The metro is a key part of Vienna’s public transport system and is supplemented by several S-Bahn lines, which can also be used as a fast way to get around the city.

The metro provides quick access to all of Vienna’s major sights, from Schönbrunn Palace to St Stephen’s Cathedral, and is also an excellent way to travel from P+R park-and-ride facilities if you are arriving in Vienna by car.

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Metro lines

Vienna’s underground network is served by five relatively long metro lines, known locally as the ‘U-Bahn’.

• U1 – red(Leopoldau – Oberlaa): runs via Stephansplatz, Karlsplatz, Prater, the main railway station and on to UNO City, amongst other stops
• U2 – purple(Schottenring – Seestadt): runs from the city centre via the Prater to the east of the city; an extension towards Matzelinsdorfer Platz is under construction, along with a change to the route (the line previously ran beneath the Ringstrasse, where it will be replaced by the U5 line)
• U3 – yellow(Ottakring – Simmering): runs via, for example, Stephansplatz, Mariahilf, Westbahnhof and the Erdberg bus station
• U4 – green(Heiligenstadt – Hütteldorf): runs around the entire city centre and on to Schönbrunn
• U5 – under construction
• U6 – brown(Floridsdorf – Siebenhirten): a tangential line across western Vienna that does not run directly into the city centre

A detailed list of stations, lines and timetables can be found on the wienerlinien.at website.

S-Bahn lines

The city railway is not only used for commuting from surrounding towns and villages to Vienna, but can also be used conveniently for getting around Vienna. The following lines operate on Vienna’s rail network: S1, S2, S3, S4, S7, S40, S45, S50, S60 and S80.

You’ll get the most out of the S-Bahn on theFloridsdorf – Prater – Wien Mitte (city centre) – Hauptbahnhof (Hbf) – Meidling, where four lines operate (and as many as five from Floridsdorf to Wien Mitte) at intervals of approximately 2–10 minutes.

You can also use the S-Bahn to travel from the centre of Vienna to the airport, which is served by line S7.

Metro map

You can download the complete, up-to-date maps of Vienna’s public transport network to your mobile from the transport operator’s official website , wienerlinien.at.

Tickets for the metro and S-Bahn

• 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

You can buy tickets from ticket machines at all underground stations, via theWienMobilapp or at newsagents.

All tickets can also be used on trams, buses and trains within Vienna; for more information on other types of public transport, see the ‘Transport in Vienna’ section.

How do I use a ticket?

There are no turnstiles at station entrances ; instead, there are blue or orange ticket validators where you ‘tap’ your ticket – but only the first time you use it.

If, for example, you are travelling with a 24-hour, 48-hour or 72-hour ticket, you do not need to validate it at all. The date and time of validity are already printed on the ticket by the machine. However, this also means that you cannot buy these tickets ‘in advance’. Their validity begins at the moment of purchase.

The same applies to journeys on the S-Bahn; you must always validate your ticket in the ticket validator (“Entwerter”) on the platform or upon entering the platform.

If you’re using tickets from the mobile app, simply select the start time, activate the ticket, and you don’t need to scan the QR code anywhere. You only need to show your ticket when asked to do so by a ticket inspector, who occasionally patrols the carriages of the underground, trams or buses.

Does the Vienna Metro run 24/7?

All metro lines runat intervals of 2–6 minuteson weekdays and 5–10 minutes at weekends.

The metro runs from 5.00 am until around midnight, when the last trains leave their terminus stations.

From Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday, the underground runs all night.