5 Ways To Travel From Vienna Airport To The City

Here I’ll be looking at 5 different methods of transportation you can use to get from Vienna Airport (VIE - Flughafen Wien-Schwechat) to Vienna City Centre (or vice-versa). I’ll be covering the cheap, the convenient, the flexible and the fast transport options.

Contents

• S7 Or Railjet Train - The Cheap Option
• CAT Train - The Convenient Option
• Bus - The Flexible Option
• Uber - The Fast Option

S7 or Railjet Train - The Cheap Option

If you’re travelling from Vienna Airport to the city. I think the S7 or Railjet Trains (2 distinct routes) are the all around best options. They offer the cheapest method of travel on this list (€4.20 for an adult single ticket).

The Railjet train leaves the airport every 30 minutes and it stops at Vienna Main Station (15 minute travel time) and Wien Meidling (30 minute travel time).

The Railjet train offers a range of comfort categories (Business, 1st class and 2nd class), has an on board restaurant, bicycle spaces, pram parking and free Wi-Fi.

Source: OBB - Railjet Train Exterior

The S7 train (below) leaves the airport every 30 minutes and it stops at two centrally located Vienna stations, Wien Mitte (25 minute travel time) and Praterstern (30 minute travel time).

Source: OBB - CityJet Train s7 Exterior

Source: OBB - Cityjet Train s7 INterior

The newer Cityjet trains are very well-equipped with AC, as well as comfortable, adjustable ergonomic seats. Each seat has a lamp, a power outlet and a laptop table. The train only offers 2nd class service but it does have space for bicycles and on-board Wi-Fi.

The main disadvantage is that you might struggle to find space for larger luggage items.

Tickets:

S7 Tickets and Railjet tickets can be purchased through the OEBB website, at an ÖBB ticket counter or at a ticket machine. All tickets must be validated before the journey.

• Adult: €4.20 Single

• Child (6-14): €2.10 Single

• Child (under 6): Free

CAT Train - The Convenient Option

The City Airport Train (CAT) is the better marketed railway travel option to Vienna City Centre. It will get you from Vienna Airport to Wien Mitte in 16 minutes but tickets are more expensive as a result (€12 for an adult single).

Source: City Airport Train (CAT) Vienna

One of the main advantages of the CAT is the free flight check-in and baggage drop option at Wien Mitte (city centre). You can complete your flight check-in (select Star Alliance Flights only) at the City Air Terminal from 5am to 9pm daily. And you can complete your check-in from 24 hours to 75 minutes before your flight departure (airline-dependant).

You can drop off your bag here so you don’t have to carry your main luggage with you on the CAT train. There is also a newer self-baggage drop-off option which you can use to check in yourself. This is available for Austria, Lufthansa, Eurowings, Swiss and Brussels Airlines customers).

Source: City Airport Train (CAT) - City Air Terminal Check In and Baggage Drop

Tickets:

CAT tickets can be purchased through the CAT website, from ticket machines and from the airport tourist information.

• Adult: €12 Single (Return: €21 - 6 months validity)

• Child (under 15): Free

Note: Children under 15 travel free in the CAT, whereas travel is only free for under 6s in the S7 train.

Bus - The Flexible Option

There are a few major bus options from Vienna Airport to the city centre. I’ll be looking at the VAL (Vienna Airport Lines) and Air-Liner options.

• VAL 1 - Vienna Airport to Westbahnhof (40 minute travel time)

• VAL 2 - Vienna Airport to Morzinplatz/Schwedenplatz (22 minute travel time)

• VAL 3 - Vienna Airport to Donauzentrum (39 minute travel time)

• Air-Liner - Vienna Airport to Vienna Main Station via Erdberg (28 minute travel time)

Tickets:

You can purchase VAL tickets through the VAL website, from a bus driver (cash only) or from ticket machines. Air-Liner tickets can be purchased through the Air Liner website, from the sales counter at the Erdberg stop or from the bus driver directly.

• VAL Adult: €8 Single (Return: €13)

• VAL Child (6-14): €4 Single (Return: €8)

• VAL Child (under 6): Free

• Air Liner Adult: Single €5 (Return: €9)

• Air Liner Child (6-12): Single €2.50 (Return €4.50)

• Air Liner Child (under 6): Free

Uber - The Fast Option

Uber is the fast option from Vienna Airport to the city centre. Travel time and price can vary due to traffic and surge pricing (due to high Uber demand). As a rule of thumb, an Uber from the Airport to Wien Mitte will take around 15 minutes and it will cost around €31 (cheapest).

UberX, Comfort, Black, Van and Green are all available from Vienna Airport (prices vary based on the service you choose)

If you’re new to Uber, you can also use my Uber Invite code: andrewy2730ue or sign up using this link to get a discount off of your 1st ride.