the setting
The Prater: Riesenrad, Hauptallee, Getting There
The Mirage sits inside Vienna's Prater — a park with its own giant wheel and a chestnut-lined avenue running the length of it.
Check availability ↗Two Prater landmarks
| Riesenrad | Hauptallee | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | the giant wheel, built 1897 | the park's main tree-lined avenue |
| Distance from the Mirage | a short walk | runs the length of the park |
A park open to everyone since 1766
The Prater began as an imperial hunting ground before Emperor Joseph II opened it to the public in 1766, and it's been a place for Viennese entertainment ever since — the Mirage is one of the newer additions to a very old park.
The Wiener Riesenrad
The giant wheel, built in 1897 for Emperor Franz Joseph I's Golden Jubilee, stands a short walk from the Mirage. It sits outside the dinner show booking entirely, but it's an easy stop before or after.
The Hauptallee
The park's main avenue runs the length of the Prater, lined with chestnut trees — historically a fashionable promenade for Viennese society and still a pleasant walk for anyone arriving early or working off dinner afterwards.
The Prater, where the Mirage sits
The Mirage is based at Prater 75, next to Freudplatz 1, on the edge of the Prater near Messe-Prater. The Wurstelprater funfair and the Riesenrad are within walking distance, and the long, green Hauptallee runs on into the park.
Getting there without a car
The U2 stop Messe-Prater is the closest, a few minutes' walk; U1 Praterstern is about 800 metres away and better lit for a late walk back once the evening closes.
An evening, not a full day out
Arrival to last waltz takes up most of an evening on its own; seeing the Riesenrad or walking the Hauptallee properly is worth building into an earlier arrival rather than trying to fit in once the show has closed.