The newest player among Vienna’s passes for visitors combines a public transport network card with mobility discounts and savings at attractions, but is it worth buying? Here’s my review…
- The cheapest of the visitor cards for travel
- Notably good for mobility service discounts
- Entirely digital, so easy to use
- Buy your Vienna Welcome Card*
- See also:
What you get
(The travel component includes Vienna’s trams)
The Vienna Welcome Card by DocLX has three core benefits.
You have free access to Vienna’s public transport system, optional add-ons or discounts on other mobility services, and discounts on selected tourist attractions and services.
The card comes in five versions.
- Three differ simply in duration: 24hrs, 48hrs, and 7 days
- The ToGo card gives you 72hrs of access to the discounts but has no public transport component
- The 72h flex card includes discounts for the full period plus two 24-hr travel tickets
For up-to-date details (and possibly seasonal discount offers), check the offcial website*.
Benefit 1: Travel
The transport part works like a network travel card and needs to be activated using your digital Welcome card (see below).
Vienna’s pubic transport system covers all municipal tram, bus and subway services within the city limits, which means all but a few private transport services (like the airport transfer buses).
Some of those private services can be booked as an add-on. At the time of writing, this includes a hop-on hop-off bus service and return tickets for the CAT express train that runs out to the airport and back to Vienna.
Benefit 2: Mobility
The Welcome Card has a strong focus on additional mobility options*, too. So the card entitles you to reductions or bonuses at a range of mobility services.
At the time of writing, for example, get discounts on an e-scooter (20% off), car rental service (10% off), Westbahn cross-country train services (10% off), and river cruise (10% off).
Benefit 3: Discounts
Various attractions and sights (and some gastronomy enterprises and events) offer discounts* to holders of the Welcome card. Most discounts are in the 7% to 20% range with the occasional highlight, such as 50% off at the Vienna Actionism Museum.
The validity of the discounts begins with activation. So once you activate the ToGo card, for example, a visit to the Albertina art museum sometime in the subsequent 72 hours qualifies for a 10% discount.
At the time of writing, the partners cover, for example, the zoo, VR/immersive experiences, Schönbrunn and the Hofburg, but not the Kunsthistorisches and Belvedere art museums.
How to buy the card
(The card works using an app; press photo courtesy of and © DocLX Welcome Card GmbH)
Purchasing a card online* gets you a link/code which you use to ready the card on an app on your phone. You then need to actually activate the card using the app to start the period of validity for your transport card and/or discounts.
As a digital app-based product, the card is easy to use (assuming you’re comfortable with apps!) with all card details on your phone. You can also buy some discounted tickets direct through the app. For others, you just show the activated card on your phone when you pay.
Is the card worth it?
You have two aspects to consider. First, the concept as a whole.
If you’re using public transport and can find a couple of discounted activities that match your needs, then you’re saving money. And, if you’re comfortable with apps on your phone, it’s an easy-to-use option.
Second, as a “network travel card plus discounts” offer, the Vienna Welcome Card by DocLX has much in common with the Vienna City Card.
The differences in the context of your particular needs determine which one is better suited to you.
- If your focus is on the travel component, then the Vienna Welcome Card is the cheapest option
- The Vienna Welcome Card also has a strong focus on mobility discounts
- Where the Vienna City Card scores is on access to discounts at a greater range of businesses and services, including selected stores
If you’re planning to visit a lot of museums and similar, then consider the Vienna Pass, which is much more expensive but includes one-time free entry to pretty much every major attraction in Vienna.
Summary
- Good for those on a budget or where the discount partners fit with your planned activities
- Particularly attractive for those planning on using different mobility and transport services
For an overview of the main visitor passes in Vienna, see my reviews.