Vienna Sightseeing

A Vienna bus operator with day trips across the region

Vienna Sightseeing runs its own hop-on-hop-off buses, city tours and day trips, based in Vienna and working mostly in and around the city. Its about page says that "Seit 1972" (since 1972) the company has organized city tours and tours in and around Vienna, calls itself the market leader for sightseeing in Vienna, and lists day trips to Salzburg, Hallstatt, Budapest and Bratislava. The homepage adds a trip to the Wachau valley and a combined Melk Abbey and Hallstatt day. The site is in German with language options for English, Spanish, French and Italian, and every price is in euros. The homepage badge shows 1.776 reviews at 4.3 stars, and a strip of promises lists 365 days of personal customer support, free cancellation, sales points in the city open daily, and "Über 50 Jahre Sightseeing-Expertise" (over 50 years of sightseeing expertise).

The company runs the buses itself. The about page describes "ein eigenes HOP ON HOP OFF Service" (its own hop-on-hop-off service) with up to 50 stops across Vienna and the surrounding area on 4 lines, passing Schönbrunn, the Prater and its Riesenrad, Schloss Belvedere and more. Boat trips on the Danube and the Donaukanal run "in Kooperation mit der DDSG Blue Danube", so the boats belong to a partner. Its guides, the about page says, are "geprüfte FremdenführerInnen" (licensed tourist guides) who speak several languages and have worked for the company for many years, and most tours run in German, English and Spanish.

Buses, passes, tours and trips

The main product is the HOP ON HOP OFF ticket for 24, 48 or 72 hours, which the homepage lists with up to 4 routes, an audioguide in 19 languages, ivies Walks & Guides and an interactive game called HopPlay, from €37,00 (reduced from €39,00). Combination tickets pair the bus with other things: a City Cruise boat trip plus a 72-hour bus ticket is €53,10 instead of €59,00, and the page says it saves 31€; a 72-hour ticket with one free entry chosen from up to 70 attractions is also €53,10. A Vienna City Card with hop-on-hop-off is listed from €53,00.

Shorter bus rides include the 1-hour Wien Panorama Tour and a 1-hour Night Tour, each from €25,00, and the Schönbrunn Panoramabahn, a 45-minute road train loop with 9 stops, from €17,00. Guided sightseeing includes a 3.5-hour Schönbrunn visit with a city tour, in German, English or Spanish, from €75,00, and a 2-hour guided Schönbrunn Palace and garden tour in English from €55,00. The homepage also sells Belvedere tickets, Mozart and Strauss concerts in the Schönbrunn Orangerie from €58,00, a 2-hour Danube Panorama boat trip from €39,00, and a shuttle to the McArthurGlen outlet at Parndorf from €26,00.

The day trips are where the timings get long. The Hallstatt day trip from Vienna lists 13,25 hours, an English-speaking live guide, a guided walk in Hallstatt and a boat ride on the lake, from €109,00 instead of €145,00. The Salzburg trip lists 13,25 hours in English and Spanish from €125,00, Budapest 12,75 hours from €125,00, Bratislava 11,5 hours in English and German from €89,00, and the Wachau trip 8,75 hours from €119,00.

Two city passes sit in the shop. The Vienna PASS is sold for 1, 2, 3 or 6 consecutive days, with free entry to sights, museums and galleries and unlimited use of the company's buses for the pass period; the homepage lists 90 attractions and a price from €98,10 instead of €109,00. The Flexi PASS lets you choose a set number of entries. The about page describes 2, 3, 4 or 5 entries from up to 60 sights, valid for 60 days from first use, while the homepage shop card says 70 attractions and 2 to 8 entries, so the product page is the one to trust.

How the buses and tours run on the day

The FAQ is thorough. Bus stops are signposted and shown on the route map. After booking online, an online voucher arrives by email and is shown on a phone or printed at first boarding, where staff activate the ticket, and validity starts from that moment. Seats cannot be reserved and boarding is first come, first served. The FAQ says there is no minimum number of passengers for the buses, which run to the timetable, and that all buses have free WLAN. Children's audioguides in German and English are on every bus.

Guided tours work differently. The FAQ says regular tours need a minimum of 10 participants, or the company may cancel or offer an alternative. Hotel pick-up is offered for selected tours from certain hotels and guesthouses, usually about 30 to 75 minutes before the tour starts, and is only guaranteed for bookings made at least 24 hours ahead.

Children's prices differ by product. On the buses the child fare covers ages 6 to 16. On tours it covers ages 3 to 12, and children up to 2 ride free on an adult's lap. The Panoramabahn has its own rules, including that one adult may supervise at most 2 small children and that kindergarten groups may not ride. Dogs on a lead and wearing a muzzle may ride the buses for €5,00, one per bus, while dogs are not allowed on tours; assistance dogs are welcome on both. On accessibility the FAQ says the company supports people with special needs "im Rahmen unserer Möglichkeiten" (within its means), cannot guarantee full accessibility for every product, and asks guests with special requirements to get in touch first.

Booking, payment and cancellation

The FAQ lists payment by Visa and MasterCard, Google Pay, AliPay, UnionPay, SEPA bank transfer and SEPA direct debit, and warns that SEPA payments can take several working days, with the ticket issued only once payment arrives. All prices include Austria's 10% sales tax.

The cancellation rules are spelled out. A hop-on-hop-off ticket can be canceled free up to 24 hours before the travel date; after that the fee is 25% up to 12 hours before, 50% up to 2 hours before, and 100% on the day or for a no-show. Tours booked on the site are free to cancel up to 24 hours before they start, and after that the full price is charged. The FAQ says delays caused by traffic give no right to a refund, and that once a tour has started no refund is given even if a part of it, such as the Twin City Liner boat, cannot run.

Groups of 10 or more can ask for a group discount, which cannot be combined with online discounts, and group or company bookings needing a VAT invoice go to office(at)viennasightseeing.at or +43 1 712 46 83. Gift vouchers for a bus tour or another experience are issued on request by email and are valid for one year. There are no special discounts for seniors or people with disabilities, the FAQ says.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The FAQ does not say how often buses run on each line; it points to a separate timetable and route map instead. It gives no maximum group size for guided tours or day trips. The Flexi PASS details differ between the about page and the shop. The site does not offer private tours as a product on its homepage.

Vienna Sightseeing suits visitors who want one company for the buses, a city pass and a day trip out of Vienna, with clear written rules on children, dogs and cancellations. Families get child fares and children's audioguides, and the long day trips to Hallstatt, Salzburg and Budapest save organizing the travel yourself. Travelers who need step-free access for certain should contact the company first, as the FAQ asks.