Wet lime leaves, grey stone, faces that give nothing away
Vienna in the rain smells of wet lime leaves and cold stone, and the stone is what you remember. Nobody smiles at you on the U-Bahn and nobody shoves you either, which takes two days to stop reading as hostility. Then the sun comes out, every courtyard grows tables, and the same closed faces turn friendly.
The Naschmarkt's front row, and the €60 horse
Two things I'd skip.
The restaurant strip at the Naschmarkt, the Karlsplatz end. The market is real: around 130 stalls, Monday to Saturday from 06:00, flea market Saturdays from 06:30. But the first stretch off the U-Bahn is a wall of near-identical terraces, laminated menus in four languages, a man outside each one asking where you're from. You get a seafood platter and a view of the next terrace.
The Fiaker. The Vienna Tourist Board publishes the rate and the operators list the same: €60 for about 20 minutes, €105 for about 40. The short loop is Petersplatz, the Burgtheater, the chancellery — streets you can walk in twenty minutes, for nothing, stopping where you like. The long one adds the Ring, which tram 1 does for the price of a ticket. I wouldn't pay €60 for that.
Brunnenmarkt, 948 metres of it, Saturday before one
Brunnenmarkt runs from Brunnengasse up to Yppenplatz in Ottakring: about 170 stands over 948 metres, by the city's own count, which makes it Vienna's longest street market.
Stalls trade Monday to Friday 06:00–21:00, Saturday 06:00–18:00, and the part that matters is the farmers' section: Friday and Saturday only, 06:00 to 13:00. Go Saturday around nine. Pumpkin-seed oil, sheep's cheese, apricots in season, flatbread off the tray. Then take a table at the Yppenplatz end and drink a coffee while the market packs up. My favourite hour in this city, and not a coach in sight.
The inspector wants €131.60 and he isn't in uniform
Wiener Linien has no barriers: you walk onto the U-Bahn with a validated ticket or you don't. Inspectors work in plain clothes, in pairs, and they like the first stop after a big interchange.
The surcharge in the official conditions of carriage is €131.60 on the spot, €141.60 within two weeks, €181.60 later, plus the fare. Buy at the machine before you go down: a single is €3.00 digital, €3.20 paper; 24 hours €9.70; seven days €25.20. The 48- and 72-hour tickets were scrapped in January.
Parking in Vienna: All 23 districts, two hours, €6.80
Vienna solved street parking by making the whole city one Kurzparkzone (short-stay zone). Every district, Monday to Friday 09:00–22:00, two hours maximum. There is no version where you leave it all afternoon.
Since 1 January 2026: 15 minutes free, 30 minutes €1.70, an hour €3.40, two hours €6.80. The paper Parkschein comes from a tobacconist and its rules are pedantic on purpose: cross off month, day, hour and minute, write the year in permanent ink, and round the minutes up to the next quarter (10:06 becomes 10:15). Miss a box and it's void; corrections aren't allowed. Or use HANDYPARKEN, which takes foreign mobile numbers by app or SMS to +43 664 660 60 00. Wait by the car — the ticket only exists once the confirmation lands.
Getting it wrong is €50, up from €36 in January. Anrainerparken bays are resident-only in fourteen districts; a Parkschein buys nothing there. Shopping streets run 90 minutes, weekdays 08:00–18:00 and Saturday 08:00–12:00.
So don't park in the middle. The Kärntnerstraße Tiefgarage by the opera is €4.90 an hour, €39.90 for 24 hours, 2.10 m at the entrance. The Schönbrunn car park is €55 a day. Park & Ride is €4.60, which is where my car goes.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | EV |
|---|---|---|
| P+R Erdberg (U3)Franzosengraben 2, 1030 Wien · U3 to Stephansplatz in about 10 minutes | €4.60 per day · week €19.00 with a Wiener Linien annual card, otherwise €23.10 | — |
| P+R Hütteldorf (U4)Deutschordenstraße 3a, 1140 Wien · west side, by the A1 and the Westautobahn | €4.60 per day | — |
| P+R Spittelau (U4/U6)Spittelauer Lände 12, 1090 Wien · two U-Bahn lines and the S-Bahn | €4.60 per day | — |
| P+R Perfektastraße (U6)Herziggasse 14, 1230 Wien · APCOA · entry and exit 24 hours | From €4.60 per day | — |
| WIPARK P+R Oberlaa (U1)1100 Wien · U1 to the Hauptbahnhof in about 21 minutes | €4.60 per day · month €70.80 with a Wiener Linien annual card, otherwise €86.20 | — |
| WIPARK P+R Siebenhirten (U6)1230 Wien · U6 to Westbahnhof in about 21 minutes | €4.60 per day | — |
| Kärntnerstraße TiefgarageKärntner Straße, in front of no. 51, 1010 Wien · 523 spaces · entrance height 2.10 m | €4.90 per started hour · €39.90 for 24 hours · open 24 hours | 21 points · €0.49/kWh, fast €0.59/kWh |
| Parkplatz Schloss SchönbrunnSchönbrunner Schloßstraße 50, 1130 Wien · 230 spaces · open 24 hours | €5.50 per hour · €55 per day | 14 points |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | P+R Erdberg (U3) | €4.60 | €4.60 a day at any of the six P+R garages, all on the U-Bahn. A week is €19.00 with a Wiener Linien annual card, €23.10 without. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Kärntnerstraße Tiefgarage | €9.80 | |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, Kurzparkzone | €6.80 | The whole city is one short-stay zone: Monday to Friday 09:00–22:00, two hours maximum, €3.40 an hour (15 minutes free). There is no version where you leave it all afternoon. Outside those hours — evenings, all weekend, public holidays — the street is free. Getting the paper ticket wrong is €50. |
| A full day (10 h) | P+R Erdberg (U3) | €4.60 | €4.60 a day at any of the six P+R garages, all on the U-Bahn. A week is €19.00 with a Wiener Linien annual card, €23.10 without. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Kärntnerstraße Tiefgarage | €39.90 | |
| 24 hours | P+R Erdberg (U3) | €4.60 | €4.60 a day at any of the six P+R garages, all on the U-Bahn. A week is €19.00 with a Wiener Linien annual card, €23.10 without. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Kärntnerstraße Tiefgarage | €39.90 |
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Towed in Vienna: Simmering, €301, and €11 a day while you argue
The city tows its own cars, through the MA 48, and they all go to one place: Jedletzbergerstraße 1, 1110 Wien, by the Simmeringer Haide motorway junction. Ring +43 1 760 43 to find out whether they have it; any police station can check.
With plates on, collection is round the clock, seven days a week. The tariff is fixed by regulation and can't be argued down: €301 to remove a car, €11 a day storage, fine separate. Bring photo ID and the registration document, plus the rental agreement for a hire car. They keep a plated car six months, then scrap it.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- The city itself: the Abschleppgruppe of Magistratsabteilung 48 (MA 48)
- Phone
- MA 48 pound, Simmering — ask whether they have your car: +43 1 760 43
- Collect it at
- One pound for the whole city: Jedletzbergerstraße 1, 1110 Wien, at the Simmeringer Haide motorway junction. By public transport, U3 to Enkplatz, bus 76B towards Albern, off at Paul-Wagner-Gasse, then about 15 minutes on foot.
- Hours
- Cars with number plates: Monday to Sunday, 0–24. Vehicles without plates: by telephone appointment only, Mon–Wed and Fri 08:00–13:00, Thu 08:00–17:00.
- What it costs
- Set by city regulation and not negotiable: €301 to remove a car, van or small lorry up to 2,500 kg, plus €11 for every day of storage (€26 a day over 2,500 kg). The parking fine is separate. A car with plates is kept 6 months; after that it becomes city property and is scrapped.
- Bring
- Photo ID and the vehicle registration document (Zulassungsschein) or Typenschein. For a hire car, take the rental agreement too. For a vehicle without plates, proof of ownership.
EV charging in Vienna: Charging is your Parkschein — for fifteen minutes after it stops
Vienna has roughly 1,200 public on-street charging points at up to 22 kW, all Wien Energie, about 4,030 counting garages and supermarkets.
The rule people miss: at a Wien Energie point you need no Parkschein while the car is charging. When it finishes you get a push notification and 15 minutes to move; stay longer and it's an ordinary parking fine. Newer contracts also carry a blocking fee, €0.05 a minute, capped at €25.
Ad-hoc, card in hand and no app, is €0.56 per kWh — per kWh, and check that, because Wien Energie still sells a per-minute tariff: €0.42 a minute on a 22 kW post, the hotel-garage kind — €25 an hour, all night. Fast charging sits in a few parks: Margaretengürtel and Währinger Gürtel at 150 kW, Simmeringer Hauptstraße and Erdberger Lände at up to 400 kW. On a 22 kW street post I charge overnight, when the space is free anyway.
Where to charge
- Wien Energie street points — About 1,200 across the city, up to 22 kW. No Parkschein needed while charging; move within 15 minutes of the 'charging finished' notification. Ad-hoc by card €0.56/kWh
- Ladepark Margaretengürtel — 1050 Wien · 10 fast points. Up to 150 kW
- Ladepark Simmeringer Hauptstraße — 1110 Wien · 8 fast points. Up to 400 kW
- Kärntnerstraße Tiefgarage — Kärntner Straße, in front of no. 51, 1010 Wien. 21 points at €0.49/kWh (fast €0.59), but the space itself is €39.90 for 24 hours
Free parking in Vienna: Saturday morning, the meters go quiet
Free parking here is a question of the clock, not the map. The zone runs Monday to Friday 09:00–22:00, so after 22:00, all day Saturday, all day Sunday and on public holidays the city is free. Two catches: shopping streets still charge on Saturday mornings, and 24 and 31 December aren't public holidays in Austria, so the zone runs then.
A few pockets sit outside the zone altogether, in the 14th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd, all too far out to plan around.
My answer for a visitor is Park & Ride, €4.60 a day: P+R Erdberg on the U3, P+R Hütteldorf on the U4, P+R Spittelau on the U4 and U6, P+R Perfektastraße on the U6. The day rate needs no transport ticket; only the weekly and monthly discounts want an annual card.
Hotels with free parking are rare. Motel22 in Donaustadt says on its own site that guest parking is free. Nearer the middle you pay: Henriette Stadthotel €26 a night, Austria Classic €25.
Free or nearly-free spots
Evenings, weekends and public holidays (free everywhere)
The Kurzparkzone only runs Monday to Friday 09:00–22:00. Outside those hours the whole city is free street parking, including all day Saturday and Sunday and on Austrian public holidays. Two catches: designated shopping streets also charge Saturday 08:00–12:00, and 24 and 31 December are not public holidays in Austria, so the zone runs on both.
Park & Ride, €4.60 a day
Not free, but the closest thing to it: leave the car at P+R Erdberg, P+R Hütteldorf or P+R Spittelau and ride in. The day rate needs no transport ticket; the discounted weekly and monthly rates need a Wiener Linien annual, semester or youth card.
Pockets outside the zone
A handful of streets are excluded from the citywide zone, mostly industrial edges of the 14th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd districts. They are a long way from anything you came to see. Read the blue sign at the kerb rather than trusting a map.
Hotels with free parking
- Motel22 — Breitenleerstraße 253, 1220 Wien Map. Its own site lists free guest parking; car park entrance on Agavenweg, bus stop outside
- Henriette Stadthotel — Praterstraße 44-46, 1020 Wien Map. Not free: €26 a night in the gated courtyard, 24-hour access
- Austria Classic Hotel Wien — Praterstraße 72, 1020 Wien Map. Not free: €25 per car per night in the courtyard, €15 if you book direct
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- The whole city is a Kurzparkzone, all 23 districts, Monday to Friday 09:00–22:00, two hours maximum with a Parkschein or HANDYPARKEN. There is no visitor version that lets you stay longer.
- A paper Parkschein must be filled in exactly. Cross off month, day, hour and minute, write the year, use ink that cannot be erased, and round the minutes up to the next quarter hour. Corrections are not allowed and a missing box makes it invalid.
- No valid Parkschein costs €50, up from €36 on 1 January 2026, payable within 14 days. Unpaid, it turns into a formal penalty notice for a larger sum.
- Anrainerparken bays are for residents only. They exist in 14 districts, marked by a no-parking sign with an 'Anwohnerparken' plate. A Parkschein does not buy you a space there.
- At an EV charging point, move within 15 minutes of finishing. Charging replaces the Parkschein only while the car is actually charging; after the notification it's an ordinary parking offence.
- Road closures on event days. The Opernball on 4 February 2027 and the Vienna City Marathon on 18 April 2027 both shut the Ringstraße; the Christkindlmarkt jams the streets around the Rathaus from mid-November.
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.
