Tourists get to the capital of Austria, arriving at the country's largest airport, Schwechat. It is located far from the city at a distance of sixteen kilometers. The center of the capital can be reached by train, high-speed train, bus or taxi. We will write more about public transport from Vienna Airport and inside the capital.
Road from the airport
There are several ways to get by public transport from Vienna Airport, Schwechat to the city:
- The fastest way to get around is a high-speed train connected with city electric trains and the subway. The CAT route runs from the port non-stop to the Wien Mitte Underground Station. The movement of the train from the port takes place from six in the morning until half-past eleven at an interval of half an hour. The trip takes the passenger about sixteen minutes. A one-way CAT ticket costs € 12 and a round-trip ticket costs € 19. Passengers under fourteen years of age can ride CAT for free.
- The most economical way is by train. She will take passengers to 21 zones of Vienna. Public transport sometimes only goes to the Wien Mitte station. The duration of the trip on S7 to Wien Mitte is twenty-five minutes, which is nine minutes longer than on CAT. The movement of the train takes place from 05:23 a.m. to 23:17 with an interval of one and a half hours. If passengers have public transport tickets in Vienna, they only purchase a one-way ticket for € 2.40. If not, you need to purchase two tickets at € 2.40. Children under six ride a S7 without a ticket.
- The most familiar way for citizens of our country is a bus. He will take passengers directly to the center of the Austrian city. This is the most convenient transportation option if you need to get to the train stations. Bus tickets cost € 8, with Vienna-Card - € 7. Children under six years old travel free of charge, and up to fourteen - on a discounted ticket for € 14.
- The most comfortable, but also expensive way is a taxi. It is suitable for those traveling with young children. The cost of a taxi ride is calculated on the meter, plus € 2.5 for boarding passengers. A trip from Schwechat to Vienna will cost approximately € 40. Its duration will be about twenty minutes.
Transport
Public transport in the Austrian capital is called the Vienna Lines. The length of the public transport network in Vienna is more than a thousand kilometers. Five metro lines, nearly thirty tram lines and more than a hundred bus routes will take passengers to the right place.
The fare for the city by public transport in Vienna in 2018 is € 2.40. Single tickets. Nevertheless, the capital has a system of tariff zones for public transport in Vienna. If you are traveling from one point to another within the same zone, then you need one ticket, and if you are moving from one zone to another, then you need several tickets, depending on the number of zones that you cross. Each broken ticket is valid to the place of travel, including an unlimited number of transfers.
Vienna's transportation consists of trains, underground, trams and buses. There is a schedule for all routes. The names of the stops are always announced, and passengers are provided with information about all possible transfers to other modes of transport. Doors of buses and trams in the Austrian capital do not open automatically, for this you need to click on a special button. On trains and in the subway, when cars stop at stations, a signal is given, after which you need to push the handle to the side and open the door.
Ticketing
Traveling in Vienna by public transport of any kind costs the same. All tickets for transport and travel, with the exception of annual travel and discount tickets, you can buy:
- in terminals located at metro stations;
- in tobacco stalls;
- at the bus or tram driver.
In Vienna, transport tickets are sold at the following rates:
- One-way ticket - € 2.40 (children - € 1.20).
- A public transport ticket in Vienna for a day - € 8.00, for two - € 14.10, for three days - € 17.10.
- A seven-day ticket (valid only from Monday to Monday until nine in the morning) - € 17.10.
A one-time ticket can be purchased on trams at an increased price of € 2.60 (children - € 1.40). They are valid for one trip, including transfers. Children under six travel free of charge. On Sundays, weekends, and during school holidays in Vienna, travel for children under fifteen is free.
Special rates
Vienna public transport tickets are subject to the following special fares. Consider them:
- Einzelfahrschein. This is a ticket entitling you to one trip. It is purchased either in advance or in the cabin at inflated prices including a commission. The ticket allows you to move in one direction and make transfers along the route to any type of transport. Einzelfahrschein costs € 2.40, for a public transport driver in Vienna € 2.60. If four lanes are printed on the Einzelfahrschein, then this is a ticket for four trips. It costs € 8.80. Coupons can be bought at terminals or from drivers with a commission.
- Fahrschein Halbpreis. This is a half price coupon. It is considered preferential. Designed for children from six to fifteen years of age and senior citizens, as well as for movement in vehicles with dogs. Recall that children under six years old are exempt from paying for Vienna city transport. Children under the age of fifteen can travel without a ticket on Sundays, holidays, and during school holidays. A preferential ticket for half the price is relevant for travel in the subway and when moving up to two stops, in a tram and bus - up to three stops.
- 8-Tage-Karte. This is a ticket for passengers traveling by public transport in Vienna not always. It consists of eight tickets for any eight days. 8-Tage-Karte is a card with stripes, one of which must be punched on the composter when traveling by transport in Vienna. A similar ticket is suitable for passengers traveling in groups of up to eight people. Its cost is € 38.40.
- Wochenkarte. This is a weekly transport ticket for Vienna. Valid from nine in the morning of any Monday until nine in the morning of the following Monday. The cost of such a ticket is € 17.10.
- 24-Stunden-Wien. This ticket is ideal for guests of the Austrian capital who plan to make many trips in one day. The ticket is valid for 24 hours, the countdown starts from the moment when it will be punched on the composter before the first trip. Cost - € 8.00. There are similar tickets valid for two days (€ 14.10) and three days (€ 17.10).
- Wiener Einkaufskarte. This is a day ticket, but is limited to twelve hours, from eight in the morning until eight in the evening, and days of the week, from Monday to Saturday. Its cost is € 6.10.
- Vienna Card. This is a tourist card lasting two (€ 21.90) or three (€ 24.90) days. Vienna Card can be purchased at information points, at the information desk at the airport or online. In addition to using public transport in Vienna, thanks to the Vienna Card, tourists can visit cultural places of the capital at a discount. All details of discounts and a list of attractions where tourists can get a discount or enter for free are available on the official public transport website. It is profitable to buy a Vienna Card or not, the tourist decides. If he plans to visit museums and use Vienna's public transport, then it’s definitely worth buying a card.
Fines
When using transport in Vienna, we recommend: always pay for the fare! This will avoid an impressive fine. The monetary penalty for traveling without a ticket in Vienna's transport is € 60. Smoking in vehicles is also prohibited!
All information on traffic, tickets, rules of conduct, and the capital map itself with routes can be found on the Vienna Transport website. Metro schemes, timetables, payment options and ticket prices can be checked on the metro website of the Austrian capital.
Vienna Railway
The railway system in Vienna is called the S-Bahn. It is included in the state railways of Austria. S-Bahn is integrated into the city’s public transport system, including a single passenger ticket within the Vienna transport zones.
The structure of trains is quite ramified. You can move around the capital on a fast city train. Transport in Vienna is possible in standard mode: from five in the morning until midnight. From half past one to half past four in the morning public transport does not run, at this time you can get from the capital's center to the outskirts of the city only by night buses marked with the letter N. Most night routes start at Schwedenplatz and Schottentor stops.
Transport tickets in Vienna are valid for all types of transport within the city.
Tickets are bought at the box office in advance at metro stations and train stations. They are punched with a composter at the entrance to the subway car or to the passenger compartment. Tickets can be bought at Tabak Traffik kiosks or at vending machines located in the subway and at the stations. To purchase a ticket in the machine, you need to select its type, dial a four-digit numeric code, put coins in the hole or put a banknote. The machine always gives change. The passenger has the opportunity to press the cancel button at any time. Tickets cannot be bought in electric and subway cars, therefore it is necessary to purchase them in advance. Upon reaching the platform, the passenger will see composters. Be sure to use one of them, because without this a ticket will be considered invalid. In Vienna, tickets are often checked. Ticket-free travel is punishable by a fine. If the passenger does not pay it within three days, then he will double.
In Vienna, privileges for the passage of elderly people are provided. Austrian pensioners are women after 60 years and men after 65. For people of advanced age from other countries, discounts are valid upon presentation of a document confirming age. The same preferential ticket can be bought when transporting pets and bicycles.
Subway
The Metro in Vienna (U-Bahn) opened more than forty years ago. It is noteworthy that today its network includes a number of sites built at the end of the XIX century. The metropolitan capital of Austria is served by a company wholly owned by the municipality of Vienna. The metro consists of five lines with a length of almost seventy kilometers. They are numbered from U1 to U6 and have different color codes. All U-Bahn lines, except U6, connect different areas of the city with the center of the capital. Trains run at five-minute intervals during the day and seven-minute intervals in the evening. Doors in cars do not open automatically, in order to enter or exit the car, you need to press a button or sharply pull the handle. To travel by metro within the capital, you need a regular ticket valid for all types of public transport.
Tram
In the alpine pearl are some of the oldest and longest tram tracks in the world. Thanks to this transport, the system of movement of the Austrian city has become the most developed on the continent. Already at the beginning of the last century, the country's inhabitants were able to buy tickets for a tram for a week. Today in the Austrian capital there are thirty-three tram routes, the length of which is almost two hundred kilometers.
In the capital of the Alpine country, there is also a tram line between cities - from Vienna to Baden. This transport branch does not belong to the general tram network of the city. It is served by a private company. Trams travel along this route at intervals of about a quarter of an hour. Regular city tickets are not suitable for travel; a passenger who has made a choice in favor of this line will need to buy a separate ticket.
For almost ten years, the tram route for tourists has been operating in the alpine pearl. It is called Vienna Ring Tram. Every day throughout the year, from ten in the morning until six in the evening, trams circle in a clockwise direction along the Ringstrasse with half-hour intervals in time. Ringstrasse is a ring street encircling the city center. In shape, it looks like a horseshoe, with its edges facing the canal of the Danube River. The embankment of this channel closes the tram ring. Along this street there are many memorable buildings, between which beautiful city parks are divided.
There are thirteen points of interest on the route:
- Town Hall It hosts many concerts and exhibitions. For example, the famous Vienna balls.
- A park with many different majestic sculptures and fountains.
- Parliament. The building is of unique beauty, the place of work of the councils of the state parliament and the holding of various ceremonies at the government level. In front of it is a beautiful fountain famous among tourists.
- Winter residence of the Habsburgs.
- Vienna Opera. It is the center of European musical culture.
- City park, the most famous in the capital of Austria. Great place for walking with children.
Each tram car has thirty-one seats. Several screens in the cabin show news about the sights of the Austrian capital. There are also audio guides in various European languages. At stations marked with a special symbol, the exact time of departure and arrival of the tram is indicated. Having bought a ticket, guests of the capital can enter and exit at any stops of the city an unlimited number of times. A full trip without a landing option lasting thirty minutes will cost € 8 and € 4 for a child for an adult. Today you can book tickets online.
Buses
One of the most common modes of transport in the Austrian capital is a bus. Unlike world-famous Viennese trams, buses, fortunately for tourists, can call into the city center. The route network is managed by a municipal company. The first buses appeared in an alpine pearl at the beginning of the 20th century. Soon, the first double-decker bus drove through the streets of the Austrian city.
Since the sixties of the last century, liquefied gas has been used as fuel for this type of transport. In the capital of Austria there are almost a hundred bus routes, denoted by the letter "A". These are daytime cars, there are about five hundred of them in Vienna. They ply the city from five in the morning until midnight. There are night routes, indicated by the letter "N", on which buses run from half past night to four in the morning at half-hour intervals.
A network of buses for guests of the Austrian capital in Vienna is operated by a private company. Single and double-decker buses run along the alpine pearl from ten in the morning until five in the evening every day. During the tour, at their discretion, tourists can enter and exit the vehicle at any of the stops. Ticket price per day for an adult will be € 25, for two days - € 32. A child ticket costs € 12 for a day and € 15 for two. Moreover, the ticket used for the first time after three in the afternoon is also valid on the next day.
The buses have guides in several European languages. This is German, and English, and many others. This service is considered to be very popular, since Vienna is a very popular holiday destination for travelers from around the world.
Tickets for the above buses can be purchased at the tourist offices of the Austrian city, in hotels, in public transport. Tours can be booked online.
Bike
In the capital of Austria, a network of bicycle rental points is widely and universally developed. The first project of a bicycle rental system, launched fifteen years ago, for which funding was allocated in the amount of six hundred thousand euros from the city budget, did not pay off. Exactly one year later, a new project was launched to provide the Austrian capital with bicycle transport, 100% funded by Gewista. This initiative has been successful. This happened thanks to a well-thought-out rental system.
The structure consists of rental points located throughout the Austrian city. All of them are located near metro stations. Tourists, in order to rent a bicycle, first need to register in the system and get a personal login and password. You can register directly in the terminal near the rental point. In any case, bicycle rental is carried out using a credit card. Registration is paid (one euro). The rental period starts from the moment the bike is taken from the parking lot and ends when it is returned to the box. Bicycle rental rates are as follows: the first hour is free; — €1; — €2; — €4; — €4.
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Car rent
Tourists in the Austrian capital can drive rental cars. There are no problems with renting a car in the city in question, as in any other European megalopolises. There are plenty of car rental companies in the Alpine pearl. The car can be ordered in advance or in real time. The city has representative offices of companies that provide cars for temporary use.
To rent a car in Vienna, you must have an international driver license, a bank card and driving experience. The driver must be at least twenty-one years old. On-site insurance is issued and purchased. If necessary, a child seat must be ordered and paid in advance. Winter tires are given to the driver at the request of the lessor without charging a fee for this.
Tourists who want to rent a car in the capital of Austria need to know that paid parking is allowed in the city for a short time. The parking ticket must be immediately attached to the inside of the car glass.
Taxi
It is most convenient to book a taxi in the Austrian capital by phone. If possible, a car can be found in parking lots at stations, at the airport. Remember that it is not customary to stop a taxi on the street. The fare is displayed on the counter. A taxi ride in Vienna will cost a tourist an average of € 30, depending on the mileage. The rates for moving outside the city are agreed individually with the taxi driver in each case personally.
When transferring from the port, you can use the taxi service of the airport of the capital, the cost of a trip to Vienna by car for a group of three passengers is € 30 (to areas one through eleven) and € 33 (to other areas), from four passengers - € 36. A trip in a taxi minivan for six passengers will cost € 49, for eight passengers - € 59. All interesting data about the port taxi service can be found on the official website of the port itself.
There are also taxis in the Austrian city, whose employees can be both drivers and cultural guides at the same time. There are specialized taxi services in Vienna: for women, for hard of hearing people, limousines of a privileged class. You can order an exotic taxi, the so-called bicycle or tricycle rickshaw. Remember that the latter is for two passengers and luggage.
Water transport
You can travel along the Danube in the Austrian capital by river transport, represented by numerous steamships and motor ships. Ships moor to Praterlande. From this place, any tourist can easily walk or take a taxi to the subway.