Vienna International Airport — Flughafen Wien in German — is located in Schwechat, about 17 km south-east of the city. In addition, it is only 50 km from Bratislava and is therefore also convenient for those who want to visit the Slovak capital.
The Viennese public transport offers a high-quality service, ensuring fast and frequent connections. I suggest downloading the free ÖBB Scotty app, where you can find the closest bus/tram/metro stops and public transport timetables.
Vienna Airport: how to get to the city by public transport
The airport is well served by trains, buses and the subway, so getting to Vienna is really simple. The choice between these options depends primarily on where your hotel is located.
The map of Vienna Airport can be downloaded here.
The CAT (City Airport Train)
It is the fastest way to get directly to Vienna city centre. It only takes 16 minutes to travel from the Airport train station (Bahnhof Flughafen Wien) to Wien Mitte, where you can then take the subway (Wien Landstraße stop, lines U3—U4). The St. Stephen’s Cathedral is just 1 Km away from Mitte railway station.
The Viennese subway map is available on this page.
Connections are guaranted every day, from 5:30 am to 23:30 pm with a frequency of two trips per hour.
The additional convenience of the CAT — City Airport Train is the possibility of self-check-in by boarding your hold luggage directly at Wien Mitte station. In this way, once at the airport, you can immediately go to security area.
This service is intended for flights operated by Star Alliance group companies: Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss and Brussels Airlines.
Both at the airport and in the city, the platform reserved for CAT is easily recognizable thanks to the green signs located everywhere. The airport train station is situated on floor -1, easily accessible from the lobby of the Arrivals area.
Vienna CAT: fares and online purchase of travel tickets
Children up to 14 years old travel for free, while adults pay 14,90€ a single way or 24,90€ round trip. CAT tickets can be purchased online on this website, taking advantage of free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
To save money, you can consider the Vienna City Card+Airport Transfer, which includes:
– CAT and other connections from/to the airport;
– unlimited travel on public transport across the entire urban network;
– discounts on attractions, museums, restaurants, shops.
The card is valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours starting from its activation and the cost is 39€, 47€ and 51€ respectively. All information are available on the purchase page. All prices listed in this article are updated on January 2024.
The S7 Express Train
Compared to CAT it is cheaper but it requires a longer transfer times. Always leaving from the airport train station, you can reach Wien Mitte in 24 minutes and Wien Praterstern in 27 minutes.
Trains run every half hour, starting at 4 am until 1 am.
Express train S7: prices and online tickets
The S7 service costs €4,30 for adults and €2,20 for children aged 6 to 14; children under 6 travel for free. Tickets can be bought at the vending machines at the station or on the ÖBB website. Also this express train is included in the Vienna City Card+Airport Transfer.
Otherwise, depending on your plans you may decide to buy the Vienna City Card which can only be used in the urban area but still allows you to save money. In fact, in this case you just have to buy a ticket valid from the airport train station to the city border for €2 (€1 for children 6-14 years old).
The operation can be done only at the automatic machines, and once the departure and arrival stations are entered, just tick the box next to “from city border“. The same procedure has to be done for the return, making sure that the Vienna City Card is still valid.
I tell about my experience with the tourist card in this specific article.
ÕBB Railjet trains
This is a rail connection from the airport to Vienna Central Station (Wien Hauptbahnhof) and Wien Meidling station in about 15-30 minutes. In both cases it is possible to continue the journey by taking the subway, lines U1 and U6 respectively.
There are two trips per hour, starting from 5.30 am until 11 pm.
Children under 6 years travel for free, for adults the same fares apply as for the express train S7. Railjet trains are included in the Vienna City Card+Airport Transfer.
Buses of the “Vienna Airport Lines”
The last way to travel to/from the city is by taking the bus lines connecting Vienna Airport to different areas of the Austrian capital on an hourly basis.
VAL 1 is headed to the Central Station and the Westbahnhof in about 40 minutes. VAL 2 arrives to Morzinplatz/Schwedenplatz in 20 minutes. VAL 3 links the airport to the Donauzentrum and the Vienna International Centre VIC in 40 minutes but for this service there are fewer daily connections.
Timetables can be consulted on Vienna Airport Lines website.
The cost of travel tickets is €10,50 (single) and €17,50 (round trip) for adults while for children aged 6 to 14 it is €6 and €10. Vienna City Card holders get a €1 discount.
Tickets can be purchased online, at the vending machines at the airport or Westbahnhof station or directly on board (only cash payment). Please note that with the Vienna City Card+ Airport Transfer you can travel for free on all three lines.
The Airport bus terminal is located in the square in front of the Arrivals area.
