Here’s what you need to know about using Vienna’s subway system: from tickets to travel tips…
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The U-Bahn
(Inside the new X-Wagen subway trains; press photo by and © Alexandra Gritsevskaja)
Vienna has an extensive subway system with five lines, around 109 subway stations, and some 84km (c.52 miles) of track.
Most importantly, the trains are clean, modern, and run at short intervals (especially during the workday). Every city subway has its peak times, but the Viennese system does not suffer the kind of congestion you see in for example, Tokyo.
Before I continue, though, with travel tips, nobody calls it a subway, metro or similar in Vienna. Here, the local word for subway is U-Bahn.
U-Bahn is the short form of the German word Untergrundbahn, which translates literally as underground railway.
(The U symbol alerts you to a subway station)
This explains why stations with a subway and entrances leading to a subway are marked with a U on signs and displays. And all the subway lines have that letter as a prefix.
Unlike in, say, London, where the lines have lovely names like Bakerloo or Hammersmith & City, the five Viennese subway lines are simply numbered numerically.
So we have the U1, U2, U3, U4, and…U6.
Ah. Yes.
The mystery of the missing U5.
Is it, perhaps, an abandoned line, where old newspapers drift ceaselessly in howling, subterranean winds?
No.
When city officials drew up plans for a formal subway network in the late 1960s, the intention was to build a U5 line.
For various reasons, however, such plans for a U5 were never implemented, not least because extensions to other lines partly replicated the proposed route. In the meantime, work on those other lines was already underway.
But a U5 line is now under construction: good news for those of us with completionist personalities.
How it works
(The U4 subway line on its way to Heiligenstadt station)
The subway is part of the wider Vienna municipal transport system run by the excellent public transport authorities: Wiener Linien.
Which means the public transport tickets you buy to get from A to B within Vienna are valid for all the subways. Your ticket is not linked to a particular mode of transport…just to the system.
If you want to get from Heiligenstadt to Stephansplatz, you buy a ticket valid for that journey and can travel by bus, tram, city train or subway. All the subway stations are within one zone (basically Vienna).
For all the details and ticket options, see my public transport overview.
Tip: Vienna has network passes specifically designed for visitors to the city, such as the Welcome Card or Vienna City Card. Or sightseeing passes with the option to upgrade with a network travel pass, like the Vienna Pass.
As the overview explains, Vienna works on an honesty system and has no ticket barriers in the subway stations. You just get on and off the trains as needed.
You may, however, come across roving undercover ticket checkers on the trains or staff doing spot checks at platform exits, of course. Which is a polite way of me saying…make sure you have a valid ticket.
The five lines
(The Vienna subway map; press photo by and © Wiener Linien)
Some quick info on the five lines and their importance for visitors:
U1
Route: between Leopoldau & Oberlaa and red on maps.
- Passes through three very central stations (Stephansplatz, Karlsplatz and Schwedenplatz)
- Connects the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof) and the city spa (Therme Wien) with the centre
- Goes out to the Prater, Donauinsel and Alte Donau recreational areas, as well as the UN complex and the Austria Centre Vienna convention venue
U2
Route: between Seestadt & Karlsplatz and purple on maps.
- Excellent potential for puns
- Serves central Karlsplatz station and five stations around the Ringstrasse that encircles the old town (Schottenring, Schottentor, Rathaus, Volkstheater, and MuseumsQuartier)
- Connects the centre with the Prater recreational area, the VIECON congress & convention center (formerly Wien Messe), and the national football stadium
U3
Route: between Ottakring & Simmering and orange on maps.
- Serves four very central stations (Volkstheater, Herrengasse, Stephansplatz, Stubentor)
- Connects two key railway stations with the centre: Westbahnhof and Landstraße – Wien Mitte (where express trains for the airport arrive & depart)
U4
Route: between Hütteldorf & Heiligenstadt and green on maps.
- Serves several central stations (Karlsplatz, Stadtpark, Schwedenplatz, Schottenring)
- Also connects Landstraße – Wien Mitte station with the centre
- Takes you out to the Schönbrunn Palace area (Schönbrunn and Hietzing stations)
U6
Route: between Siebenhirten & Floridsdorf and brown on maps.
- Takes you out to Vienna’s biggest hospital (the AKH), Westbahnhof station, and the Stadthalle (huge event centre)
Tips for using the subway
(Jägerstraße U6 station; note the platform signs; press photo by and © Helmer M.)
A few little bonus tips for you:
- Signs on platforms and at entrances work as you expect, usually giving the name of the line, the final destination, and intermediate stations
- Electronic displays on platforms also give the end destination of the next train(s) and the waiting time(s) in minutes
- Just before a subway train leaves, the announcement “Steigen Sie nicht mehr ein” (do not get on the train) comes over the loudspeakers, and lights flash red in doorways as they prepare to close. As the message says, you should now wait for the next train
- If doors do not open automatically, simply press the obvious button. However, the following stations on the U2 line have an entirely automated system and you should not press the door buttons at all, unless in an emergency: Rathaus, Volkstheater, MuseumsQuartier, Karlsplatz.
- The Wiener Linien Help Centre has various English-language FAQs on such matters as bikes on subways, etc.
And let me end with a reminder of related articles:
Happy travels!