[German: Wie kommt man von Wien zum Flughafen?]
Vienna International Airport (airport code: VIE) is outside the city limits, about 20km (12.5 miles) from the city center.
- See also:
Car, train or bus?
(The non-stop CAT train takes you from Wien Mitte station out to the airport in 16 minutes; press photo © 2022 City Airport Train)
As you can imagine, the airport’s easy to reach by car, taxi, train or bus. Below are travel tips and details for each. But before we start, three helpful pointers:
- If you have an early flight, here’s some advice on airport hotels (we have two within walking distance of the terminals)
- Most transport routes use the standard “plane” symbol on signs and information, but it might help to know that the German for airport is Flughafen
So Vienna airport is Flughafen Wien, and you sometimes see it referred to by the name of the nearest major town: Flughafen Schwechat or Flughafen Wien – Schwechat.
- The airport is outside the Vienna travel zone
This means single-journey public transport tickets (and network passes) valid for Vienna will only get you to the city limits and not the airport.
Option 1: By taxi / car
The Welcome people’s airport pickup service* also offers a service for those going to the airport: you can pre-book a car transfer from, for example, your accommodation using an easy online English interface.
Basic *pre-booked* taxi transfers to the airport typically cost from around €40 last time I checked. You can find a list of selected local airport taxi services here. Don’t forget to tip the driver.
Another alternative is a car sharing service or a service like Uber, of course, if you’re a user.
The journey
The airport and returns for hired cars* are easy to reach by road. Journey times depend, of course, on where you leave from and when. In good traffic, you can reach the airport from the centre of Vienna in around 20-25 minutes. In bad traffic, well…longer.
The address for your Sat-Nav is Abflugstrasse in the town of Schwechat, but it should be a POI anyway.
Simply leave Vienna southeast on the B227 road which runs parallel to the Danube canal and morphs into the A4 Ost-Autobahn (motorway). The airport is just off the motorway and has its own, clearly-signed exit (Junction 13, “Flughafen”).
Option 2: By train
Various train lines serve the airport, but these are your two main choices: the express CAT (City Airport Train) or the slower S7 Schnellbahn (city train).
The CAT
This is the dedicated express train link between Vienna and the airport. It leaves from Wien Mitte – Landstraße station and delivers you to the airport (and vice versa) in 16 minutes, with no stops en route.
Wien Mitte – Landstraße is a large station close to the centre (just east of the old town) and sitting on various public transport lines, including:
- Subway (U3 and U4)
- Tram (line O)
- Train (S1, S2, S3, S4, S7)
- Bus (74A)
On timetables and elsewhere, the station name is sometimes shortened to just Landstraße or just Wien Mitte, but it’s all part of one complex.
The CAT is fast, modern and comfortable, with plenty of space for luggage. All good so far.
However, the CAT does cost more than the S7. Last time I checked, you paid €14.90 for a standard single adult ticket (which you can buy online* in advance) and the train only leaves from (and arrives at) Wien Mitte.
The timetable begins in the early morning and trains typically depart every 30 mins until very late evening.
S7 and other trains
This is the city train that stops at various points in Vienna and goes out to the airport and back again.
The S7 takes longer than the CAT with stops en route (around 23 minutes from Wien Mitte, for example). It also runs every 30 minutes or so.
In my experience, the S7 trains are fuller and somewhat less user-friendly than the CAT, particularly in terms of space for luggage. But the service is cheap (at the time of writing, €4.40 for a single ticket).
Another possible plus is you can catch the train at any of these Vienna city stations:
Floridsdorf, Handelskai, Traisengasse, Praterstern, Wien Mitte, Rennweg, St. Marx, Geiselbergstraße, Zentralfriedhof and Kaiserebersdorf
The train also calls in at Schwechat and Mannswörth stations between Vienna and the airport.
Some regional and other trains from Wien Mitte and Vienna’s main train station (Wien Hauptbahnhof) stop at the airport, too. You’ll find timetables, prices and online tickets (also for the S7) here.
Option 3: By bus
As with trains, various bus services go to the airport.
Vienna Airport Lines typically operates three services with pickup points throughout the city:
- VAL1: Westbahnhof railway station to VIE via Hauptbahnhof railway station
- VAL2: Morzinplatz/Schwedenplatz (at the edge of the old town) to VIE direct
- VAL3: Donauzentrum to VIE via:
- Kagraner Brücke
- Hotel NH Danube City
- VIC/Kaisermühlen
- Krieau (for the Messe Wien exhibition and congress center)
- Stadion
- Donaumarina
Journey times vary but can be as little as 20 minutes. Look for up-to-date prices, timetables etc. at the VAL website.
Option 4: By plane
Yeah, right.