Overcoming Fear of Heights: New Workshop at the Danube Tower Vienna

Based on these findings, Austria’s tallest structure is expanding its offering as the first tourist attraction in the world to introduce a practical workshop on overcoming fear of heights. The programme was initiated by the Danube Tower and further developed together with the Psychological Centre Phobius. Participants are introduced to scientifically grounded strategies for dealing more safely with height, as well as practical self-exposure exercises. The workshop format will take place on selected dates from May 2026 and is aimed at people who want to specifically train their confidence at height – directly on site at the Danube Tower.

For many people, looking down is a major challenge: fear of heights can significantly limit both everyday life and leisure activities. In order to obtain a representative picture of how people in Austria perceive and experience height, the Danube Tower Vienna conducted a nationwide study.

66 percent of Austrians feel uncomfortable at great heights

The survey results show that many people perceive great heights as unpleasant: 22 percent of respondents say they feel very uncomfortable in such situations, while a further 44 percent report a moderate level of discomfort. Overall, 4 in 10 describe this feeling as fear of heights. More than every second person (55%) has consciously avoided an activity at least once because it involved height – showing just how present fear of heights is in everyday life for many people.

Glass platforms or skywalks are considered particularly challenging by 51 percent of respondents, followed by ladders / working at height (48%) and open observation decks or terraces with railings or barriers (35%). In addition, 14 percent feel uncomfortable on observation towers with enclosed areas.

Typical physical reactions primarily include the need to hold on to something (47%), unsteadiness while walking (42%), heart palpitations or an increased pulse (36%), weak knees (33%) and feelings of panic (25%).

“As Austria’s tallest structure, we experience every day that many people feel insecure or uneasy at great heights. That is why we wanted to understand more precisely how widespread this issue really is. The results of our study show just how present fear of heights is in Austria. As one of Vienna’s landmarks, we see it as our responsibility to create an offering that provides people with reassurance and supports them in overcoming their insecurity in a targeted way. As the first tourist attraction worldwide, we are now offering a special workshop,” says Roman Bauer, Managing Director of Danube Tower Vienna.

Overcoming fear of heights: training at real height at the Danube Tower

Against this background, the Danube Tower has developed a practical workshop on fear of heights in cooperation with the Psychological Centre Phobius. Phobius specialises in the treatment of anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

The aim of the workshop at the Danube Tower is to provide people with mild to moderate fear of heights with strategies that help them better understand their insecurity and reduce it step by step. The Danube Tower offers a particularly suitable setting for this: at a total height of 252 metres, it is Austria’s tallest structure and enables exercises in a real environment with different perspectives and height levels.

The three-hour workshop combines psychological background knowledge with practical exercises. At the beginning, participants receive a one-hour theoretical session in the foyer at the base of the Danube Tower. This covers the development and functioning of fear of heights, as well as the physical and psychological mechanisms behind anxiety reactions. In addition, regulation strategies are introduced, including breathing techniques, relaxation exercises and helpful mental approaches.

The five most important tips for regulating fear of heights:

1. Control your breathing consciously: Breathe calmly and deeply (inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 6 seconds).
2. Create ground contact: Press your feet firmly into the floor and move your toes slightly.
3. Relax your muscles: Loosen up with gentle stretching exercises.
4. Do a reality check in your mind: Consciously tell yourself: “I am safe. There is no real danger.”
5. Recognise safety behaviour: Notice impulses to withdraw and consciously counteract them.

This is followed by a two-hour practical session directly at the tower. Working in pairs, participants complete four progressively challenging stages and reflect on their experiences. Psychologists are available throughout as contact persons. The exercises take place on the staircase with views between 160 and 155 metres, on the indoor terrace at 155 metres, on the outdoor terrace at 150 metres and in the Tower Café at 160 metres.

At the end, participants have the option to try the Danube Tower slide as a “test of courage”. Europe’s highest slide runs from the central level at 165 metres along the outside of the tower down to the observation level at 150 metres.

“For decades, the Danube Tower has stood for extraordinary views over Vienna. With the new workshop, we are deliberately expanding this perspective: we are turning the tower into a place where people can actively face personal challenges and grow beyond themselves,” Bauer concludes.

Workshop dates 2026

All workshops take place from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.

By the end of the year, nine dates are scheduled: 18 May, 9 and 20 June, 14 and 29 September, 12 and 27 October, and 9 and 24 November 2026.

Price: EUR 199 per person, including admission ticket, slide ticket and three hours of therapeutic guidance. Number of participants: minimum 4, maximum 14 people.

The workshop is aimed at people with mild to moderate fear of heights who wish to specifically improve their confidence when dealing with height.

Note:
The workshop does not constitute clinical psychological treatment or psychotherapy, but rather independent training in a group setting.

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Phobius Vienna – Centre for Anxiety, Panic & Phobias

Phobius is a specialised psychological centre in Vienna dedicated to the treatment of anxiety and panic disorders, specific phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Phobius combines evidence-based concepts of cognitive behavioural therapy with innovative techniques such as virtual reality and biofeedback to provide modern, scientifically grounded treatment. Through individually tailored treatment plans, an experienced team of psychologists and therapists supports people in understanding their fears safely, overcoming them step by step, and achieving a better quality of life in the long term.