How to Get to Vienna and Get Around

Vienna's public transport network (Wiener Linien) covers the city so thoroughly that you will rarely walk more than five minutes to a U-Bahn station or tram stop. The only catch for visitors is the boundary between the city core zone and the airport.

From Vienna International Airport (Schwechat)

As soon as you walk into arrivals, large green signs point you toward the City Airport Train (CAT). For most travellers, regular Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) trains from the adjacent platform are a better choice:

• ÖBB Railjet (long-distance trains): runs non-stop from the airport to Wien Hauptbahnhof in 15 minutes and continues to Wien Meidling in around 30 minutes, at well under half the price of the CAT.
• S-Bahn line S7: the suburban train serving Wien Mitte (Landstraße) and Praterstern in about 25 minutes. Note that railway modernisation works running through late 2027 occasionally shorten or divert S7 services, so check the ÖBB app on the day; if S7 is disrupted, take the Railjet to Hauptbahnhof and switch to U1.
• City Airport Train (CAT): runs non-stop to Wien Mitte in 16 minutes. It costs more than three times the regular ÖBB fare, saves only a few minutes over S7, and is only useful if you fly an airline that uses the city check-in desk at Wien Mitte.
• Vienna Airport Lines buses: run directly to Morzinplatz/Schwedenplatz (at the edge of the Innere Stadt), Westbahnhof and Donauzentrum.

The airport ticket rule: Vienna Airport lies outside the Vienna core zone (Kernzone Wien). A standard 24, 48 or 72-hour Wiener Linien city pass does not cover the airport stretch on its own. If you do not yet have a city pass, buy a single ÖBB ticket from the airport to your Vienna destination, which bundles both zones. If you already hold an active Wiener Linien pass, select the discounted add-on ticket from the airport to the city boundary (Schwechat) at the ÖBB machine before boarding.

Arriving by international train

Most international trains arrive at Wien Hauptbahnhof, south of the centre on U-Bahn line U1 (three stops from Stephansplatz). Direct Railjet and EuroCity trains connect Vienna with Prague in four hours, Budapest in two and a half hours, Kraków, Munich, Zurich and Venice, while night trains (Nightjet) arrive from Berlin, Paris, Rome and Amsterdam. Private Westbahn trains from Salzburg and Munich terminate at Wien Westbahnhof on lines U3 and U6.

Using U-Bahn, trams and buses

Five underground lines (U1, U2, U3, U4 and U6), 28 tram lines and buses share one ticket system inside the city core zone. Buy a single ticket or a 24, 48 or 72-hour pass in the WienMobil app or at station machines. Paper tickets must be stamped once in the small blue validator boxes at the U-Bahn entrance or inside the tram before you travel; digital tickets in the app are already timed and cannot be transferred. Plain-clothes inspectors check tickets frequently. On Friday and Saturday nights, and before public holidays, all five U-Bahn lines run 24 hours; on weeknights, Nightline buses take over after midnight.