VIENNA TRANSPORTATION (AustriaHotels.com)
Vienna International Airport
Vienna International Airport
(VIE) is 20 kilometers southeast of downtown Vienna.
It is sometimes referred to as
"Schwechat", the name of the nearby town.
From the airport, the City Airport Train (CAT)
will take you into the center of
Vienna in just 16 minutes. It
leaves every half hour, costs €10, and arrives at the City Air Terminal
in downtown Vienna (Wien-Mitte).
From there you can take public transport or a taxi to your hotel. Shuttle buses
also depart from the airport to the main train station (Westbahnhof) on the southwest side of Vienna.
Arriving by Train
Vienna has 2 main train stations:
the West station (Westbahnhof) and South
station (Südbahnhof). The West station serves trains
from the west and northwest (including Salzburg, Munich, Frankfurt,
Zurich, and other cities in Switzerland and France). To link these 2 stations, a
tunnel (known as the Wildschweintunnel = "boar tunnel") is being
built underneath Lainzer Zoo. A new
train station (to be called Vienna-Central) is being built south of South
Station which will give Vienna a main train station for the first
time.
Note: many inbound trains also stop at Hütteldorf or Meidling.
Arriving by Car
As a capital city, Vienna can be reached by many European highways. Traffic in
the city can be heavy. The inner city districts from 1 to 9 have short-term
parking (one hour).
Getting Around Vienna ... by tram, underground
& bus
Vienna’s underground (U-bahn) has 5 lines (red,
violet, brown, orange & green) within the city. The S-bahn (short
for Schnellbahn, which means "fast train") is the suburban railway
network serving the metropolitan area.
The world-famous Vienna tram is the third largest in the world and is
very efficient. It was once horse-drawn
(in 1868), then steam-powered (starting in 1885), and then electrified (1901-1969)
with overhead wires. Buy a
ticket in advance for these above-ground vehicles at offices of the Vienna Transport Authority
for only € 1.50
(versus €2 when purchased inside the tram) ... and be sure to insert your ticket into
the "stamper" machine after boarding the tram.
(Note: Vienna uses an "honor system" for public transit. There are no
turnstile gates in the underground ... or ticket checks when boarding trams or
buses; instead, passengers may be checked by officials coming aboard to do
random checks. If you do not have a ticket, you will pay a heavy fine!)
A “Vienna Card”
(€ 12 at ticket machines, tobacconists & ticket offices) is valid
on the underground, trams & buses for 72
hrs. from the time it is punched.
An 8-day card (€ 24) can be used for
several travelers in the same group (just punch
1 strip for each person).
NOTE: Children under 6
years travel free, and
those under 15 years travel free on Sundays,
public holidays and school
holidays.
Sightseeing Tips
First-time visitors to Vienna might want to stay in the
Innere Stadt (the central core of the city). Hotels here are close to
Stephansplatz (the
lively historic square dominated by the Gothic-style St. Stephen’s Cathedral).
Those wanting to be close to the main train station (Westbahnhof) or the main
art museum (Kunsthistorisches Museum) might prefer
to choose the Neubau neighborhood instead.
AustriaHotels.com hopes you enjoy
your stay in VIENNA --- the cultural capital of Mittel Europa!
Getting Around Vienna ... by tram, underground
& bus