What it is
The Prater was an imperial hunting ground until Joseph II opened it to the public in 1766. Today it combines the Wurstelprater amusement park, with rides from traditional carousels to modern roller coasters, and the green Prater proper, whose straight chestnut avenue, the Hauptallee, runs for more than four kilometres towards the Danube.
The Riesenrad stands at the entrance of the fairground. A ride in one of its wooden cabins takes about a quarter of an hour and rises to almost 65 metres above the ground.
Getting there by bus
Praterstern is the main transport hub for the park: U1 and U2, trams O and 5, buses 80A and 82A and S-Bahn trains all stop there, and the Riesenrad is about five minutes' walk from the station exit. The night bus N81 also stops at Venediger Au, right by the fairground.
For the Hauptallee, U2 Messe-Prater and Krieau stations are closer to the middle of the park.
