Karlsplatz
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Josefstadt
The eighth district is an older generation’s Vienna at its finest: and this is what makes it popular with locals of all ages. Josefstadt has theatre, small independent shops, romantic passageways, neighbourhood cafés with regular clientele, church squares, town palaces and shady communal gardens. Trendy hangouts have conquered distinctive places such as the Old General Hospital (Altes AKH) and the vaults of overground U6. Theater in der Josefstadt on Josefstädter Strasse is the district’s cultural epicentre. Even if your German isn’t good enough to watch a play, you can marvel at the typical Biedermeier building and take a glimpse into the foyer. Lange Gasse houses an iconic local restaurant at its corner, as well as a legendary sweet shop and a bustling neighbourhood market every Saturday. For small palace atmosphere and a different view on Vienna’s history, make your way to Schönborn garden palace (Palais Schönborn), which houses the Museum of Folk and Folk Art (Volkskundemuseum). Maria-Treu-Platz, with its summer outdoor cafés facing baroque church Maria Treu, and the historic passageway of Lerchenfelder Strasse 13 hide top spots for insiders.
How to get there
  • Volkstheater • 4 min walk
  • Volkstheater • 4 min walk
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles536 reviews
Excellent
180
Very good
261
Average
88
Poor
6
Terrible
1

BradJill
Hong Kong, China159,772 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Couples
Karlsplatz is one of several very nice city park, which line the Ringstrasse in Vienna. It is situated southwest of Stadtpark and southeast of Burgarten and in front of the imposing Karlskirche (St. Charles Church). Situated along with Resselpark, this is a nice rural(ish) city park with mature trees providing shade, some children's play area, cafe along with coffee kiosk and plenty of spots to sit on a bench or along the large circular pool in front of Karlskirche.

The park is filled with monuments as well, providing some distraction and light sightseeing for those who enjoy monument viewing. There are events and markets held here at various times of the year as well including the popular Christmas Market each December. Lastly, Karlsplatz is a transportation hub in the area immediately adjacent to the Ringstrasse including a useful U-Bahn station, providing quick access to/from other area of the city.
Written 27 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Raintree_Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand3,818 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2022
The square in front of Karlskirche is very appealing with the backdrop of the massive-domed church behind. When we visited, a very active Christmas market was in full action, including a place for kids to play in dispersed staw. Straw and hay flying every direction… what fun!
Written 20 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Neil K
Liverpool, UK619,734 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022 • Friends
My twin brother Stephen and I were in Vienna in the run up to Christmas and we visited all of the many Christmas markets held in this most beautiful of city's ,one of the best is located on Karlsplatz.
This is a great square and home to the beautiful Karlskirche ,a wonderful Baroque cathedral ,there's a really nice park area here that's lovely and peaceful except over Christmas when the Christmas market attracts lots of people ,in fact it's crowded beyond belief ,if you're planning a holiday to Vienna it's a square to most definitely check out .
Written 3 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Vadim
Murmansk, Russia26,794 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022
The most difficult thing on Karlplatz is to see the square itself... The fact is that the square is not the space in front of the Karlskirche, after which the square is named. The area is much larger, but a holistic perception of the area is impossible due to eclecticism. There's a square, and here's a fountain, and there's a pavilion over there.. The reason lies in the history of the square. Previously, there was a market at this place, which logically should have developed into a traditional market square for European cities. However, the market was moved to Nashmarkt, and the area was decided to increase due to the fact that the Wien River was hidden underground in the 90s of the XIX century. It would seem good, the area has become larger, but the problem is that the river in this place made a bend and the curvature of the area added problems to the designers. Throughout the XX century, the reconstruction projects of the square grew like mushrooms after the rain, but the cart was standing still. At the beginning of the XX century, Otto Wagner built a light metro. There are two pavilions left of it that have lost their former functional purpose, the metro has gone underground. There's a bustling life underground Opernpassage with cheap shops and eateries. And at the top there are some beautiful buildings that do not make up an ensemble.The most notable building of the square is of course the Karlskirche on the east side. The pool with water in front of the church, designed by architect Sven Ingvar Anderson, was severely criticized but resisted. The intricate sculptural group "Arches of the Hill" here is also the work of the famous Henry Moore. Ressel Park occupies the southern side of the square. The monuments of Josef Ressel, the inventor of the propeller from Bohemia, to Josef Madersperger, who invented the sewing machine, are in the park. Inventors are united by a common fate, no one in Austria-Hungary needed their technical innovations. The dual monarchy was not America. By the way, the Technical University, which bought the patent from Mandersperger, who died in poverty, is located here on the square behind the Ressel Park.. The aforementioned Otto Wagner, Porsche founder Ferdinand Porsche studied here. Opposite the Wagner pavilions, on the other side of LothringerStrasse st, there is a massive building of the House of Artists (Kunstlerhaus), built in 1881. On the right is the building of the Musical Society (Musikverein), the Vienna concert hall number one, distinguished by legendary acoustics. Arnold Schoenberg performed his atonal music for the first time on March 31, 1913, in front of a Viennese audience, startling them to such an extent that a fight broke out with an ambulance call. The annual New Year's concerts of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra are held here in a more peaceful atmosphere.
Written 19 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rasha
237 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022 • Friends
Very nice neighborhood with a well connected metro station
We stayed in grand ferdinand hotel nearby which was a walking distance to this beautiful spot
There are many shops and places around
Written 13 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brittany_11_10
Los Angeles, CA1,712 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021
Obviously the big draw here is Karlskirche, which looks beautiful at night. The "youth of today" seems to gather around the pool to drink and socialize and play music--at least on a nice Friday evening in summer--but it's still a nice square to check out if you're in the area. The vibe is probably different from day to night.
Written 7 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

zdaati
Vienna, Austria3,580 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2021 • Couples
Whatever you do in vienna you will pass by it in vienna, a huge underground metro station above you have the resselpark, ottowagner station, off course karls church and more. Easy to navigate through.
Written 7 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Matthias F
Palma de Mallorca, Spain985 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
a very nice square in front of the Karlskirche , which is somewhat unusual with the two large pillars on the left and right hand side ... enjoy the view!
Written 13 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tiberiu_Baranyi
Timisoara, Romania12,986 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
As you are roaming through Vienna it is a good chance that sooner or later you will arrive to Karlsplatz- especially if you are using the U-Bahn (the subway) since several U-bahn lines connect in the Karlsplatz underground.
So since you arrived to Karlsplatz lets see what you can see here :
- the most important landmark for sure is the Karlskirche - with its very specific roman columns it is a very interesting church.
- Wiener Musikverein - the hall where the famous New Year's concert is taking place in Vienna.
- the buildings of the former Karlsplatz station - today turned into cafe (Otto Wagner's design - austrian architect , exponent of the Art Nouveau and Secession architectural styles).
- the park in Karlsplatz - with the oval pond in front of Karls Church (empty in february when I've been visiting).
So when you arrive to Karlsplatz stop for a few pics - for sure it is worth it ... go and enjoy.
Written 30 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kunal V
Noida, India1,043 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
Well, Karlplatz has not much to offer, but it's worth seeing for 10-15 mins. It's pretty close to a metro station. There are many good restaurants nearby too.

There is usually an opera in the evening here, inside the building, offcourse.
Written 10 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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KARLSPLATZ: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Karlsplatz



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