How To Get Around Vienna Easily & Cheap

Getting to the City

Vienna international airport Flughafen Wien-Schwechat (VIE) is located 19 kilometres southwest of Wien Mitte or Vienna Central district. Vienna is directly connected with over 70 different countries by numerous airlines. The city centre is well connected with the largest international airport of Austria.

For various travel and airport related information visit Tourist Information office between 7:00am to 10:00pm or else download ‘Vienna airport app’ by using free airport Wi-Fi connection.

You can take a City Airport Train (CAT) to reach Vienna Central non-stop in only 16 minutes. The first train leaves airport at 6:09am and the last train departs at 11:39pm. Trains are available at an interval of 30 minutes. Fare for single journey is 12 Euros and return journey is 21 Euros. CAT counter is in the arrival hall.

OBB is the national railway (Austrian Federal Railway) service of Austria. Apart from connecting other parts of the country OBB trains also connect airport with Wien Hauptbahnhof (Vienna main station). The journey duration is 15 minutes and the service frequency is half an hour. It costs around 4 Euros one-way.

Another option is to take S-Bahn train route S7. Ticket price is 4 Euros and the journey time is around 26 minutes with few stops in between. It operates from 4:48am until 12:18am with a 30 minute service frequency.

All train tickets can be purchased using vending machines at the stations.

Efficient bus services (Vienna Airport Lines – VAL) are also available to get to the City Centre from the airport. Take route U1 to reach Vienna main station in 40 minutes. Routes U3 and U6 go to Europaplatz (at city centre) taking the same time. Services operate from 6:00am until midnight at an interval of 30 minutes. Single journey ticket is 8 Euros for an adult and 4 Euros for a child (6 to 14 years). Ticket can be purchased from the ticketing machine at VAL station at the airport or from the driver against cash payment. You can also purchase ticket online at viennaairportlines.at.

There are designated taxi ranks outside airport arrival where you can get metered taxis. Taxi can be pre-booked over phone or online. Minimum fare to get to the city centre is around 28 Euros. It takes 20 minutes to reach. Service is available 24 hours. There are car rentals at the airport as well which are separately discussed under Car Rental section below.

You can choose from a wide range of private transport and transfer services (including airport transfers) and book online from this Viator site.

Public Transport

Wiener Linien or the Vienna Line is responsible for the public transport system in Vienna. Public transports consist of U-Bahn (Underground rail), S-Bahn (Commuter rail), Autobus (Bus service), Night Lines (Night Bus) and Tram. One can travel between any two points in the core area of the city within half an hour by using the public transport, except to Transdanubia. This 21^st and 22^nd district of Vienna is located across the Danube River and it takes 45 minutes to 1 hour time to reach there.

For other enquiry regarding Vienna’s public transport you can visit information offices at Karlsplatz, Stephansplatz and Westbahnhof. Information offices remain open from 6:30am to 6:30pm on weekdays and 8:30am to 4:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

U-Bahn

U-Bahn is the underground rapid transit system in Vienna. It connects all the major points in the city with its 109 stations and 79.2 kilometres track. There are presently 5 lines operative, U1 to U4 and U6. Electronic display board displaying next train’s information can be found on all the platforms. It operates from 5:00am until midnight at an interval of 10 to 15 minutes. However, it has 24-hour service on Fridays, Saturdays and the night before public holidays at 15 minutes interval.

S-Bahn

S-Bahn is the over ground rapid transit system operated by OBB or Austrian Federal Railway and it operates jointly with Wien Linien. There are two lines that operate within the city at an interval of 4 to 15 minutes depending upon the line and time of day. Vienna S-Bahn has a total of ten lines with over 50 stations connecting the suburbs. S-Bahn operates from early morning until midnight.

Apart from connecting suburbs, Vienna’s Central Railway Station and Westbahnhof station are also connected internationally. Central station receives long distance international trains (from places like Amsterdam with journey time of 11 hours) and Intercity Expresses operated by Railjets. Whereas Westbahnhof station receives trains from Western Europe like Munich (journey distance 5 hours), Zurich (6 hours), Frankfurt (7 and half hours), Berlin (12 hours) and Budapest (2 and half hours).

Bus Service

There are 127 bus lines covering the entire Vienna city. Some buses are designed specifically to run through the narrow streets of Vienna (until 8pm daily). Route numbers of day bus service starts with digits followed by letters while the numbers of 26 nightlines start with N. The day service starts early morning, runs at an interval of 10 to 15 minutes and replaced by the night service at 12:30am.

The night service stops at 5:00am. Frequency of night service is 30 minutes. There is Big Bus service (hop on hop off) every 15 minutes (meant mainly for tourists) with 15 stops covering city’s most of the top attractions. The fare for this hop on hop off trip is 26.10 Euros for an adult and 17.10 Euros for a child.

Tram

Vienna has world’s 6th largest tramway network. There are 29 tram lines with total track length is 175 kilometres. It also complements the U-Bahn network. The fleet of trams has two different types of coaches, Traditional and Ultra Low Floor (ULF: to help disabled to get easy access). In coming years all traditional coaches will be replaced by ULF coaches.

Service frequency depends upon the line and the time of the day. One needs to wait for 10 to 15 minutes to get a tram. The service operates from early morning until midnight. Vienna has a hop on hop off tram service in the inner city along Ringstrasse. Normal transport pass or general tram tickets are not valid in this. The fare for a ride by ring tram to visit Vienna’s heritage sites is 9 Euros.

Taxi

Metered taxis are easily available in and around Vienna city. There are many designated taxi stands. Taxis can be hailed on the streets as well. Unlike other western European countries taxi fare in Vienna is relatively lower. Base fare is 3.80 Euros between 6:00am to 11:00pm from Monday to Saturday, otherwise 4.30 Euros. Per kilometre charge is 1.42 Euros and waiting charge is 27.80 Euros for an hour.

There is an additional charge of 2.80 Euros for booking over phone. 10% tip of the total fare is expected. All licensed taxis have meters and the letters TX at the end of the license number. You can pay by credit or debit cards. Here are a few taxi calling numbers:

Funk Taxi: (01) 401400, (01)31300, (01)60160

Vienna Airport Cab: +43 676 786 1065
Flughafentaxi: 0043/660 655/ 1600
Ruftaxi: +43 676 516 4371

Ticketing and Transport Passes

Tickets and passes are applicable for public transports such as Bus, Tram, S-Bahn and U Bahn. There are various ticketing options for public transport in Vienna. Passes like Vienna Card (DieWienKarte), Monthly Pass (Monatskarte, valid for a month), Day pass valid for 24 hours (24 Stunden Wien Karte), 8 days valid pass (8 Tageskarte) etc are available.

Single Ticket

It allows one to travel in a single direction within the city limit and without breaking the journey, however switching between transports is allowed as many times as you require. A single ticket costs 2.40 Euros for adults and 1.20 Euros for children.

Short term passes

You can use a short term pass and travel unlimited times by public transports i.e. Bus, Tram, S-Bahn and U Bahn within the core area of the city during its validity period. There are 24, 48 and 72 hour travel passes. A pass is valid from the first time it is validated till the period it is issued for. These passes cost 8 Euros, 14.10 Euros and 17.10 Euros respectively for an adult.

8 Day Climate Ticket

This is designed for a longer stay in Vienna. The ticket consists of 8 strips. Each day you need to get one strip stamped at the validating machines. It is not necessary to use it for 8 consecutive days. For example you can use it on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and so on… for 8 different days. It is valid until 1:00am of the following day.

Several persons (but not more than 8) can travel by one ticket and in that case one strip each for a person needs to be validated. If you are a couple travelling with an 8 day ticket you can use it for 4 days. This ticket is transferable, works on all public transports and can be purchased from Wiener Linien’s ticket offices, ticket vending machines, tobacconists, as well as online.

Where to buy tickets

You can buy all types of tickets from the airport upon arrival, from vending machines at U-Bahn & S-Bahn stations, from manned ticketing offices, tobacconists, from ticketing machine inside a tram (purchasing in a tram will attract extra surcharges) or from the Bus drivers

Children under 15 travel free on Sundays, Public holidays and School holidays.

The Vienna Card

The Vienna Card also known as The Vienna City Card is available in 24, 48 and 72 hour validity. This card is ideal for tourists. One can access all public transports for unlimited rides (separate ticket for CAT though) within the stipulated time. One child under 15 can travel free with the card holder (age proof might be asked for). This card is non-transferable.

Other than free transports, the card entitles you to 210 discounts at various attractions. A 24 hour card costs 17 Euros, 48 hours card is 25 Euros and 72 hours card costs 29 Euros. It can be purchased from Hotels, Tourist Info Centres, Wiener Linien’s information points and from online at wienerlinien.at

Easy CityPass

Like The Vienna Card, Easy CityPass also gives unlimited access to public transports. It also offers various discounts at tourist attractions. There are four types of passes, valid for 24, 48, 72 hours and 7 days. This pass too is non-transferable and allows one accompanying child under 15 years to travel for free. 24 hours pass costs 14.90 Euros, 48 hours pass is 19.90 Euros, 72 hours pass costs 24.90 Euros and a seven day pass costs 29.90 Euros. You can purchase this pass from all the places where The Vienna Card is available.

Queer CityPass

All the facilities, features and prices are the same as Easy CityPass; the only difference is.. this pass is for LGBT tourists in Vienna. It is available at the same places as previous two.

Day trips by train

There are various day trips available from Vienna by train. Here are few of them…

Liechtenstein Castle is a short but interesting day trip from Vienna. First take a S-Bahn S2 line train from Vienna Central station towards Modling Bahnhof and get down at Modling station, then catch bus number 262 and get down at Maria Enzerzdorf Siedlung Strasse (5^th stop). From there it is a 10 minutes’ walk. The journey time will be around 25 minutes by train and frequency of service is around 10 minutes. Bus will take 6 to 7 more minutes. The train ticket costs 4.70 Euros and the bus ticket is 1.80 Euros.

You can also visiting Salzburg by train. Journey time is around 2 and half hours and the first train from Vienna Central Station leaves for Salzburg at 5:30am. Trains operate at every half an hour. The last train from Salzburg for Vienna Central leaves at 10:00pm. Train ticket costs around 55 Euros. Note that advance booking will save you money.

Danube Valley or Wachau Valley is a very popular day trip from Vienna. Reach Melk by train from the central station in 1 hour (Karlsplatz to Vienna central station by underground U1 line, then take a train to St. Poelten where you will get trains for Melk). Train ticket costs 8 Euros. Trains are available every 30 minutes. Alternatively you can take a 1-hour train ride to Krems and then take the popular river cruise down to Melk. Note that you will get trains for Krems only from Franz Josef’s Bahnhof (station) located at the northern part of Central Vienna. There are two services per day during April to October. Cruise duration is around 3 hours. The longer cruise will cost around 26 Euros per person and the shorter version will cost you 18 Euros per person. You can book your cruise ticket online in advance.

Getting To Major Attractions

The city centre area of Vienna is Innere Stadt at the old town area. But directions below are given from Karlsplatz which is a large square on the border of first and fourth district and also a transportation hub.

Start with Wien Museum or the Vienna Museum. Here you will find an excellent mix of Austrian art and history. It is within 100 metres south east of Karlsplatz. Next you can visit St. Charles Church or Karlskirche located 250 metres south of Wien Museum. This Baroque style church has much to offer apart from its architectural mastery. Mozart’s Requiem or Vivaldi’s four seasons are regular feature during evening hours.

Next venture to the old town area of Vienna… Innere Stadt. This place is full of grand buildings and monuments with an architectural mix of Medieval, Baroque and Contemporary styles. Most of the area is pedestrian zone. If you enjoy walking you can walk for around 1 kilometre towards north via Kärnter Street to reach Innere Stadt. Alternatively take a U1 line Underground train from Karlsplatz station towards Wien Leopoldau and disembark at Stephansplatz station. Journey time is 2 minutes. From there you need to walk for a couple of minutes.

The ring road or the Ringstrasse is full of spectacular historic buildings dated back to 1800s. The best way to explore Ringstrasse is to take a hop on hop off tram that runs along the Ringstrasse. Note that normal tram tickets or transport passes are not accepted, ticket costs 9 Euros per person. First you need to reach Museumsquartier from Karlsplatz to take this ride. Take subway U2 line towards Seestadt and get down at Museum Quarter.

Mariahilfer Strasse is the largest shopping street in Vienna. The place is full of boutique stores and global brands. Take U4 line train from Karlsplatz towards Hutteldorf and get down at Langenfeldgasse, then change to line U6 towards Floridsdorf and get down at Westbahnhof. Total journey time will be 10 minutes. You need to then walk for around 100 metres to reach Mariahilfer Strasse.

Another attraction is Stephansdom located at Innere Stadt. This dominating gothic cathedral has an imposing spire. Mozarthaus Vienna is located within 300 metres of Stephansdom. The famous four acts comic opera ‘Marriage of Figaro’ was composed here by the music maestro Johannes Wolfgang Mozart. Another place that you can tag with these two is Karntnerstrasse famous for boutique stores and cafes, located 200 metres south of Mozarthaus.

The 13^th century Hofburg Palace is located on the western part of Innere Stadt; the palace was built by Habsburg Empire. This place is located at distance of 1 kilometre towards North West of Karlsplatz. Alternatively you can tag this place with Stephansdom and walk towards west for 650 metres.

Kunsthistorisches Museum is in Ringstrasse. Here you can view a collection of antiques and creations of the old masters. This place is located at a walking distance of 600 metres towards southwest of Hofburg Palace.

Schloss Belvedere and Belvedere Garten is located towards south of Karlsplatz. The large garden houses an art museum and the Orangery palace. Walk for around 250 metres to Kärnter Ring. Take a line D tram towards Alfred Adler Strasse. Get down at Quartier Belvedere S stop and walk for 600 metres towards north to reach Belvedere Palace.

Schonbrunn Palace is located towards west of Karlsplatz. This Baroques style palace has 1,441 rooms. It is a UNESCO world heritage site since 1996. Take a subway line U4 train towards Hutteldorf and disembark at Schonbrunn station, then walk for 600 metres towards west to reach the palace.

Hiring Bicycles

While there are lots of guided bike tours available, you can hire a bike individually and take a self city tour. The rental rate varies between companies. An average rate is 10 Euros for half day, around 14 Euros for a full day. Here are some dos and don’ts for bikers.

Wear a helmet

Cycle on the right hand side of the road but never on the pavement
Raise your hand before you stop
Ensure your bike has functioning lights

Park in proper place

Following are few bike rental companies…

Rent-station.com (www.rent-station.com)

Vienna Explorer (www.viennaexplorer.com)
Pedalpower Bike (www.pedalpower.at)
Segway Rental Store (www.segwayrentalvienna.com)

Car Rentals

First thing, within Vienna it is wiser to use a public transport instead of a rental car. This is because getting a convenient parking within the city area can be a huge issue unless your hotel offers car park. However if you want to drive around in the suburbs and other long distance places, then a rental car can be of good use.

You can only get short term parking (with maximum of up to 2 hours) on the street-side and that too at designated parking areas (residents have permanent parking permits). Short-term parking is not free and you need to buy pre-paid parking vouchers (1.05 Euro per 30 minutes). However, night time parking is usually free (between 10pm to 9am, timings can vary depending on the place).

The dynamic display boards on the streets show you the nearest short-term parking area. You can get pre-paid parking vouchers from tobacconists, ticket machines at public transport stations, some petrol stations etc. For more information on short-term parking, visit Vienna Short Term Parking.

For longer term parking (several hours or days), the best option is to park your car at a Park and Ride (P+R) Garage. There are many of them in and around Vienna and they are economical (3.40 Euros per day). You can visit the website www.parken.at to find all P+R locations.

There are plenty of international car rental companies in Vienna. In most cases you can book online directly from the company websites or over phone. The average rental rate for a small car starts from 30 Euros per day. Here are a few companies…

Avis Car rental (avis.at)

Sixt Autovermietung Wien (sixt.at)
Autovermietung Europcar (europcar.at)
Buchbinder rent-a-car (buchbinder-rent-a-car.at)

Scooter Rentals

Scooter rental rate starts from 25 Euros per day. Following are few rental companies…

Sco2T Rollersharing (sco2t.com)
Mo2drive (mo2drive.com)

City Adventure (cityadventure.at)

Transport tips

All ticket vending machines have language options that includes English
There are no barriers at the entry points of S-Bahn and U-Bahn stations. Do not take a chance, validate your ticket each time. The fine can be otherwise quite hefty (up to 100 Euros). Sudden checks are done in all the public transports.

Stand on escalator at the right side, left side is for movers
Look for U signs to find a U-Bahn station
Purchasing tickets inside a tram costs more