How Vienna's parking system will change in March
From March 1st, Vienna's parking permit system will be expanded to cover the whole city. Here's a look at what that means for drivers.
What's happening?
Free parking will basically no longer be possible in Vienna.
Short-term parking zones and resident's parking permits will be brought in to each of Vienna's districts, meaning that in the entire city, parking a car is only possible with either a resident's parking permit (Parkpickerl) or a ticket (Parkschein) for the short-term zones.
For residents in districts 1-9, there is no change as these rules were already in place. In the 11th, 13th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd districts it's the first time that short-term parking zones and resident's permits are being used. For the remaining districts (10, 12, and districts 14-19), short-term parking already existed but the rules will now be standardised to match the 1st-9th districts, meaning drivers can only park between 9am and 10pm Monday to Friday, for a maximum of two hours, in the short-term parking zones.
The changes come into effect from March 1st.
READ ALSO: Five underrated towns you can visit in a day from Vienna
What do I need to do to be able to park in Vienna?
If you have your main registered residence (Hauptwohnsitz) in Vienna, you will still be able to park in your home district.
You need to apply for your resident's parking permit (Parkpickerl), which you can do either online or by making an appointment at your municipal office (Magistrat). This might take around one week, according to city authorities.
The sticker costs €10 per month and the cost will be the same whichever district you live in (meaning a €2.50 increase for some of the outer districts), and you can buy it for between three and 24 months at a time. When you first apply, you also need to pay a one-off admin fee: €50 if you register in person and €39.30-€45 if you apply online, with the cheaper price available if you have a HandySignatur.
The resident's permit allows you to park only within the district (Bezirk) where you are registered as having your main residence, and there is no time limit on how long you can park. In shopping streets, there are separate regulations, so if you have a resident's permit for that district, you can park for free but only for up to 1.5 hours.
If you have multiple residences in Vienna, you can still only apply for one permit, for the district where you are registered as having your main residence. Owners of allotment gardens (Kleingarten) can apply for an additional seasonal permit (Saisonpickerl).
READ ALSO: What can I do about noisy neighbours in Austria?
What if I don't live in Vienna?
The cheapest way to park in Vienna if you don’t have a resident’s parking permit is to park at Vienna’s Park and Ride garages which are listed here. It costs around €3.60 per day, and the garages are all close to underground line (U-Bahn) connections.
You can also park temporarily at the short-term parking zones (Kurzparkzonen) throughout the city. You need to buy a ticket to stop at these, and tickets are available from Wiener Linien ticket machines and offices, most tobacconists or newsagents, or via the Handyparken app.
The short-term tickets only allow you to park between 9am and 10pm Monday to Friday, for a maximum of two hours.
If you have a disability and a valid disabled identification card, you can also use the parking zones for Viennese residents (Anwohnerparken) without costs or time restrictions. You will usually see signs under no-parking signs saying: "ausgenommen Fahrzeuge mit Parkkleber für den (number) Bezirk sowie Behinderte" which means "except for residents of (number) district and for disabled people".
As an alternative to navigating the parking rules, it's worth remembering Vienna has an excellent and cheap public transport system, costing just €1 per day if you get an annual ticket. Many Viennese employers cover the cost of these tickets for employees.
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What's happening?
Free parking will basically no longer be possible in Vienna.
Short-term parking zones and resident's parking permits will be brought in to each of Vienna's districts, meaning that in the entire city, parking a car is only possible with either a resident's parking permit (Parkpickerl) or a ticket (Parkschein) for the short-term zones.
For residents in districts 1-9, there is no change as these rules were already in place. In the 11th, 13th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd districts it's the first time that short-term parking zones and resident's permits are being used. For the remaining districts (10, 12, and districts 14-19), short-term parking already existed but the rules will now be standardised to match the 1st-9th districts, meaning drivers can only park between 9am and 10pm Monday to Friday, for a maximum of two hours, in the short-term parking zones.
The changes come into effect from March 1st.
READ ALSO: Five underrated towns you can visit in a day from Vienna
What do I need to do to be able to park in Vienna?
If you have your main registered residence (Hauptwohnsitz) in Vienna, you will still be able to park in your home district.
You need to apply for your resident's parking permit (Parkpickerl), which you can do either online or by making an appointment at your municipal office (Magistrat). This might take around one week, according to city authorities.
The sticker costs €10 per month and the cost will be the same whichever district you live in (meaning a €2.50 increase for some of the outer districts), and you can buy it for between three and 24 months at a time. When you first apply, you also need to pay a one-off admin fee: €50 if you register in person and €39.30-€45 if you apply online, with the cheaper price available if you have a HandySignatur.
The resident's permit allows you to park only within the district (Bezirk) where you are registered as having your main residence, and there is no time limit on how long you can park. In shopping streets, there are separate regulations, so if you have a resident's permit for that district, you can park for free but only for up to 1.5 hours.
If you have multiple residences in Vienna, you can still only apply for one permit, for the district where you are registered as having your main residence. Owners of allotment gardens (Kleingarten) can apply for an additional seasonal permit (Saisonpickerl).
READ ALSO: What can I do about noisy neighbours in Austria?
What if I don't live in Vienna?
The cheapest way to park in Vienna if you don’t have a resident’s parking permit is to park at Vienna’s Park and Ride garages which are listed here. It costs around €3.60 per day, and the garages are all close to underground line (U-Bahn) connections.
You can also park temporarily at the short-term parking zones (Kurzparkzonen) throughout the city. You need to buy a ticket to stop at these, and tickets are available from Wiener Linien ticket machines and offices, most tobacconists or newsagents, or via the Handyparken app.
The short-term tickets only allow you to park between 9am and 10pm Monday to Friday, for a maximum of two hours.
If you have a disability and a valid disabled identification card, you can also use the parking zones for Viennese residents (Anwohnerparken) without costs or time restrictions. You will usually see signs under no-parking signs saying: "ausgenommen Fahrzeuge mit Parkkleber für den (number) Bezirk sowie Behinderte" which means "except for residents of (number) district and for disabled people".
As an alternative to navigating the parking rules, it's worth remembering Vienna has an excellent and cheap public transport system, costing just €1 per day if you get an annual ticket. Many Viennese employers cover the cost of these tickets for employees.
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