19: Many people enjoy a sunny afternoon at the Museumsquartier on April 19, 2011 in Vienna. It is the eighth largest cultural area in the world and a very important for Vienna; Shutterstock ID 202273378; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    MuseumsQuartier

    1.95 MILES

    The MuseumsQuartier is a remarkable ensemble of museums, cafes, restaurants and bars inside former imperial stables designed by Fischer von Erlach. This…

  • Kaiserliche Schatzkammer

    Kaiserliche Schatzkammer

    1.57 MILES

    The Hofburg's Kaiserliche Schatzkammer contains secular and ecclesiastical treasures (including devotional images and altars, particularly from the…

  • Beautiful view of famous Schloss Belvedere, built by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy, in Vienna, Austria; Shutterstock ID 249139849; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    Schloss Belvedere

    1.59 MILES

    A masterpiece of total art, Schloss Belvedere is one of the world’s finest baroque palaces. Designed by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt (1668–1745), it was…

  • Austria, Vienna, view to lighted Hofburg Palace at twilight

    Hofburg

    1.56 MILES

    Nothing symbolises Austria's resplendent cultural heritage more than its Hofburg, home base of the Habsburgs from 1273 to 1918. The oldest section is the…

  • Schloss Schönbrunn

    Schloss Schönbrunn

    4.45 MILES

    The Habsburgs' opulent summer palace is now a Unesco World Heritage site. Of its 1441 rooms, 40 are open to the public; the Imperial Tour takes you into…

  • 500px Photo ID: 124014183 - The outside of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna at Sunset

    Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna

    1.83 MILES

    A highlight of any trip to Vienna is a visit to the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, brimming with works by Europe’s finest painters, sculptors and…

View more attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Madame Tussauds Vienna

0.04 MILES

This waxwork wonderland in the Würstelprater is a stage for a host of sculpted celebrities – Nicole Kidman, Michael Jackson and Johnny Depp star among…

2. Pratermuseum

0.07 MILES

Sharing the same building as the Planetarium, this municipal museum traces the history of the Würstelprater and its woodland neighbour. For all the life…

3. Planetarium

0.07 MILES

Austria's biggest planetarium is galaxies away from being its biggest draw. Vienna’s extraterrestrial and interstellar viewfinder is located on the edge…

4. Würstelprater

0.08 MILES

No matter your age, you are forever 10 years old with money burning a hole in your pocket at the Würstelprater. Come summer, this funfair throngs with…

5. Prater

0.08 MILES

Spread across 60 sq km, central Vienna's biggest park comprises woodlands of poplar and chestnut, meadows and tree-lined boulevards, as well as children's…

6. Johann Strauss Residence

0.4 MILES

Strauss the Younger called Praterstrasse 54 home from 1863 to 1878 and composed the waltz, ‘The Blue Danube’, under its high ceilings. Inside you’ll find…

7. KunstHausWien

0.43 MILES

The KunstHausWien, with its bulging ceramics, wonky surfaces, checkerboard facade, technicolor mosaic tilework and rooftop sprouting plants and trees,…

8. Hundertwasser Village

0.63 MILES

Created from an old Michelin factory, Hundertwasser Village bears the inimitable hallmark of the wacky Austrian artist of the same name. It contains…