[German: Wie kommt man vom Flughafen Wien in die Stadt]
Getting from Vienna airport to the city is quick and easy, largely because all car, bus, and train services are within a minute or two of arrivals. So you can get your first coffee and cake in town shortly after landing.
- Book a car transfer direct into Vienna*
- See also:
Bus, train or car?
(This way to Vienna on the A4 motorway)
If you’d prefer to get a good night’s rest before continuing your journey into Vienna, then consider a hotel near the airport: we have two good ones adjacent to arrivals.
Otherwise, here’s where to go for transfer services, taxis, express & local trains, transfer buses, and car hire…
Option 1: Car
(Taxi services are diagonally opposite where you emerge from customs)
Airport transfers & taxis
- The Welcome people offer a pickup & transfer service* to your accommodation: use an easy online English-language form to pre-book a car transfer into the city with a local, English-speaking driver
- The limousine and taxi companies have booths in the arrivals hall. Go left after emerging from customs, and the booths appear shortly on your right
- Taxis generally depart from the road outside the arrivals hall or from nearby short-term parking. Another option, of course, is to simply get an Uber (who also operate in Vienna)
Car hire
The car hire services at Vienna airport obviously include all the major brands.
One or two car hire desks are to your left when you come out of baggage reclaim and customs into the public arrivals hall.
To find the main car hire centre, though, go left after emerging from customs anyway. Walk down the ramp and then turn right at the bottom.
Then simply follow the car hire symbol (a car with a key), and also look for signs to the “car rental centre”, which you reach on Deck 0 of the P4 multi-storey car park. You pass through a train station area on your way.
If you haven’t already reserved a car for airport pickup, you can compare prices and book a vehicle here*.
Option 2: Trains
(The CAT non-stop train has oodles of space for people and baggage. It takes you into Vienna in 16 minutes; press photo © City Airport Train)
When you come out of customs into airport arrivals, look right to find a ramp that leads you down directly to the train station under the terminal.
To the right of the top of the ramp are two important booths:
1. CAT ticket office & machines
The CAT is the fast dedicated express airport train that travels direct to the central Wien Mitte station, which connects with the U3 and U4 subway lines for onward journeys within Vienna.
Wien Mitte is on the edge of the old town / first district, so a convenient landing spot. And the big advantage of the CAT compared to other trains is comfort and, particularly, space for luggage.
On my last trip with the CAT, a single ticket for an adult cost €14.90, which you can purchase online in advance*.
2. ÖBB ticket office & machines
Two other rail services into Vienna are:
- S7 city train: slower than the CAT with far less space for luggage and often quite full. However, it’s much cheaper and has various stops throughout Vienna, which can be helpful if you have an outlying destination
- Railjet national trains: these travel direct to Wien Hauptbahnhof (Vienna’s main railway station). As cross-country services, it might be sensible to reserve a seat along with your ticket if booking in advance. But I’ve rarely had a problem getting a seat when hopping onto the next train available
See the ÖBB (Austrian Federal railways) website for details on prices, online tickets etc.
Display boards give departure times for all trains leaving the airport for Vienna and elsewhere. All three train services are on broadly 30 minute intervals through the day.
The ticket machines have English displays for buying whatever tickets you need to reach your destination. And the ramp leads you quickly down to the platforms.
For more details on the differences between services, S7 stops in Vienna etc., see the article on getting to the airport.
Option 3: Buses
(The Vienna Airport Lines have regular services into Vienna)
Just ahead of you as you leave customs and enter airport arrivals, slightly to the left and right, are corridor exits to outside the terminal. The bus stops are immediately outside.
The Vienna Airport Lines (VAL) run various services to different destinations in Vienna.
Their routes take you to the edge of the city centre (Schwedenplatz), to Westbahnhof and Hauptbahnhof rail stations, to the area around the VIECON / Messe Wien event venue, and to the UN / Austria Centre and nearby hotels: see the VAL official website for details.