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City transport in Vienna: how to get to the airport by metro, bus

Vienna public transport: key features

Features of Vienna's urban transport system: metro, buses, and trams. How to get to key objects. How much does it cost and how often does it go.

August 5, 2020

Wiener Linien operates five metro lines, 29 trams and 127 bus lines, of which 24 are night routes. There is a single system of tickets that can be bought at designated vending machines in the metro, at the box office, or on the official Wiener Linien website, in tobacco shops or directly in the transport.There are inspectors in Viennese public transport that check if you have a ticket. If it turns out that you don't have one, or it wasn't stamped, you will have to pay a fine of EUR 102.40. If you don't have any money or documents with you, you will be held up by the inspectors.

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*ALL THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY.

Types of tickets and travel cards

The territory of Vienna is divided into zones witth WIEN 100 being the city centre. Within one zone, a standard ticket is sufficient, butt if you cross several zones, you will have to buy a separate ticket for each of them.

One-time continuous ticket for one trip within one of the zones.
A 1-day ticket is valid until 1am the next day. It can only be bought through the mobile application.
24/48/72 Stunden WIEN is an unlimited ticket for 1, 2 or 3 days. It becomes valid the moment it is stamped.
The Vienna City Card allows you to travel for free on any public transport for 24, 48 or 72 hours. Holders of this card can take advantage of 210 discounts when visiting various museums, theatres, attractions, hotels and restaurants.
8-Tage-Klimakarte is suitable for those using transport on an occasional basis or for a group of 8 people. Please note that if you inadvertently put a stamp on the eighth line, the ticket will be considered fully used. The ticket is valid for any 8 days.
The weekly card is valid from midnight on any Monday until 9am of the following Monday.
A monthly pass is valid only in the WIEN 100 zone, from midnight on the first day of the month until midnight on the second day of the next month.
The annual ticket is registered to a specific person and must be accompanied with an ID to be considered valid. The ticket holder receives several benefits, including free rides with a dog or a bicycle.

Any of the aformentioned tickets with the inscription "Bitte entwerten" must be stamped. Otherwise, it is considered invalid.

Validating machines are yellow or blue and are located in the vehicle or on the platform. Before stamping the card, fold it so that the lowest available number is on top.

How to get from the airport

Vienna Airport is located outside the city transport zone, which means that the aforementioned tickets do not apply.
Using the CAT express train, the city centre can be reached in 15 minutes. Trains run every half hour from 6am to 11pm. A one way ticket costs EUR 14.90, and a round-trip ticket is EUR 24.90.
City train S7 (S-Bahn) - travel time to the centre will take 25-30 minutes. Trains run every half hour from 5am to 1am. Please note when travelling from the centre to the airport, you must get off at the following stop, not at Schwechat station, as it is a town. The fare is EUR 4.30, whilst for Vienna Pass holders it is EUR 1.90.
Vienna's city centre is accessible via ÖBB Postbus special airbuses. Travel time will take 25-30 minutes. They run every 20 minutes from 4.50am to 12.20am, and also have several night flights: at 1.20am, 2.50am and 4.50am. A one-way ticket and a round-trip ticket costs EUR 8 and EUR 13, respectively.

City rail (s-bahn)

S-Bahn or Schnellbahn is the intercity and regional rail network that is best chosen for travelling long distances.The ÖBB network currently serves 10 S-Bahn lines passing through Vienna. For a trip to Weinviertel, the wine regions of Baden in the south or to the capital of Slovakia - Bratislava, ÖBB is the best option for public transport. And if you choose the route in the direction of Salzburg, then the Westbahn private railway company may be a cheaper alternative.

Metro (u-bahn)

The metro is the fastest and the most convenient way to get around the city. It is divided into five lines numbered from U1 to U6. U5 will start operating in 2027. It will become Vienna's first fully automated metro line.

All U-Bahn lines,, except U6 connect any district of Vienna to the centre. During the week, the metro is open from 5am until 12am, and on weekends and holidays it operates around the clock.

IMPORTANT: If you accidentally go in the wrong direction, you can't just switch trains. In Europe, you must pay to change routes, so you have to exit, going past the ticket validation point, and go down again. However, if you have a travel card, then you do not need to stamp anything.

Trams and buses

The city's tram network is 225 km long and is the 6th largest in the world. In Vienna, there is a separate type of tram with an ultra-low floor (ULF) for disabled people. According to the schedule, all tram routes run daily, regardless of holidays, from 5am to 1am.In the city centre, many tram lines go underground. They usually have a designated entrance.

Daytime buses are marked "A" or "B" and run from 5am to 12am. Night routes are marked "N" and run from 12.30am to 4am at an interval of 30 minutes.

Taxi

There is a single billing system for all taxi services. Prices for trips outside the city are agreed with the driver in each individual case.It is best to book a car by phone or at reserved parking lots near train stations and at the airport. Hailing a taxi in Vienna is not common.

Approximate cost of a trip in the center of Vienna:

Karlsplatz Square - Prater Park (4 km): EUR 11
Karlsplatz Square - Schönbrunn Palace (6 km): EUR 14
Karlsplatz Square - Danube Tower (8 km): EUR 16

There are special taxi services where drivers work as guides in the city, as well as taxis designed specifically for women. hearing-impaired and disabled individuals. You can also use the service of a bicycle taxi, called Faxi, a three-wheeled rickshaw. Another unusual way of transportation is a horse-drawn carriage, which is on duty here in every square and at major attractions.

Bike rental

There are a lot of bike paths in Vienna. Therefore, to save money on transport, you can rent a bike. This can be done in one of the 240 round-the-clock automatic bike rental facilities.

First you have to register online at nextbike.net or in the nextbike app. Payment can be made by bank card. The standard rate is EUR 0.60 for every half an hour with a maximum of EUR 4.90 per day. You can buy an annual ticket for EUR 49. It allows you to cycle for free for the first 30 minutes, then at the standard rate of EUR 0.60 per half hour. There are discounts for regular customers.

Driving a personal car

To rent a car, you must have an international driving license, a bank card, and at least 1 year of driving experience. The minimum age for a driver is 21-23 years old (25 for renting a car in the luxe segment).

Personal insurance is issued and paid on the spot. It is recommended to acquire extended third-party liability insurance and theft insurance in addition to the basic package.

According to official government data, drunk driving is punishable by a fine of EUR 800 to EUR 5,900, depending on the severity of intoxication.

The 15-minute parking is free and the rest of the time is as follows:

up to 30 minutes (red voucher) - EUR 1.10
up to 60 minutes (blue) - EUR 2.20
up to 90 minutes (green) - € 3.30
up to 120 minutes (yellow) - EUR 4.40

Parking tickets are sold at newsstands, public transport offices, in the metro, at select gas stations, and car associations (ARBÖ and ÖAMTC).

Conclusion

Vienna operates a single travel system for all types of transport.
For stowaways, there is a fine of € 102.40.
For tourists, it is most advantageous to use the Vienna City Card, as it provides discounts on visits to various attractions and more.
Each passenger must have their own separate ticket, except when using an 8-Tage-Klimakarte.

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