Vienna City Hall is a magnificent building in the Neo-Gothic style that serves as the seat of local government and the office of the Mayor of Vienna. It is located on Rathausplatz in the Innere Stadt district, along the Ringstraße boulevard. It was designed by Friedrich von Schmidt and built between 1872 and 1883. It has five towers, including the central tower that is 98 meters high and topped by the Rathausmann, a golden statue of a standard bearer that is a symbol of Vienna.
If you want to visit Vienna City Hall, you can buy a ticket online or at the entrance. The ticket costs 8 euros for adults and 4 euros for children, students and seniors. You can also get a family ticket for 16 euros. The ticket includes access to the state rooms, such as the main festivities hall (Festsaal), the council chamber (Stadtsenatssitzungssaal) and the mayor’s reception room (Bürgermeisterempfangszimmer). You can also join a guided tour that lasts about an hour and costs 5 euros per person. The tours are available in German and English and take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 1 p.m.
Vienna City Hall is open from Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. You can get there by public transport, such as the subway (U2 line, Rathaus station), the tram (1, 2, D or 71 lines) or the bus (40A line). There is also a parking garage nearby that charges 3 euros per hour.
Some tips for visiting Vienna City Hall are:
- Check the events calendar on the official website to see if there are any special exhibitions, concerts or festivals happening at the city hall or in the Rathauspark, the park in front of the building.
- Don’t miss the Rathausmann on top of the tower. You can see it better with binoculars or a camera zoom.
- Enjoy a meal or a drink at the Wiener Rathauskeller, a historic restaurant in the basement of the city hall that offers traditional Viennese cuisine and live music.
- Respect the prohibitions and rules of the city hall, such as no smoking, no pets, no flash photography and no backpacks or large bags.
Some of the things you can see at Vienna City Hall are:
- The neo-Gothic facade with its rich decorations and sculptures.
- The grand staircase (Feststiege) with its stained glass windows and paintings.
- The coat of arms hall (Wappensaal) with its collection of coats of arms of Austrian cities and provinces.
- The stone hall (Steinerner Saal) with its vaulted ceiling and chandeliers.
- The arcade courtyard (Arkadenhof) with its fountain and statues.
