Vienna boasts a very extensive public transport network, which allows you to reach every corner of the city frequently and easily.

However, the compact city centre, where most of the sights are within easy reach, can also be comfortably explored on foot. Public transport here is operated by Wiener Linien.

Public transport tickets

Tickets are valid on all tram, bus, underground and train services (including the S-Bahn and all regional trains), as well as on the Wiener Lokalbahn tram line, within the so-called ‘Kernzone Wien’, which follows Vienna’s administrative boundaries.

If you travel by train or public transport bus beyond the boundaries of Vienna (for example, to the airport), you will have to pay a surcharge.

• Official website of the transport operator:wienerlinien.at
• Map of the public transport network

Fares and ticket types

• 1 journey with a digital ticket via the mobile app or website (80 minutes – unlimited changes) – 3 eur
• 1 journey with a paper ticket (80 minutes – unlimited transfers) – 3,20 eur
• 24 hours – 9,70 eur
• 7 days with a digital ticket viathe mobile app or website – 25,20 eur

Children under 6 travel free of charge.

Ticket to the airport

Vienna Schwechat Airport is located outside Vienna’s city limits, so the ticket types listed above will not be sufficient for your journey there. 

If you arrive in the centre of Vienna and want to go straight to the airport, simply buy a ‘5,30 eur ’ ticket for one person from an ÖBB ticket machine or on the oebb.atwebsite.

Many travellers combine their flight from Vienna with a city tour; in this case, you can only buy a special all-day ticket with an airport supplement for 14,20 eur via the ÖBB-VOR ticket machines.

You can find detailed information about transport to the airport in the articleVienna Airport .

Where can I buy tickets?

• Ticket machines at all underground stations and railway stations (card payments accepted) – you can use both Wiener Linien and ÖBB/VOR machines, where you must select the option ‘Vienna – City tickets for trips in Vienna’
• Ticketing machines on board trams; however, some older models do not accept cards
• Tobacco shops (Tabak)
• TheWienMobil mobile app
• Online shop wienerlinien.at

Route finder

You can search for connections between stops or from a specific point A to point B on the transport company’s official website:wienerlinien.at.

The WienMobil mobile app is also available (App Store / Google Play).

Book a hotel in Vienna near the underground

Metro and S-Bahn

The backbone of Vienna’s transport network consists of 5 metro lines (U-Bahn) and several S-Bahn lines, which will take you quickly to all the major destinations in Vienna. The metro is modern, fast and easy to navigate, and will be your main mode of transport for travelling longer distances. 

For a map of the Vienna Metro, details on using tickets at stations, timetables and other practical information, please refer to the more comprehensive section on the Vienna Metro.

Trams

The second main form of transport is the tram, which criss-crosses the streets of Vienna on one of the world’s most extensive tram networks. Trams are ideal for shorter journeys within the city centre or for travelling to hotels further away from underground stations.

Vienna’s trams are easily recognisable by their distinctive red colour, and it is mainly modern low-floor trams that run on the streets. You’ll come across the older, classic trams, familiar from many photographs, mainly on lines 2 and D.

• 28 tram lines
• Services run approximately every 6–7 minutes during the day, and every 10 minutes late in the evening and at weekends
• Operates from 5.00 am to midnight
• List of tram routes and timetables: wienerlinien.at/fahrplaene

Stops are always equipped with electronic departure displays and timetables, whilst major stops also feature maps and ticket machines.

You must validateyour ticketinside the tram using the blue validator (if you are using a day or multi-day ticket, you do not need to validate it at all – the start date and time are already printed on the ticket by the machine).

Tickets can also be purchased from the ticket machine inside the tram. Most newer machines now accept cards, but you may come across older models that do not accept cards.

From Karlsplatz, the WLB (Wiener Lokalbahnen) suburban tram line also runs to the town of Baden. If you’re travelling on this service within Vienna, the tickets described above will suffice. However, if you’re continuing beyond Vienna’s city limits to the town of Baden, you’ll need to buy a special ticket from the blue ticket machine at the stop; details are available on the wlb.at website.

Buses

City buses serve as a supplement where neither trams nor the underground run. You will therefore mostly find buses on the outskirts of Vienna.

Most bus routes run at short intervals of up to 10 minutes, whilst services to smaller neighbourhoods and on less busy routes tend to run at intervals of up to 30 minutes.

Stops are always clearly marked and display timetable information. All bus stops arerequest stops; if you are on board, simply press the door button in good time.

You must haveyour ticketbefore boarding the bus and validate it in the blue validator – again, only the first time you use the ticket (if you are using a day ticket or a multi-day ticket, you do not need to validate it at all – the starting date and time are already printed on the ticket by the machine).

Night transport

The underground and S-Bahn trains run throughout the night on Friday nights and Saturday nights, and from Saturday night to Sunday morning.

On other days, between approximately 00:00 and 05:00, there are 24 night bus services running at 30-minute intervals. Ticket prices are the same as for daytime services.

• Timetables for night services: wienerlinien.at/fahrplaene
• Map of night transport in Vienna:vwienerlinien.at/map[/translate]