What does Bart say? – A Theme Park blog!

As an amusement park enthusiast, you probably have a number of parks on your bucket list that you would like to visit, just like me. One of the parks on my bucket list was Prater in Vienna. I still had some days off left for this year, and after getting my leave approved, I started looking for a flight. Before I knew it, everything was sorted and the anticipation could begin. Prater, or its original name Wurstelprater (to keep things simple, I will use the name Prater in this article), is a public amusement park and consists of various attractions (among the attractions the park has 14 different roller coasters!), catering and entertainment establishments. Prater is large enough to entertain yourself for a few hours. Despite stories that a visit to Prater can be quite expensive, I travelled to Vienna to visit Prater and find out for myself: is Prater really as expensive as people say? Find out now in.. What does Bart say about.. Prater (Wurstelprater) in Vienna 🎡

A few days before my trip to Vienna began, the weather forecast didn’t look too good: lots of rain but pleasant temperatures. Fine, we’ll make do with that… Right? Rain gear on and go! But no one expected Storm Benjamin to come along. I left home on time, and Storm Benjamin still seemed far away, until my flight was actually ready to depart. I boarded the plane without any problems. But after boarding, we were informed that we couldn’t take off due to limited capacity at Vienna Airport, and our flight was delayed by 60 minutes. No one could do anything about it, but I can tell you that I was very disappointed. I had made plans for my first evening in Vienna, and now they were literally and figuratively ruined. If I had arrived in Vienna without delay, I would have arrived at my hotel at 7:30 p.m. Unfortunately, this was a little later, and with the rainy weather in Vienna, I was glad to arrive at my hotel (albeit soaked). When I was planning the trip I made sure to book a hotel close to Prater (I will come back to this later in the blog), and seeing the “Wiener Riesenrad” on my way to the hotel, I decided to walk towards Prater after checking into my hotel. The attractions were closed, but the bars were still open. And after a long day of travelling, a cold beer was just what I needed.

Before visiting a new park, I usually check out the park’s website to see the map and what rides they have. And to get a feel for the park, I often watch a few vlogs to get the park’s feel. I did this before going to Prater too. And after doing my research about the park, and making a list of the attractions I would like to ride (besides the roller coasters) I was ready to take on a day at Prater. I hadn’t expected Prater to be so spacious. I couldn’t find a map of the park, which left me really on my own to explore the park, which was certainly no punishment. I prefer to explore a park this way rather than constantly having to look at a map to see if I’m going in the right direction. Prater is easily compared to a large fairground, except that Prater has permanent attractions and is much more spacious, which means you are less bothered by the many noises made by the various attractions. I spent a lovely Friday afternoon and evening there, and the atmosphere was fantastic! I highly recommend visiting the park in the evening. Prater really comes to life when the lights on the rides are switched on, most rides have a fantastic light show and combined with the chosen music it isn’t a punishment to watch people going for a ride, and if you’re going for a nightride yourself you’re in for a treat.

From family roller coasters to roller coasters for the real thrill seeker:
Last summer, the “Olympia Looping” returned to Prater, and unfortunately, I missed it again. The “Olympia Looping” has been high on my bucket list for several years now, and missing out on the roller coaster every time is a shame. I still have hope that I can add the “Olympia Looping” on my credit list one day. A roller coaster that also features “Looping”, which I was able to add to my list this year, is the “Wiener Looping”. MACK Rides has shown what they are capable of over the past few years, and with “Voltron Nevera” earlier this year, I had high expectations for “Wiener Looping”. My expectations were perhaps too high? I know you can’t compare “Wiener Looping” with “Voltron Nevera”, but in my mind I did compare it with “Lost Gravity” at Walibi Holland. Don’t get me wrong, the “Wiener Looping” is a good roller coaster, very intense and the hang time is great. But the layout is very short, and on the pricey side for what you get (€8.50 per ride). I expected this to be the best roller coaster in the park, but out of the 12 roller coasters I rode at Prater, I ranked the “Wiener Looping” second.

To get straight to the point, the best roller coaster at Prater is “Die Gesengte Sau”, a “Gerstlauer Bobsled coaster” with a surprisingly long and smooth layout! The ride starts with a fun dark ride scene, and before you know it, you’re at the top of the lift hill, after which the train picks up a nice speed that it maintains throughout the entire layout. A ticket is still on the pricey side at €7.50,I think this roller coaster is more than worth it, and I couldn’t resist a night ride. During the day it warmed up perfectly which made the night ride even better. Where there are good roller coasters, there are unfortunately also a number of lesser ones. The typical wild mouse roller coasters and the spinning coaster were not my favourites, although the spinning was quite enjoyable; I had one of the better spins here. And a credit is a credit, so I’m happy to have that in the bag.

An overview of the prices I paid for the roller coasters (in the 2025 season; these may be increased next year or during busier periods):
– Der Zug Des Mantu – €3.50
– Roller Ball – €4,00
– Hochschaubahn – €4,00
– Die Wilde Maus – €5,00
– Maskerade – €5,00
– MegaBlitz – €5,00
– Dizzy Mouse – €5.50
– Insider – €6,00
– Volare – €6,00
– Boomerang – €7,00
– Die Gesengte Sau – €7.50
– Wiener Looping – €8.50

From flat rides to the most quirky dark rides:
The main reason for travelling to Prater was the roller coasters, but Prater is much more than just roller coasters. I’m not going to describe every flat ride and dark ride in detail here, but some attractions are worth mentioning. Including a haunted house, “Hotel Psycho”. If you’ve read my blog before, you know that I’m not a fan of haunted houses and other horror experiences; I get scared far too easily. But I’d heard so many good things about “Hotel Psycho” that I couldn’t resist giving it a go. A ticket costs €6.00, but it’s well worth it! The ride is long, the animatronics come close, and the scares are unpredictable. And best of all, you can purchase an on-ride photo or video. Naturally, I did so, and the video is now available on my Instagram page! If you’re at the Prater and, like me, you’re easily frightened, you can’t miss this haunted house. I’m sure you will regret it if you didn’t give this a go.

At the entrance to Prater stands the “Wiener Riesenrad”. A ride on this Ferris wheel not only offers you a beautiful view of Prater and Vienna, but also takes you on a journey through history. The “Wiener Riesenrad” opened more than a century ago, in 1896. I’m not a fan of heights, and when everyone stood on one side of our cabin, we leaned to the left, something you don’t see on modern Ferris wheels anymore. You’re safe, but it still gave me an unpleasant feeling at that moment. I bought my ticket on the GetYourGuide app, which gave me a discount and allowed me to skip the queue.

Some of the rides I recommend riding during your visit:
– Alt Wiener Grottenbahn – €3,50.
– Eisberg – €5,00
– Breakdance 5 – €5,00.
– Skull Rock, Fluch der Piraten – €6,00.
– Extasy – €6,00.
– Hotel Psycho – €6,00; an onride photo/video is an additional €5,00.
– Wiener Riesenrad – Adults: €14,50, children under the age of 14: €6,50.

I had a great time at Prater for a few hours, but was it worth flying to Vienna just for Prater? No.Prater is definitely worth a visit while you’re in Vienna, and when you’re planning on visiting Prater I recommend you setting aside a few hours. Because the attractions have their own showman, the showman can choose when, for how long and whether they open. For example: if there are few visitors or the weather is bad, most attractions will open later or close earlier. To return to the question, is Prater expensive? I can answer yes and no. If you want to go on all the roller coasters and attractions, and eat/drink something in between, then it is on the expensive side. But if you visit a limited number of attractions, it is not too bad. The prices of the attractions are clearly indicated at the entrance to each attraction. A tip: first walk around the park to get an idea of how much you will spend, and then decide what you want to ride, and what not.

During my visit to Vienna, I stayed at “The Social Hub”. This hotel is within walking distance of Prater and has a large underground station (Praterstern) just a few minutes’ walk away, with several underground lines departing from here, taking you to the heart of Vienna in just a few minutes.

Are you planning a trip to Vienna in 2026 and have any questions about Vienna or Prater? Feel free to send me a message on Instagram and I will try to answer them as best as I can!

And that’s what I have to say about.. Prater (Wurstelprater) in Vienna 🎡
Bart