The Prater is a 6-square-kilometre public park in Vienna’s 2nd district. Past the Riesenrad there’s the Hauptallee, a 4.5-kilometre tree-lined avenue, a beer garden pouring Czech lager under chestnut trees, and a handful of good Leopoldstadt restaurants a short walk away.
How the Prater became a public park
When Joseph II opened the former imperial hunting grounds to the public, his invitation went out to “all honest folk”, which made the Prater one of Europe’s first large public recreation spaces. Plenty of Viennese still come here every day. With only an hour to spare, walk a stretch of the avenue after the wheel. You’ll see how the city actually uses its park.
What to see at the Prater and close by
Start with the Riesenrad, a wheel from 1897 that still turns, with Vienna spread out below the cabins. Then walk the Hauptallee to see the park itself. For a building as strange as the wheel is old, cross into the 3rd district to the Kunsthaus Wien, about 11 minutes away on foot. Hundertwasser’s museum there occupies a former furniture factory.
Prater & Riesenrad. British engineers Walter Bassett and Harry Hitchins built the wheel in 1897 to mark Emperor Franz Joseph’s 50 years on the throne. At just under 65 metres, it is the oldest Ferris wheel still operating anywhere. The 1945 bombing destroyed about a fifth of Vienna’s buildings. The wheel came through, and the Viennese took its survival as a promise that the city would recover too. Abroad, it became famous through Carol Reed’s 1949 film The Third Man, and the film’s zither theme has followed it ever since.
Prater & Riesenrad
Hours: Mon–Sun 09:00–22:45
Address: Gaudeegasse 1, 1020 Wien, Austria
Kunsthaus Wien. Hundertwasser and architect Peter Pelinka rebuilt an 1892 Thonet furniture factory as a five-storey gallery. It opened in 1991 as the only permanent museum devoted to Hundertwasser’s work. Inside, the floors undulate under your feet. Trees grow out of the window frames. Hundertwasser considered straight lines a false order, so you won’t find any here.
Kunsthaus Wien - Hundertwasser
Hours: Mon–Sun 10:00–18:00
Address: Untere Weißgerberstraße 13, 1030 Wien, Austria
Where to eat near the Prater
Inside the park, Schweizerhaus serves pork knuckle and Czech lager in a beer garden. For a proper dinner, walk up Praterstraße: a neighbourhood restaurant and an Italian-Japanese kitchen share the street. The Vorgartenmarkt has a ramen counter for a quick lunch, and a bakery on Löwengasse does breakfast before a day in the park.
| Place | Kind of place | Walk from the Riesenrad | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schweizerhaus | Beer garden | about 9 min | Pork knuckle and Czech lager outdoors |
| Edlingers Tempel | Neighbourhood restaurant | about 10 min | Tafelspitz, crispy pork belly |
| Cucina Itameshi | Italian-Japanese restaurant | about 8 min | Handmade pasta, a booked dinner |
| Mochi Ramen Bar | Market counter | about 13 min | Miso ramen |
| Leon 29 Coffee & Bakery | Café and bakery | about 15 min | Breakfast and pastries |
Schweizerhaus. The Kolarik family has run this beer garden for a century and imports Budvar directly from the Czech brewery. Order the Stelze (roast pork knuckle) and split it between two. You’re here for the crackling skin. Regulars skip the standard glass and ask for the larger carafe.
Schweizerhaus
Hours: Mon–Sun 11:00–23:00
Address: Prater 116, 1020 Wien, Austria
Edlingers Tempel. The cooking is generous and the wine list short. Their Tafelspitz simmers longer than usual and arrives noticeably tender, while the pork belly comes out properly crisp. Go on a weekday if you want a calmer table.
Edlingers Tempel
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Sat 11:00–15:00, 18:00–23:00 · Sun closed
Address: Praterstraße 56, 1020 Wien, Austria
Cucina Itameshi. The team behind Mochi cooks itameshi, the Japanese word for Italian food, inside the Dogenhof on Praterstraße. Expect open fire, XO sauces and handmade pasta. Start with the miso butter bread, then order the udon cacio e pepe. In summer the courtyard tables fill quickly, so book ahead.
Cucina Itameshi
Hours: Mon–Sat 12:00–23:00 · Sun closed
Address: Praterstraße 70, 1020 Wien
Mochi Ramen Bar. Mochi’s stripped-back sibling runs from a stand at the Vorgartenmarkt. The menu is short and there are no reservations. Every morning the kitchen makes its broth from scratch, and the miso ramen shows off that long-simmered stock best. The noodles keep their bite to the end. Come at opening or in the mid-afternoon lull, when the queue is shortest.
Mochi Ramen Bar
Hours: Mon–Sat 11:30–22:00 · Sun closed
Address: Vorgartenmarkt Stand 12-29, 1020 Wien
Leon 29 Coffee & Bakery. Two women run this small Landstraße bakery, named after its house number, and they bake through the early hours. From early morning the counter holds fresh pastries and warm breakfast plates, and coffee is made to order. Weekdays bring regulars on their way to work. At weekends, families take the tables.
Leon 29 Coffee & Bakery
Hours: Mon–Fri 07:00–18:00 · Sat–Sun 08:30–17:00
Address: Löwengasse 29, 1030 Wien, Austria
Where to have a drink near the Prater in the evening
After the park, you have two options for a drink. Fluc, at Praterstern, is a few minutes from the wheel; depending on the night it runs as a bar, a concert room or a club. Zoku’s seventh-floor rooftop looks over the Prater and serves cocktails with Mediterranean snacks. You don’t need to be a guest at Zoku to go up.
Fluc. The bookings lean toward noise, experimental electronics and acts the city’s commercial clubs pass on. In summer the outdoor area, Fluc Wanne, turns into a neighbourhood meeting point, somewhere to drink outside late on a warm night with good music. Indoors and outdoors run separate programmes, so check both before you pick a night.
Fluc
Hours: Mon–Wed 18:00–04:00 · Thu–Sat 18:00–06:00 · Sun 17:00–02:00
Address: Praterstern 5, 1020 Wien, Austria
Zoku Vienna Rooftop. Thursday’s Sundown Sounds sessions are the best time to go. There’s live music with the Prater below, and far fewer tourists than on other Vienna rooftops. A seasonal events calendar keeps the place busy through the warmer months, so check the programme the week before.
Zoku Vienna Rooftop
Hours: Mon–Sun 07:00–21:30
Address: Perspektivstr. 6/7th Floor, 1020 Wien
Everything here is within about 15 minutes’ walk of the Riesenrad. Book Cucina Itameshi in advance, especially for a summer courtyard table. Mochi Ramen Bar takes no bookings, so keep it for a lunch with some slack around it. Between meals, walk a long stretch of the Hauptallee.
