Get from A to B

Vienna's network is run mostly by Wiener Linien: five U-Bahn lines (U1, U2, U3, U4, U6; 83 km, 109 stations), 28 tram lines and 134 bus lines, plus ÖBB S-Bahn trains on the Stammstrecke through Wien Mitte and Wien Hauptbahnhof. Karlsplatz (U1/U2/U4), Stephansplatz (U1/U3), Schwedenplatz (U1/U4), Landstraße/Wien Mitte (U3/U4, S-Bahn, CAT), Volkstheater (U2/U3), Westbahnhof (U3/U6) and Praterstern (U1/U2, S-Bahn) are the key interchanges. One fare covers U-Bahn, tram, bus and S-Bahn inside the Vienna core zone of the VOR transport association; there are no ticket barriers, but inspectors (often in plain clothes) check at random. The U2/U5 project is changing the U2 between Karlsplatz and Rathaus (the first U5 section was scheduled for 2026, dates differ by source). The inner city is flat and walkable; Time Out suggests walking as much as possible.

Lines and services

• MetroU-Bahn U1 (Oberlaa - Leopoldau)

  Oberlaa - Reumannplatz - Südtiroler Platz-Hauptbahnhof - Taubstummengasse - Karlsplatz - Stephansplatz - Schwedenplatz - Nestroyplatz - Praterstern - Vorgartenstraße - Donauinsel - Kaisermühlen-VIC - Alte Donau - Kagran - Leopoldau. The line from Hauptbahnhof through the centre to the Prater, Danube Island and the Old Danube bathing area.

  About 05:00 to about 01:00, every 2-5 min by day and up to 8 min after 20:00; all night every 15 min on Friday and Saturday nights and nights before public holidays

• MetroU-Bahn U2 (Karlsplatz - Seestadt)

  Karlsplatz - Museumsquartier - Volkstheater - Rathaus - ... - Praterstern - ... - Seestadt (21 stations, 17.2 km). The Karlsplatz-Rathaus section is being handed to the new U5 and the U2 rerouted south (U2/U5 project); check current routing before travel.

  As U1

• MetroU-Bahn U3 (Ottakring - Simmering)

  Ottakring - Westbahnhof - Zieglergasse - Neubaugasse - Volkstheater - Herrengasse - Stephansplatz - Stubentor - Landstraße - Erdberg - Simmering. Crosses the 1st district east-west and serves Mariahilfer Straße (Neubau/Mariahilf).

  As U1

• MetroU-Bahn U4 (Hütteldorf - Heiligenstadt)

  Hütteldorf - Hietzing - Schönbrunn - Meidling Hauptstraße - Längenfeldgasse - Pilgramgasse - Kettenbrückengasse (Naschmarkt) - Karlsplatz - Stadtpark - Landstraße - Schwedenplatz - Schottenring - Roßauer Lände - Friedensbrücke - Spittelau - Heiligenstadt. The line for Schönbrunn Palace and for buses to the wine villages from Heiligenstadt.

  As U1

• MetroU-Bahn U6 (Siebenhirten - Floridsdorf)

  Runs along the Gürtel, largely on the old Stadtbahn viaduct; stops include Westbahnhof, Längenfeldgasse and Thaliastraße (5 min walk to Brunnenmarkt/Yppenplatz). The arches under the U6 hold the Gürtel live-music bars.

  As U1

• TramStraßenbahn (tram, 'Bim')

  28 regular lines; in February 2026 the third largest tram network in the world (about 227 km, 1,146 stops). Tickets can be bought or validated on board. Line 71 is the most popular public-transport route to the Central Cemetery. The Badner Bahn (Wiener Lokalbahn) tram-train starts at the State Opera and runs 30 km to Baden in about 62 minutes.

  Most daytime services 05:00-00:30, every 2-5 min at peak, 10-15 min in the evening

• TramVienna Ring Tram (yellow tourist tram)

  Yellow tram doing a full 25-minute circuit of the Ringstrasse past the Opera, Hofburg, Parliament, City Hall and University. Price and whether city tickets are valid: not verified. On a normal ticket, regular tram lines 1 and 2 also run along the Ringstrasse past the State Opera, Hofburg, Parliament and City Hall.

  not verified

• BusCity buses (A/B lines) and NightLine

  134 bus lines; daytime routes carry an A or B suffix (e.g. 13A, 38A). Bus 38A runs from Heiligenstadt via Grinzing to Kahlenberg through the wine-growing districts. Between 00:30 and 05:00 more than 20 NightLine routes (marked N, e.g. N71) replace daytime services, about every 30 min (N8, N25, N60, N66 every 15 min); the main night-bus hubs are Oper/Karlsplatz, Schwedenplatz and Schottentor. All Wiener Linien tickets are valid on night buses.

  Day 05:00-00:30; NightLine 00:30-05:00

• TrainS-Bahn (ÖBB)

  Suburban lines converge on the Stammstrecke trunk line (stations include Meidling, Hauptbahnhof, Quartier Belvedere, Rennweg, Wien Mitte, Praterstern and Floridsdorf), with combined trains every few minutes; part of the VOR fare system since 1984, so city tickets are valid inside the core zone. From 7 September 2026 to the end of October 2027 the trunk line between Praterstern and Hauptbahnhof is closed for modernisation, so no trains stop at Rennweg or Wien Mitte; the S7 airport line runs only as far as Wien St. Marx.

  not verified

• TrainLong-distance and regional rail (ÖBB, Westbahn, RegioJet)

  Wien Hauptbahnhof (opened fully 2015, U1 Südtiroler Platz-Hauptbahnhof) is the main station; Westbahnhof, Meidling, Praterstern, Heiligenstadt and Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof also serve trains. Railjets run from Hauptbahnhof to Prague via Brno, to Budapest, Munich, Zurich and Graz, many continuing to Vienna Airport.

  not verified

• FerryTwin City Liner (Vienna - Bratislava)

  Catamaran on the Danube between Vienna and Bratislava since 2006, about 75 minutes. Not part of the VOR fare system. Fare and pier: not verified.

  not verified

• TaxiTaxis

  Taxis and several taxi companies operate at the airport. Fares are by taximeter, or a fixed price can be agreed when booking in advance. Licensed Vienna taxis have a number plate starting with W and ending in TX, ATX, BTX, CTX or DTX. Dispatch centres: Taxi 40 100 (+43 1 40 100) and Taxi 31 300 (+43 1 31 300), by phone, app or online; Uber and Bolt also operate. Tariff amounts: not verified.

  24 h

Common trips

• Vienna AirportWien Mitte / Innere Stadt (1st)21 min

  CAT by bus to Wien Mitte (Landstraße, U3/U4)

  • REX7 to Wien Hauptbahnhof, then U1 to Stephansplatz (cheapest, EUR 5.50)
  • Vienna Airport Bus line 2 to Morzinplatz/Schwedenplatz
  • S7 to Wien St. Marx, then tram 71 or bus 74A

• Vienna AirportWien Hauptbahnhof15 min

  ÖBB Railjet or other long-distance train

  • REX7 to Wien Hauptbahnhof (about 20 min)

• Wien HauptbahnhofStephansplatz (St. Stephen's Cathedral)

  U1 from Südtiroler Platz-Hauptbahnhof towards Leopoldau, 3 stops via Taubstummengasse and Karlsplatz

• WestbahnhofStephansplatz

  U3 towards Simmering, direct (via Neubaugasse and Volkstheater)

• StephansplatzSchönbrunn Palace

  U1 one stop to Karlsplatz, change to U4 towards Hütteldorf, get off at Schönbrunn

  • U4 to Hietzing for the west side of the park and the zoo

• Innere Stadt (1st)Upper Belvedere

  S-Bahn to Wien Quartier Belvedere

  • Walk from Karlsplatz or Schwarzenbergplatz

• StephansplatzPrater and the Riesenrad (Leopoldstadt, 2nd)

  U1 towards Leopoldau to Praterstern (3 stops)

  • U2 to Praterstern from Karlsplatz or Volkstheater
  • S-Bahn to Praterstern

• KarlsplatzMuseumsQuartier / Volkstheater

  U2 one or two stops (Museumsquartier, Volkstheater)

  • Walk along the Ring (Opera, Burggarten, Hofburg)

• StephansplatzAlte Donau (Old Danube bathing area)

  U1 towards Leopoldau, seven stops to Alte Donau

  • U1 to Donauinsel for Danube Island

• Heiligenstadt (U4)Kahlenberg via Grinzing (Heuriger wine taverns)25 min

  Bus 38A from Heiligenstadt via Grinzing to Kahlenberg

  • Walk down the Wanderweg 1 trail through the vineyards in summer

• Innere Stadt (1st)Vienna Central Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof, Simmering 11th)

  Tram 71

  • S-Bahn to Zentralfriedhof stop (by the old Jewish section)
  • U3 to Simmering, about 2 km away

• Innere Stadt (1st)Brunnenmarkt / Yppenplatz (Ottakring, 16th)

  U6 to Thaliastraße, then about a 5-minute walk

  • U3 to Westbahnhof, change to U6

• Innere Stadt (1st)Ring boulevard sightseeing loop25 min

  Vienna Ring Tram (yellow), full circuit about 25 minutes

  • Walk Karlsplatz - Opera - Hofburg - Parliament - City Hall - University - Schottentor

• Wien HauptbahnhofPrague (Praha hlavní nádraží)

  ÖBB/ČD Railjet via Brno, direct

• Vienna (Danube Canal / Reichsbrücke area)Bratislava75 min

  Twin City Liner catamaran

  • Train or coach (not detailed)

To and from the airport

VIE (Vienna International Airport, Schwechat)

• Train · 20 minEUR 5.50 single (EUR 2.30 from the airport to the Vienna city boundary + EUR 3.20 in the Vienna core zone); children 6-14 EUR 2.80; under 6 free. With a Vienna City Card or a multi-day Wiener Linien ticket you only need the EUR 2.30 extension. Validate before travel.

  Until the end of October 2027 the S7 and REX7 do not reach the city centre: the REX7 runs to Wien Hauptbahnhof (U1) in about 20 minutes, and the S7 only as far as Wien St. Marx (change to tram 18 or 71, or bus 74A to Landstraße; the U3 is about a 10-minute walk). Both run from early morning until around midnight. The cheapest rail option.

• Bus · 21 minEUR 14.90 single, EUR 24.90 return (valid six months); children under 15 free; discounts for holders of a KlimaTicket, a Wiener Linien annual pass or an ÖBB Vorteilscard. Vienna city tickets are not valid on the CAT.

  City Airport Train (CAT), run as a non-stop premium bus between Vienna Airport (Terminal 3) and Wien Mitte/Landstraße (U3/U4; stop at Marxergasse 1b) from 24 August 2026 to 31 October 2027, in 21 minutes. Every 12 minutes 07:00-19:00, otherwise every 15 minutes; last buses 23:15 from Wien Mitte and 23:37 from the airport. The CAT City Check-in at Wien Mitte is suspended.

• Train · 15 minEUR 5.50 single on the VOR fare (EUR 2.30 to the city boundary + EUR 3.20 in Vienna); children 6-14 EUR 2.80; under 6 free

  ÖBB Railjet and Intercity trains run twice an hour non-stop from the airport station to Wien Hauptbahnhof in about 15 minutes and to Wien Meidling (U6) in just under 30 minutes; several Railjets continue west to Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Munich or Graz without changing.

• BusEUR 11 single, EUR 20 return; children 6-14 EUR 6 single, EUR 11 return; under 6 free. Vienna city tickets are not valid on the Vienna Airport Bus

  Vienna Airport Bus (Österreichische Postbus, outside VOR), five lines: 1 to Hauptbahnhof and Westbahnhof (40 min), 2 to Morzinplatz/Schwedenplatz (about 20 min), 3 to Kaisermühlen VIC and Donauzentrum (about 40 min, hourly), 4 to Karlsplatz (26 min) and 5 to Praterstern (28 min); most lines every 30 minutes from early morning to about 01:00. Tickets online, from the driver (cash only) or from machines at the airport and Westbahnhof. Other coaches run to Bratislava, Budapest and Brno.

• TaxiFare not verified

  Taxis and car rental are available at the airport, which sits next to the A4 motorway.

Good to know

• There are no ticket barriers anywhere, but plain-clothes inspectors check at random: buy and, where needed, validate before you ride (on trams and buses you can also buy or validate on board). Without a valid ticket you pay the fare plus EUR 131.60 on the spot (EUR 141.60 within two weeks, EUR 181.60 later).
• City tickets do not cover the City Airport Train or the Vienna Airport Bus; the airport is outside the Vienna core zone, so on the S7, REX7 or Railjet buy the EUR 5.50 airport single, or just a EUR 2.30 extension if you have a Vienna City Card or a multi-day ticket.
• Until the end of October 2027 the CAT runs as a bus between the airport and Wien Mitte (21 minutes), the S7 stops short at Wien St. Marx and the REX7 runs to Hauptbahnhof.
• On Friday and Saturday nights and before public holidays the U-Bahn runs all night every 15 minutes; on other nights NightLine buses take over from about 00:30 to 05:00.
• The U2/U5 works are changing the U2 between Karlsplatz and Rathaus; check signage at Karlsplatz, Museumsquartier, Volkstheater and Rathaus.
• For Grinzing and Kahlenberg take U4 to Heiligenstadt and bus 38A; for the Central Cemetery take tram 71.
• The historic centre is flat and compact: many sights on the Ring are quicker on foot than by transfer.

Useful apps

• AnachB (VOR trip planner and tickets)
• SCOTTY (ÖBB/VOR timetables)
• WienMobil (Wiener Linien tickets and route planner)
• ÖBB app (tickets for airport trains)