Discover Vienna on a budget:
The tram tour around the Ringstraße

Ready to explore Vienna in a relaxed and budget-friendly way? Here’s a tip: instead of expensive tourist buses, you can easily discover the city with a tram ride along the famous Ringstraße. The best part? You’ll see many of Vienna’s key landmarks without having to spend a fortune.

In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about this type of sightseeing tour, from the stops and ticket options to the impressive buildings and places you’ll pass on your way around the “Ring.” So grab your ticket, hop on, and let Vienna’s beauty enchant you, it’s worth it, I promise!

The Vienna Ringstraße

The Ringstraße is a broad boulevard that, as the name suggests, forms a ring around Vienna’s Inner City (the 1st district). It consists of nine sections, each with its own name, such as the Opernring or the Burgring. Locals simply refer to it as “the Ring.” The section along the Danube Canal is called Franz-Josefs-Kai, but don’t let that confuse you, it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the city tour.

Along the Ringstraße, you’ll find some of Vienna’s most significant landmarks and beautiful buildings, splendid gardens, numerous luxury hotels, and palaces. And if you look closely, you might even spot some splendid buildings slightly off the Ring.

Tram Ride around the Vienna Ringstraße

You have several options for riding the tram around the Ring, but here’s what I consider the best route:

The perfect route for your tour

It’s simple: board Tram Line 1 at the Staatsoper station (State Opera)heading towards Prater Hauptallee. Sit back and enjoy the ride until you reach Schwedenplatz. There, transfer to Line 2 towards Dornbach and continue until you return to the Staatsoper.

A complete loop takes about 30 minutes, perfect for a quick overview of the city.

Tickets

You also have several options when choosing a ticket:

Single Ride WIEN (1 Fahrt Wien) – €2.40
This ticket allows unlimited travel in one direction for 80 minutes without interruption, though transfers are permitted. It’s ideal if you plan to circle the Ring without getting off and you won’t use public transport further.

24-Hour WIEN (24 Stunden WIEN) – 8 €
This ticket is valid for 24 hours from the time of validation. It’s suitable if you plan to get off at various landmarks and continue using public transport.

Additionally, there are 48 or 72-hour WIEN tickets, 7-day WIEN passes, and the Vienna City Card or EasyCityPass, which include entrance to attractions.+

Where to get your tickets
You can purchase your ticket via the WienMobil app on your smartphone (registration required), at ticket machines on trams (for single ride tickets – tip: older machines require coins), at kiosks, ticket machines in subway stations, at all information and ticket offices, or online via the Wiener Linien ticket shop.

What to keep in mind
Don’t forget to validate your ticket before starting your journey! This marks the beginning of your ticket’s validity. Mobile tickets do not require validation.

Timetables
The first Tram Line 1 to Schwedenplatz departs at 5:34 AM from Karlsplatz/Oper, and the first Line 2 at 5:09 AM from Schwedenplatz.

The last Tram Line 1 to Schwedenplatz departs at 12:16 AM from Oper/Karlsplatz, and the last Line 2 at 12:13 AM from Schwedenplatz, meaning to complete a full loop around the Ring, you should take Line 1 from Oper/Karlsplatz no later than 11:48 PM.

Landmarks along the Vienna Ringstraße

We start at the Vienna State Opera and board Tram Line 1 towards Prater Hauptallee, all subsequent explanations refer to this direction.

MY TIP: For the best view of both sides of the Ring, position yourself at the back of the tram.

The station where you board is in front of the famous Vienna luxury hotel Bristol. As the ride begins, if you look closely, you can catch a distant view of St. Stephen’s Cathedral on the right.

Soon after, you’ll see the Vienna State Opera on the right.

Shortly thereafter, you’ll pass the entrance to the Burggarten, with the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe monument in front.

Directly opposite, you can glimpse the University of Applied Arts, which is not exactly on the Ring but slightly set back on Schillerplatz.

Station Burgring: Get off for Burggarten, Hofburg, Natural History Museum, and Art History Museum.

Continue past parts of the Hofburg (just visible behind the trees in Burggarten) and then the Outer Burgtor.

On the left side, directly opposite, you’ll see the imposing buildings of the Natural History Museum and the Art History Museum.

Station Ring/Volkstheater: Get off for Parliament, Volksgarten, Palace of Justice, and Palais Epstein.

At approximately the same height as the station is Palais Epstein, an interesting building you can explore on a free weekly tour.

Shortly thereafter, you’ll see one of Vienna’s most impressive buildings, the Austrian Parliament on the left. Details how you can tour this gorgeous building for free, you can find in my post.

Opposite, you’ll find the entrance to the Volksgarten, probably the most beautiful garden in the Inner City, especially during the rose bloom.

Station Parliament: Here, you can also get off for the Parliament and the Volkstheater.

Next, the beautiful Vienna City Hall appears on the left, with the Vienna Burgtheater directly opposite. Both can be explored through fascinating tours.

Station Rathausplatz, Burgtheater: Get off for City Hall, Burgtheater, and Café Landtmann.

After a brief glance at the well-known and highly recommended Café Landtmann next to the Burgtheater on the right, you’ll soon see the magnificent building of the University of Vienna on the left.

Station Schottentor: Get off for University of Vienna and Votivkirche.

Continue with a view of the Votivkirche, a few meters off the Ring on the left,

and soon after, the Old Stock Exchange on the right.

Station Börse: From here, you can visit the Old Stock Exchange and the Rossauer Kaserne.

No time for a break, on the left, the Rossauer Kaserne comes into view.

Passing the Ringturm, the tram turns onto Franz-Josefs-Kai and you move along the Danube Canal, where you’ll find some restaurants and bars by the water, a great place to enjoy a summer evening.

Station Schottenring: Danube Canal

If you look closely, you can spot the oldest church in Vienna, the Ruprechtskirche, further back on the right, approximately at the height of the gas station and slightly elevated.

Station Salztorbrücke: Get off for Ruprechtskirche and Danube Canal.

The ride continues along the Danube Canal until you reach Schwedenplatz. Here, transfer to Tram Line 2.

Station Schwedenplatz: Transfer to Tram Line 2.

With Line 2, you’ll pass Hotel Sofitel with its fantastic rooftop restaurant “Das Loft” and as the tram makes a right turn back onto the Ring, you’ll see Urania on the left.

Station Julius-Raab-Platz: Get off for Urania, Sofitel, and Danube Canal.

Also on the left is the enormous building of the Ministry of Labor – the former War Ministry, an imposing structure with a striking statue in front.

On the right, you can glimpse Otto Wagner’s Postsparkasse building.

Next, on the left, you’ll see the extraordinary building of the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK), and shortly after, the entrance to Stadtpark on the left.

You’ll need to keep a sharp eye to see the next beautiful building. On the right, just after the Gartenbaukino and before reaching the Marriott Hotel, you can spot Palais Coburg.

Station Weihburggasse: Get off for Stadtpark, Kursalon Hübner, and Palais Coburg.

The ride continues with a view of Schwarzenbergplatz on the left.

Station Schwarzenbergplatz: Get off for Schwarzenbergplatz, Hochstrahlbrunnen, Karlskirche, Konzerthaus, and Café Schwarzenberg.

As the tram starts up again, keep a close watch on the left to catch a glimpse of Karlskirche. Look into the alley immediately after the square, approximately at the height of the newsstand.

On both sides, you’ll also see several famous Vienna luxury hotels, such as the Imperial, and then you’ll be back at your starting point, the Vienna State Opera.

Station Oper, Karlsplatz: Get off here, you are now centrally located with many more attractions nearby. Besides the Vienna State Opera, you can easily reach the Albertina Museum, Café Sacher, Café Gerstner, and the beginning of Kärntner Straße, which leads to St. Stephen’s Cathedral. 

The tram ride around the Vienna Ringstraße is a quick and affordable way to get an overview of many of Vienna’s landmarks. With this guide, you now know exactly what to expect at each stop. Enjoy your ride around the Ring!