WELCOME IN VIENNA!

Here you will find useful information for your visit in Vienna

Getting to Vienna

Arrival at the international airport of Vienna
Vienna international airport is located about 16 km south-east of Vienna. The journey time to Vienna is approx. 15 – 30 min. depending on the means of transport (train, bus ort taxi). Keep in mind that the actual jouney time may also depend on the traffic conditions, if you are going by bus or taxi.

Whether you opt for City-Airport-Train (CAT), ÖBB Railjet, bus (Vienna Airport Lines) or rapid transit railway S7 depends on your destination.

Arrival at the international airport of Bratislava
Some low cost carriers do not alight at the Vienna International Airport but use the Airport Bratislava in Slovakia which is located 65km from the center of Vienna.
From the airport you can either take the Bus (Slovak Lines or Blaguss Slovakia) directly to Vienna Südtiroler Platz (journey time approx. 1.5 hours) or you take at first the busline 61 from the airport to the main trains station in Bratislava (journey time approx. ca. 25 min.) and then the train to the main train station in Viennauptbahnhof (journey time approx. 1 hour).

Arrival by car
When travelling to Vienna by car, please take note of the rules for short-term parking zones in Vienna:

Since 1 March 2022, the area-wide short-stay parking zone has been in effect throughout Vienna. Parking is subject to a fee in every district of Vienna. You need a parking ticket ( 15 minutes parking ticket is free,1.25 euros per half hour) to park your vehicle in public parking spaces.
Monday to Friday from 9 am to 10 pm for a maximum parking time of 2 hours.

In the city center you will rarely find parking spaces. Alternatively we would recommend to park your car in one of the several public garages.

Arrival by train

Your can book your train ticket online or contact the Mobility Centre of ÖBB on tel. 05-1717 (from outside Austria dial +43-5-17 17).

In Vienna there are 4 major train stations – Central train station (Hauptbahnhof), Bahnhof Wien Meidling, train station west (Westbahnhof), Bahnhof Wien Mitte. Here you will find more information.

From all train stations you have access to public transportation to the city center.

Vienna Airport lies to the east of the city center and can be reached easily, comfortably and affordably by public transport.

City Airport Train (CAT)
The City Airport Train (CAT) connects the airport with the transport hub at Wien Mitte in only 16 minutes and offers numerous additional services such as the City Check-In with baggage drop.
The CAT is the quickest connection from the airport to downtown Vienna (Wien Mitte, connections to U3, U4, rapid transit railway) and plies between the airport and the city every 30 minutes.
Departure times from Vienna Airport to the City Air Terminal (Wien Mitte): daily from 6.09 am to 11.39 pm, every 30 minutes
Departure times from the City Air Terminal (Wien Mitte) to Vienna Airport: daily from 5.37 am to 11.07 pm, every 30 minutes
Tickets: Single: € 14,90 return: €24,90 (valid six months from date of purchase), 50 % discount with the Vienna City Card and for online bookings, children under the age of 15 travel free, wheelchair riders enjoy discounted tickets

ÖBB Railjet
The Railjets of Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) run non-stop from Vienna Airport to Vienna Main Station and Wien Meidling station. The Railjets carry you quickly and comfortably twice an hour from Vienna Airport to Vienna Main Station (U1) in 15 minutes, or to Wien Meidling station (U6) in about half an hour.
Departure times from Vienna Airport to Vienna Main Station and Wien Meidling station: daily from the airport from 6.33 am to 11.03 pm, every 30 minutes
Departure times from Vienna Main Station and Wien Meidling station to Vienna Airport: daily from Wien Meidling from 5.34 am to 10.00 pm, every 30 minutes, journey time approx. 30 minutes, daily from Vienna Main Station from 5.42 am to 10.12 pm, every 30 minutes, journey time 15 minutes
Tickets: Travelers with Vienna City Card or with multi-day tickets of Wiener Linien need only one additional ticket from the airport to the Vienna city limits for the price of €1.90 (available from ÖBB ticket machines or ÖBB ticket counters), adults: €4.30 (= €1.90 for the ticket from the airport to the Vienna city limits + €2.40 for the ticket within the Vienna urban area), children and youth aged from 6 to 14 years inclusive: €2.20 (= €1.00 for the ticket from the airport to the Vienna city limits + €1.20 for the ticket within the Vienna urban area), children under 6 years of age ride free of charge

Vienna Airport Lines – Bus connections
The buses of Vienna Airport Lines take you direct to Vienna city center, to the Donauzentrum via Messezentrum and Vienna International Centre (VIC)/Austria Center Vienna, or to the Westbahnhof and Vienna Main Station.
Departure times VAL1:
Vienna Airport – Vienna Main Station (South, connection to U1) – Vienna Westbahnhof Station (Europaplatz/connection to U3, U6) in 40 minutes from 6.15 am to 2.15 am every hour
Vienna Westbahnhof Station (Europaplatz) – Vienna Main Station (South) – Vienna Airport in 40 minutes from 3.30 am to 3.00 am every hour
Departure times VAL 2:
Vienna Airport – Morzinplatz/Schwedenplatz (connection to U1, U4) in 22 minutes from 4:45 am to 2:45 am every hour.
Morzinplatz/Schwedenplatz – Vienna Airport in 20 minutes from 4:15 am to 3:15 am.
Departure times VAL3:
Vienna Airport – Donauzentrum (connection to U1) in 39 minutes at 7.00, 9.00, 11.00, 14.00, 16.00 and 18.00                                                              Donauzentrum – Vienna Airport in 42 minutes at 5.58, 7.58, 9.58, 11.58, 14.58, 16.58 and 18.58
Please note the timetables on the Vienna Airport Lines website , as changes may occur at short notice.
Tickets: Adults: Single: €9, return: €15 with the Vienna City Card or ÖBB Vorteilscard, single: €8, return: €14, Children under 6 years of age travel for free, children and young adults 6-14 years single: €4,50 return: €9, You can buy tickets online, directly from the bus driver (cash payment) or from the ticket machines of Vienna Airport Lines at Vienna Airport or Vienna Westbahnhof station.

Express train S7
Rapid transit railway line S7 departs the airport every 30 minutes and stops at the centrally located stations of Wien Mitte and Wien Praterstern, with transfers to Vienna’s rapid transit railway and subway network. The journey from the airport to Wien Mitte takes 25 minutes, and to Vienna Praterstern about half an hour.
Departure times from Vienna Airport to the city: daily from 5.18 am to 12.18 am, every 30 minutes
Departure times from Wien Praterstern station to the airport: daily from 4.15 am to 11.45 pm, every 30 minutes
Departure times from Wien Mitte station to the airport: daily from 4.19 am to 11.49 pm, every 30 minutes
Tickets: Travelers with the Vienna City Card (red card) or with multi-day tickets of Wiener Linien need only one additional ticket from the airport to the Vienna city limits for the price of €1.80 (available online, at the ÖBB ticket counter at the airport and at ticket machines), Adults: € 4,20 (= €1.80 for the ticket from the airport to the Vienna city limits + €2.40 for the ticket within the Vienna urban area), children and youth aged from 6 to 14 years inclusive: €2.10 (= €0.90 for the ticket from the airport to the Vienna city limits + €1.20 for the ticket within the Vienna urban area), children under 6 years of age ride free of charge

* Rates based on 2023

Check passport and visa requirements in due time before you leave. Please ask the nearest consulate whether you need a visa for entering Austria.

Austria has signed the Schengen Treaty, which eliminated the border controls between countries.

The Schengen Area currently consists besides of Austria the EU-Countries Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Spain (except Great Britain and Ireland), as well as EWR-Countries Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Visitors from a country which is not a member of the Schengen Treaty need only a valid passport or a valid passport with a valid visa.

If you do not exactly know if you need a visa for Austria or not we could recommend following sites:

Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs
Austrian Embassies, career and honorary consulates

Good to know

Time
Vienna is in the CET (Central European Time) – 1 hour ahead of the UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). Daylight saving time or summer time in Austria begins on the last Sunday in March at 1:00 am UTC and ends on the last Sunday in October at 1:00 am UTC.

Please use the following World Time Zone Map or check the actual time in Vienna.

Language
German is spoken in Austria, and the most commonly spoken foreign language is English.

Weather
Vienna has a mild continental climate. Even if the occasional winter day is icy and some days in high summer can bring sweltering heat to the palaces of the old city, most days of the year the weather matches the residents of the city: friendly, mild and moderate in every respect …

You can either check the weather in Vienna at the moment or see the forecast.

On the listing below you will see the average temperatures in Austria in the last years.

Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Max temp in °C 3 5 10 15 20 23 25 25 20 14 7 3
Min temp in °C -3 -2 2 6 10 13 15 15 11 6 2 -1
Rainfall in mm 38 42 41 51 61 74 63 58 45 41 50 43

Average maximum/minimum daily temperatures in degrees Celsius and monthly rainfall in millimetres.

The most important temperatures in degrees Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit:
-5°C = 23°F
0°C = 32°F
5°C = 41°F
10°C = 50°F
15°C = 59°F
20°C = 68°F
25°C = 77°F
30°C = 86°F
25°F = -3,9°C
35°F = 1,7°C
45°F = 7,2°C
55°F = 12,8°C
65°F = 18,3°C
75°F = 23,9°C
85°F = 29,4°C

Electricity: The main voltage in Austria is 230 V AC.

Connector plug/outlet correspond generally to the Euro-norm. The required plug type is „Type F“ or „Schuko“, the Europlug (Type C) is working as well.

Units of measure
The metric system is used in Austria. The most important weights and measures:

Metric = Great Britain / USA
1 gram (g) = 0.0353 ounces
1 kilo(gram) (kg) = 2.204 pounds
1 centimeter (cm) = 0.393 inches
1 meter (m) = 3.281 feet / 1.093 yards
1 kilometer (km) = 0.621 miles

Great Britain / USA = Metric
1 ounce (oz) = 28.349 grams
1 pound (lb) = 0.453 kilo(grams)
1 inch (in) = 2.540 centimeters
1 foot (ft) = 0.304 meters
1 yard (yd) = 3 feet = 0.914 meters
1 mile (mi) = 1760 yards = 1,609 kilometers

Great Britain / USA = Metric
1 US pint (pt) = 0.473 liters
1 UK pint (pt) = 0.568 liters
1 US gallon (gal) = 3.785 liters
1 UK gallon (gal) = 4.456 liters

The most popular credits are usually accepted in Vienna, although sometimes their use is subject to a minimum purchase amount. You can use your Maestro card (bank ATM card) almost everywhere – especially in shops – even for small amounts.

Bank Opening Hours
Monday till Friday: 09:00 – 18:00
Closed on Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays
In the city centre (1st district), almost all banks are open over lunchtime.

Exchange offices
You will find them at railway stations and in the city center.
Since March 2002 the only official Austrian currency is the Euro “ € „. To convert your currency into Euro, please use the Currency Converter based on daily market rates.

Automated teller machines (cash dispensers)
Cash dispenser can be found outside of banks where cash can be withdrawn around the clock. Nationale and internationale Maestro cards are accepted.

Credit Cards
Most of the hotels, restaurants and shops accept international valid credit cards. If you have questions concerning your credit card please contact your credit card institute in Austria:

American Express Bank Ltd.
Kaerntner Strasse 21-23, A-1015 Vienna
+43 1 515 110  or 0800 900 940

Diners Club Bank AG
Lassallestraße 3, A-1020 Vienna
43 1 50 135 14 or +43 1 50 135 135

Europay Austria / Paylife
Marxergasse 1b, A-1030 Vienna
+43 5 99 06 4500 or +43 5 99 06 0

Visa Service AG /Card complete Service Bank AG
Lassallestraße 3, 1020 Vienna
+43 1 711 11 0

Tipping
In many areas such as gastronomy, in taxis, at hairdressers, at service stations, tipping is traditionally expected. Usually, the tip amounts to about 5 to 10 percent, but the size of the tip should be according to your satisfaction with the services rendered.

Emergency numbers
Following telephones numbers can be used in any case of an emergency:

Euro emergency number 112
Fire department 122
Police 133
Ambulance & medical emergency services 144
Emergency doctor 141
Vienna Med 0043 / 1 513 95 95 (physicians‘ service for hotel guests in Vienna)
Night and weekend dental services  0043 / 1 512 20 78 (recorded message in German)
Pharmacies open nights and Sundays 1455 (recorded message in German)

Breakdown service
ARBÖ (Automobile, Motorbike and Cycling Club) 123
ÖAMTC (Austrian Automobile, Motorbike and Touring Club) 120

Lost and found office
During workhours: 0043 / 1 4000 8091 (in German and English)
Service hotline 0900 600 200 (in German and English)

Safety
Vienna is a safe city and the Viennese are friendly and helpful – as are most visitors to the city. Unfortunately, there are always exceptions. This is why you should have a look at the tips for your personal safety.

Pharmacy
Pharmacies are open from Monday to Friday from 8.00 am – 6.00 pm, usually without a lunch break, and on Saturday from 8.00 am – 12.00 noon. Outside of these times, a 24-hour pharmacies standby service is available throughout the city. For telephone information call tel. 1455.

What to do in Vienna?

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Vienna has a dense and extensive public transport network. It consists of underground (called „U-Bahn“), tramways (typical Viennese call it „Bim“) and buses operated by the Vienna Transport Authority (Wiener Linien). Additionally there is a metro railway network (called „S-Bahn“) run by the Austrian Federal Railways ÖBB, which reaches out to the vicinity of Vienna.

Tickets are sold from dispensers, Wiener Linien ticket counters, in tobacco kiosks and directly on tramways. Please note that there are no dispensers  in the underground, bus or railway, you have to buy and validate tickets before entering.

Tickets can be purchased online as well. One ticket is valid for all public transportation within Vienna!

<< Undergroundmap >>

Validate tickets
Tickets bought in advance must be punched in a blue ticket-cancelling machine in the tram or bus or at the barrier before you board the underground train. If you travel without a valid ticket you have to pay € 105,-*

Ticket for single trip
can be used for any single trip within Vienna (also valid during night service). You may change lines, but you may not interrupt your journey. € 2,40 * or € 2,60*  if you buy it at a ticket machine in a tram (you need change for the exact amount of the fare because these ticket machines do not give change).

Children up to the age of 6 always travel free. Children aged up to 15 travel free on Sundays and public holidays as well as during Vienna school vacations (photo ID required). Outside of these times: children (6 to 15 years) can ride with a half-price ticket € 1,20 *.

24-hours Vienna Ticket
is valid throughout Vienna for exactly 24 hours from the time it is punched (also valid during night service)
€ 8,00*

48-hours Vienna Ticket
is valid throughout Vienna for exactly 72 hours from the time it is punched (also valid during night service)
€ 14,10 *

72-hours Vienna Ticket
is valid throughout Vienna for exactly 72 hours from the time it is punched (also valid during night service)
€ 17,10 *

7 Days Vienna
The new Ticket 7  Days Vienna is the flexible digital weekly ticket for the public transport system. You can freely choose the validity date. From the selected start date, the ticket is valid for seven days (until 01:00 on the eighth day) on all public transport in the core zone of Vienna.
€ 17,10 *

Vienna Card
is the ideal „entrance ticket“ to the city: a 24/48 or 72-hour rover ticket valid on the underground, on trams and buses (also valid during night service), with additional discounts and benefits. Punch it once and enjoy all the benefits. Comes with a comprehensive information brochure.
€ 17,00 / € 25,00 / € 29,00 *

Operating Times
The subway lines in Vienna run on weekdays from about 5:00 a.m. to about midnight. Most tram and bus services end earlier. During the nighttime hours, night buses cover the major routes in Vienna. You can also use the night buses at no extra charge with all tickets issued by Wiener Linien.
The five Vienna subway lines run without interruption at intervals of 15 minutes on Friday and Saturday night and on the evening of public holidays. The night bus networks will be aligned to this new service offered by Wiener Linien.

You can use the online journey planer route planner of the Vienna Transport Authority to calculate the optimal route of your trip

TAXI IN VIENNA
Radio taxi: 31 300, 40 100, 60 160. The fare is shown on officially calibrated taximeters. The starting rate during the day is 3.40 € (6:00 am-11:00 pm) *; at night  ( 11:00 pm – 6:00 am) and on Sundays and public holidays 3.80 € *, surcharge for radio taxis: 2,00- € *. For rides from and to the airport, which is located outside of the city limits: surcharge 10.– € *. Therefore you should inquire about special airport rates.

CAR RENTAL
Car Rental Flott
www.flott.at

Car Rental FunCar
www.funcar.at

Car Rental Budget-Car & Van Rental
www.budget.at

Car Rental Europcar
www.europcar.at

Car Rental Avis
www.avis.at

FIACRE
Fiacre stands: Stephansplatz, Heldenplatz (sometimes also on Michaelerplatz), Albertinaplatz, Petersplatz, Burgtheater; small sightseeing tour 55.- € */ carriage (about 30 minutes through the center of the city), large sightseeing tour 95.- € */ carriage (about 60 minutes along the Ring Boulevard and the old center of the city).

BICYCLE
Jump on your bicycle and hit the pedals: with a bicycle you travel fast, but still slowly enough to enjoy Vienna’s sights on the way. Vienna offers 1.100 kilometers of bicycle paths, some of them in areas with hardly any traffic. More information can be found here.

* Tarifes based on 2023. Subject to changes.

Opening times
Shops are generally open from 9:00 – 18:30 from Monday to Friday on workdays and from 9:00 – 17:00 on Saturdays.
Some are closed during the lunch time (12:00 to 14:00).
Supermarkets open at 8:00 and close at 19:00 during the week.
Several larger shops open until 20:00 from Monday to Friday and until 18:00 on Saturdays.
In several shopping centers opening hours on Thursday and Friday until 20:00 or 21:00 are common.
Shops remain closed on Sundays except of the shops at the airport and in the main train stations.

Shopping streets
Those who are hip and young in Vienna prefer to live and shop in Mariahilf (6th district) and Neubau (7th district). Mariahilfer Strasse is the city’s longest and most lively shopping street. It will be worth your while to explore the side streets, as this is where many out-of-the-ordinary shops and outlets have sprung up recently. I Shopping streets and pedestrian zones offer luxury goods and good values – at jeweler’s shops as well as antique stores, art stores, and fashion designer boutiques, the great luxury brands can be found in the city center between Kärntner Strasse, Graben and Kohlmarkt.

More info for shopping in Vienna you’ll find here.

Markets
Vienna is also famous for its markets, especially the Naschmarkt, next to the Secession (underground station Karlsplatz) with an overwhelming variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, meat and specialties from many countries e.g. Italy, Greece and Turkey and of course Austria.

Shopping Center
Famous shopping centers are the Ringstrassen-Galerie (1st district), Steffl (1st district), Millenium City (20th district), Lugner City (15th district), Donauzentrum (Kagran), BahnhofCity Wien Hauptbahnhof, BahnhofCity Wien West, SCN (Floridsdorf), SCS (Vösendorf) and Gasometer (underground station U3).

Refund of Value-Added Tax (VAT)
Foreign tourists with residence outside the EU may obtain a refund on the VAT they pay on single purchases totaling over € 75.-, by completing certain customs formalities when taking the goods out of the country. The relevant form is issued directly at the store and the goods must be taken out of the country within 3 months and must receive a stamp from the EU border customs office as confirmation.

The ”Global Refund Cheque”, with which you receive a tax refund upon leaving the EU internal market, is available at all stores with the sign ”Global Blue TAX FREE SHOPPING”. Here you find more information.

Attention: For tourists with residence within the European Union obtaining refunds on VAT is unfortunately no longer possible!

Post offices
Most post offices in Vienna are open between 8.00 am and 6.00 pm. Outside of the city centre, many postal counters are closed over lunch.

Viennese Cafés
The Viennese coffee house is known around the globe for its informal pleasantness, as an oasis of gemütlichkeit. Traditional cafés entice with a wide variety of coffee drinks, international newspapers and pastry creations. Since 2011, the traditional Viennese coffee house culture has even belonged to the intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO. Modern representatives of the genre enrich the tradition with stylish flair. A close relative of the café is the pastry shop. Their specialty, pies and cakes, are the icing on Vienna’s dolce vita in the form of Bundt cake and Sachertorte. Our recommendation: Café Central – This legendary literati café, which counted Arthur Schnitzler, Peter Altenberg and Adolf Loos among its regulars, has a charm of its own that transforms a visit into an experience. Viennese cuisine, homemade cakes and pastries and piano music.

Viennese wine & Heurige
Vienna is the only metropolis that grows enough wine within its city limits to make it worth mentioning. 700 hectares of Viennese vineyards leave their mark on the cityscape and its culture of pleasure. Wine growing has a long tradition in Vienna. White wines are grown in around 80 percent of the vineyards, with the Wiener Gemischter Satz being a specialty. Nowadays, Vienna presents itself as a city with a lively wine scene. Viennese wine is enjoyed in the city’s many bars and restaurants or on the edge of town in wine taverns that offer wine from their own vineyards and buffet tables piled high with home-made delicacies.

Opening hours
Most restaurants in the city centre are open daily. Hot food is generally offered from 11.00 am – 2.00 pm and from 6.00 pm – 10.00 pm. Many restaurants also serve hot food throughout the day. Some restaurants, often outside the city centre, are closed on one day each week, sometimes on Sundays as well.  Night-owls can silence late or even early hunger pangs at a typical Viennese sausage stand. More on Vienna’s restaurants

There is much to see: From Gothic St. Stephen’s Cathedral to the Imperial Palace to the Art Nouveau splendour of the Secession, from the magnificent baroque palace Schönbrunn to the Museum of Fine Arts to modern architecture at the MuseumsQuartier. Record-breaking: In Vienna, there are over 27 castles and more than 150 palaces.

Most of Vienna’s museums open their doors daily. Some are closed once a week, often either on Monday or Tuesday. The daily opening times vary from museum to museum, but you can generally assume that a museum will be open between 10.00 am and 5.00 pm. Some of the large museums offer art lovers one late evening per week and stay open until 8.00 pm or 9.00 pm. All details at Vienna’s attractions.

Never been to Vienna before? With this 72-hour program, you’re guaranteed not to miss a thing on your first visit to Vienna:
Day 1:
Vienna State Opera – St. Stephens Cathedral – Mozarthaus Vienna – Imperial Palace (Hofburg) – Art History Museum – MuseumsQuartier Wien – Secession – Musikverein – St. Charles‘ Church – Vienna Konzerthaus – Johann Strauss Monument – House of Music – Albertina
Day 2:
Burggarten – Heldenplatz – Spanish Riding School – Parliament – City Hall – Burgtheater – Judenplatz – Belvedere – Bermudadreieck
Day 3:
Palace Schönbrunn – Park at Palace Schönbrunn- Palm House – Schönbrunn Zoo – Gloriette – Ferris Wheel

Spanish Riding School
The „High School“ of riding can be experienced in the Riding School in the Imperial Palace during the morning work or at a gala presentation of the Spanish Riding School. Tours of the Lippizaners‘ stables in the Imperial Palace are also offered. You can obtain tickets and dates directly from the Spanish Riding School.

Vienna Boys‘ Choir

Every Sunday from mid-September to the end of June, the Vienna Boys‘ Choir performs Sunday mass in the Hofburg Chapel at 9.15 am. You can get tickets for this directly from the Hofmusikkapelle. On Fridays, the Vienna Boys‘ Choir gives concerts at the MuTH (Music THeater), starting at 5.30 pm.