Location and travel information

Getting to Vienna

By air

Vienna International Airport is located in Schwechat, just outside the city border. In the local transport association VOR it is in zone 280, whereas the city center forms the core zone 100. The cheapest connection to the city center is the regular S7 train, which runs every 30 minutes roughly from 5 am to midnight. The price of a single ticket for the two zones is 4 Euros. There are ticket machines near the platform. (It is possible, but may be tricky, to buy a 24-hour ticket or other season ticket for Vienna from the ticket machines in Schwechat. If you do so and you validate it right away, you can save 2 Euros by combining it with a 1-zone ticket just for zone 280. Conversely, if you already have any ticket valid for the core zone 100, then to get to the airport you only need a single ticket for zone 280, which it is possible though tricky to buy from the ticket machines in Vienna.)

The City Airport Train also connects the airport to the city center. It runs on the same tracks as the S7 trains and has the same frequency. The CAT stops in the city center around the same time as the S7, but is 9 minutes faster. As of 2012, the fare is 11 Euros single / 17 Euros return. If you take the CAT, you will need another ticket for the remainder of your journey in Vienna. Normally, it is only worth taking the CAT if you are in a rush to get to the airport or want to make use of the unusual and convenient City Check-In service to dispose of your luggage before spending a few more hours in the city center. This service is available from some, but not all, airlines. See the list for more information.

Though the S7 trains and the CAT share the same tracks, neither accepts the other's tickets and they use different platforms. Signage for the CAT is more obvious, especially at the airport. If you want to take the S7, initially follow the sings to the CAT, but watch out for the stylized white S (three straight strokes) on a blue background.

The bus service Vienna AirportLines is only worth considering if you are staying close to Schwedenplatz/Morzinplatz or must be at the airport in the middle of the night. As of 2012, the fare is 8 Euros single / 11 Euros return.

The taxi fare is about 25–30 Euros and should be negotiated in advance with the driver because the journey crosses the border between the states of Vienna and Lower Austria.

Bratislava Airport (Slovakia) is not far from Vienna and used by some cheap operators. Munich Airport (Germany) and Budapest Airport (Hungary) are also in a somewhat reasonable distance from Vienna. For details see WikiTravel.

By rail

Trains to and from Germany, Switzerland, France and the west of Austria terminate at Westbahnhof. Most other international trains stop at Bahnhof Meidling while the new Central Station is under construction.

Most trains are operated by ÖBB. Vienna is connected to several major cities by night trains. If you book early, a place in a sleeper car may be available for under 60 Euros including breakfast. The line between Westbahnhof and Salzburg is operated concurrently by the very competitive WESTbahn, occasionally with absurdly low bargain prices.

By car

If you use an Austrian motorway, you will nead a toll sticker ("Autobahnvignette") for 10 days, 2 months or a calendar year. It is probably not a good idea to rent a car for getting to Vienna. Parking in Vienna is severely restricted. If your hotel does not provide free parking, it is best to leave your car at a metro or S train station far outside the city center and make use of Vienna's excellent and relatively cheap public transport.


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Kurt Gödel Research Center for Mathematical Logic. Währinger Straße 25, 1090 Wien, Austria. Phone +43-1-4277-50501. Last updated: 2019-06-20, 21:22.