The Prater is always magic in every season. This summer is hot as hell!

Top 5 reasons to visit or revisit: 1) Has the Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel, cinema memorabilia in motion for Bond fans; b) Has Madame Tussauds wax statues inside the park; c) Has countless funfair old rides, d) Has good food and wine, and finally e) There is no entrance fee.

One word for the history buffs: it is said that Emperor Joseph II made the Prater (which has been serving as Imperial hunting ground until then) open to the public in 1766 as an amusement park make it one of the oldest in the world.

Today is a chaotic but charming place open throughout the year with various souvenir shops, bumper cars, carousels, roller coasters, shooting galleries, ghost trains and various famous traditional Viennese restaurants (such as the Schweizerhaus and the Walfisch).