Donauturm (Danube Tower)
Austria's tallest structure at 252 m was built for a 1964 garden show — and its elevator reaches the top in 35 seconds flat.
Coming soon on iOS — be first to walk Vienna offline.
Designed by Hannes Lintl and Robert Krapfenbauer and opened April 16, 1964, the Donauturm still holds the record as Austria's tallest structure. Two revolving restaurants above the 150 m observation deck rotate a full circuit in 26 to 52 minutes, slowly tracking the Danube and the city below. The whole project was largely funded by a savings bank, with a small contribution from Schwechat Brewery.
What to look for
- Two stacked revolving restaurants at 161 m and 169 m: the upper 'Turm-Restaurant' is upscale, the lower 'Turm-Café' is more casual
- The high-speed elevators: each carries 14 passengers and takes 35 seconds to reach 150 m — on windy days they drop to half speed due to cable sway
- The staircase of roughly 779 steps, normally closed to the public except during the annual Donauturm run
Two elevators serve the observation platform; the revolving restaurants run on fixed rotation cycles of 26, 39, or 52 minutes, so arrival timing affects how much of the panorama you catch over a meal.
Donauturm (Danube Tower) is one of 39 sights worth the detour in Vienna, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Vienna pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Vienna
- Schönbrunn PalaceHabsburg emperors were born here, ruled from here, and died here — 1,441 rooms of Baroque ambition spanning 300 years.
- St. Stephen's CathedralA cathedral consecrated in 1147 as crusaders prepared to march — and built on top of a Roman burial ground that nobody knew was there until 2000.
- BelvederePrince Eugene built this summer palace on Ottoman campaign winnings — it is now three art museums inside a World Heritage Baroque garden.
- Hofburg PalaceSeven centuries of Austrian rulers worked from this address — the current president still does.
- Vienna State OperaThe first major building on Vienna's Ring Road, and the house where Vienna Philharmonic musicians earn their seats.
- Ernst-Happel-StadionBuilt for workers' sport in 1931, this 50,865-seat bowl also served as a transit prison for over 1,000 Jewish deportees in 1939.