Reaching Vienna from the airport: the possibilities » BussolaDiario
How to reach Vienna from the airport
Vienna is a city on a human scale, with a small historic centre, efficient and capillary urban connections (between trams, buses and the metro you can completely avoid using the car) and also its International Airport, in the suburb of Schwechat, about 20km. from the spire of the Cathedral of Santo Stefano, it is well connected, with more choices.
Once landed, you can choose whether to arrive in Vienna city by train, light rail, bus or CAT fast train. Clearly, travel times and costs vary according to the chosen vehicle.
Many connections to reach Vienna from the airport
Connects Vienna Airport with the city center:
- I taxi: by far the most expensive means of transport (about 50 € the ride from the airport to the city). They stop in front of the arrivals exit;
- private transfer services: prices vary from the companies that manage the service, calculate at least €35 for a ride on a car for 3 people
- the trains of the ÖBB, the Austrian railways. The trains stop at the Wien-Hautbanhof station and from here, with a short walk, you can reach the U1 metro (in Südtirolerplatz), which takes you right under the Vienna Cathedral or with the city. Calculate, with all the right connections, about 40 minutes of journey. The cost of the train ticket is €4.30, to which you have to add the urban ticket for the metro (€2.40). To check the timetables and buy tickets, visit the website ÖBB;
- the S7 light rail (S stands for Schnellbahn): takes you to Wien Mitte where there are stops for the U4 and U3 underground lines. Assuming you have to reach the Duomo, you will have to take the U3. Also calculate here about 40 minutes of time. Cost: you will need to buy two urban tickets as the airport is outside the urban area (€4.80 in total). If you have a day ticket, multi-day ticket or the Vienna City Card, you only need to add an urban ticket to be in order. By far, it is the cheapest means of connection. To check the timetables and buy tickets, visit the website Wiener Linien;
- the Val2 bus: from the airport it goes directly to the terminus, not far from Schwedenplatz, where there is a stop for underground lines 1 and 4 and tram no. 2. Alternatively, the direct bus Val1 reaches the Vienna Westbahnhof station. Cost €9 for one way, €15 return. To check the timetables and buy the ticket, visit the website Vienna airport lines (VAL). Journey time about 40 minutes for Val1, 20 minutes for Val2.
- The fast train dedicated CAT (City Airport Train), absolutely the fastest way to reach the center of Vienna: in 16 minutes, without intermediate stops and in a comfortable environment, it arrives at the Wien Mitte stop (where, as already mentioned, there are the U3 metro stops and U4). A single journey costs €11, which becomes €19 for a return ticket. To check the timetables and buy the ticket, visit the website City airport train.
To plan your itinerary, Google Maps is really very useful, which in the ‘itinerary? offers you all the different possible and imaginable connections and the relative travel times and connections.
Overall, the CAT is the fastest means of transport to reach the city of Vienna but it is also the most expensive. However, there is a free and absolutely legitimate way to save a few euros on the purchase of the ticket: we discovered it while we were organizing our short trip to Vienna for Advent.
How to save on the purchase of the CAT ticket
The CAT has activated a series of conventions: by going to the site. in the section dedicated to online ticket purchases, you will find the “Enter discount code” field. Opening it, you find all the possibilities to get a discount. What interests you is the second, Heinemann. Which is none other than the company that manages the Vienna airport duty free shops. So:
- download to your mobile phone theHeinemann app (there is both for Ios and Android);
- subscribe, also to the newsletter (you can always unsubscribe, in any case you get few and they are not annoying);
- click the “Heinemamm & Me” function on the App;
- in the “My benefit” section, go to “Transport – Discount & Service”;
- scrolling, you will find City Airport Train with the code to be entered during the online purchase on the CAT website. Get a 25% discount and a return ticket will cost only €14.25;
- do not delete the App: on the train the inspector may ask you to see it to justify the discounted ticket;
- useful to know: children under 15 travel for free (but always check on the website if something hasn’t changed in the meantime).
The cheapest Vienna city tickets
Once you arrive in the city, to move from one place to another and see as much as possible, the urban means of transport will be very useful, especially if – as I imagine – you want to visit Schloss Schönbrunn, Grinzing, the Danube area, the Prater, the beautiful Technical Museum (beloved by children) and, why not, the Zentral Friedhof, where Beethoven, Listz and other illustrious artists rest.
Evaluate the most convenient ticket for you, considering that:
- ticket for a single journey: €2.40
- day ticket valid from the moment it is stamped until 01.00 of the following day): €5.80 (example: from 08.00 to 01.00 the following day)
- 24-hour ticket: €8 (example: from 11.00 on Monday to 10.59 on Tuesday)
- 48-hour ticket: €14.10
- ticket with a duration of 72 hours; €17.10
- if necessary, single tickets can also be purchased from the driver at a cost of €2.60
Also remember that children up to 6 travel free on public transport in Vienna and that children under 15 do not pay on Sundays and public holidays.
And to easily find lots of information and suggestions for visiting Vienna, don’t forget to download the Ivi app really very useful (tested on the last trip!).
(In the photo: Vienna, Rathausplatz during the characteristic Advent market @CBoccini -2022)