Public transport in Vienna

Overview

Vienna's public transport is run by Wiener Linien and is one of the easiest systems in Europe for a visitor to use. The network is built around five underground (U-Bahn) lines, backed up by trams, buses and suburban rail, and it operates on a flat fare within the city: one ticket covers the U-Bahn, trams, buses, the NightLine night buses and the S-Bahn inside the city boundary, with transfers included at no extra cost regardless of how many times you change. The price depends on how long your ticket is valid, not on how far you travel.

Riding it end to end is straightforward. Plan your route with the Wiener Linien timetable and route plans or the AnachB.at route planner, buy a ticket from a machine, a Trafik (tobacconist), a Wiener Linien sales point or the WienMobil app, then validate it before you board. There are no ticket barriers, so you simply walk to the platform and get on; inspectors conduct spot checks instead. U-Bahn services run between 05:00 and around 01:00, with intervals of two to five minutes during the day and up to eight minutes after 20:00. On Friday and Saturday evenings and on evenings before a public holiday, the U-Bahn runs all night at 15-minute intervals, supplemented by the Vienna NightLine bus service. On other nights, night buses run from 0:30 to 5:00.

The network

The system is a mix of modes, all integrated under the Verkehrsverbund Ost-Region (VOR), the regional transport authority covering Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland.

U-Bahn (metro): Five lines — U1, U2, U3, U4 and U6 — identified by number with the prefix "U" and by a colour on station signage. The network covers 83.1 km (51.6 mi) of route and 109 stations, and carried 459.8 million passengers in 2019. The modern U-Bahn opened on 25 February 1978, after test operations began on 8 May 1976. Parts of U4 and U6 date back to the Stadtbahn ("city railway") system of 1898, and parts of U2 and U6 began as tunnels built for earlier tram lines; only U1 and U3 were built wholly as new subway lines. A new line U5 has long been planned and construction was announced in early 2014; extensions scheduled for completion in 2026–2032 would create a network of about 90 km (56 mi) with 116 stations.
S-Bahn (suburban rail): Operated by the state railway operator ÖBB. Local tickets are valid on S-Bahn services and other train services, and all of Vienna's main railway stations are served by the Wiener S-Bahn and connected to U-Bahn stations.
Trams: 29 tram lines, with a fleet of more than 500 tramcars. The Badner Bahn is also covered by validated tickets.
Buses: More than 130 bus lines, of which over 20 are night bus lines.
Ferries: No ferry service forms part of the Vienna city network described in the sources.

Stations are often named after streets, public spaces or districts, and occasionally after prominent buildings nearby, although Wiener Linien's stated policy is to prefer not to name stations after buildings.

Tickets & fares

Vienna uses a flat fare for the core zone. The city constitutes one full zone, known as the core zone ("Kernzone", or Zone 100). A single ticket is valid for one-way travel in one zone; you may change lines, but you may not interrupt your journey. Validated tickets are valid on all public transport lines: bus, tram, underground, train, Badner Bahn and most regional bus lines. Note that tickets are not valid on bus services operated by Vienna Airport Lines or on the City Airport Train express train.

There is no stored-value or pay-as-you-go card as in London or the Netherlands — you buy a ticket for a specific duration. There are no ticket barriers; inspectors carry out checks, and the fine for fare evasion is €135 on the spot, or €145 if paid later by payment slip.

Prices below are approximate, are those in effect since 1 January 2026, and change over time — always check wienerlinien.at for current fares. Digital tickets bought through the WienMobil app or the online ticket shop are about 5% cheaper than printed ones.

Single ticket: €3.20 printed / €3.00 digital — one journey in one direction, transfers allowed, maximum 80 minutes, no break of journey.
Reduced single ticket: €1.60 printed / €1.50 digital — for children aged 6–15, people on national service, Sozialpass "P"/Mobilpass holders and dogs. Under-6s travel free.
24 hours Vienna: €10.20 printed / €9.70 digital — valid 24 hours from validation.
7 days Vienna: €28.90 printed / €25.20 digital — 168 hours from validation, not calendar days.
31 days Vienna: €75.00 printed / €65.20 digital.
Annual pass: €467.00 printed / €461.00 digital, or €506.40 if paid in monthly instalments. A reduced annual pass costs €300.00 printed / €294.00 digital and comes in three versions at the same price: WIEN Senior (65+), WIEN Jugend (under 26) and WIEN Spezial (people with disabilities).
Mobilpass 31-day ticket for low-income Vienna residents: €23.00 printed / €21.90 digital.

As part of the 2026 fare reform, the 48-hour and 72-hour tickets were abolished on 1 January 2026 — for a two- or three-day stay, buy two 24-hour tickets or the 7-day ticket. The €365 annual pass ("one euro a day") ran from 2012 to 2023 and no longer exists, and since 1 February 2026 the Jahreskarte WIEN Jugend replaces the Semesterkarte and Ferien-Monatskarte.

You can buy tickets in the WienMobil app (the cheapest option), from the online ticket shop at shop.wienmobil.at (which lets you buy before you arrive), from ticket machines in every U-Bahn station (cash and card, multiple languages, printed price), from Trafiken (tobacconists), from Wiener Linien sales points, and on board trams. Printed tickets must be validated in the blue boxes at station entrances before you reach the platform or board; digital app tickets are valid automatically from the chosen start time.

As a rough guide to value: the 24-hour ticket beats single tickets from the fourth journey of a day, and the 31-day ticket pays off from about three journeys a week and is a better choice than the annual pass for stays of more than roughly five weeks.

The Vienna City Card is a city tourist card, not a Wiener Linien ticket. It includes free public transport plus discounts at more than 200 museums, cafés and shops, and is only worthwhile if you actually use the discounts. Prices are approximately: 24 h €19; 48 h digital €31; 72 h digital €37; 7 days €39. It is still sold in 48- and 72-hour versions (digital only) even though Wiener Linien abolished those durations for its own tickets.

From the airport

Vienna International Airport (Flughafen Wien-Schwechat, VIE) sits just outside the city limits on the far side of the town of Schwechat. You have three railway options into the centre:

S-Bahn line S7: the cheaper but slower option, taking 24 minutes to Wien-Mitte/Landstraße for about €4.60. If you already hold a valid Vienna public transport ticket, you only need to buy a ticket from the airport to Schwechat, since all onward stations are covered by the Zone 100 ticket.
City Airport Train (CAT): the more expensive but faster option, taking 15 minutes to Wien-Mitte/Landstraße, from about €11.
Long-distance trains: to Wien Hauptbahnhof and onwards, leaving every 30 minutes and taking about 15 minutes for roughly €4.20.

There are also buses (Vienna Airport Bus) and taxis. Note that the CAT and the S7 to the airport lie outside the core zone and require an add-on ticket, and that tickets are not valid on Vienna Airport Lines buses or the City Airport Train.

Etiquette & customs

Vienna's system is calm and orderly, and a few local habits will make your journey smoother.

Validate before you ride: stamping your printed ticket in the blue box at the station entrance is the single most important custom — an unvalidated ticket counts as fare evasion.
Escalators: stand on the right and walk on the left, so that people in a hurry can pass.
Queuing and boarding: let passengers off before you get on, and wait your turn rather than crowding the doors.
Priority seating: seats marked for the elderly, pregnant passengers and people with disabilities should be given up when needed.
Quiet: keep phone calls and music low; Viennese carriages are notably quiet.
Eating and drinking: keep it discreet and avoid messy or strongly smelling food, especially at busy times.
Rush hour: move right down the carriage, keep bags and backpacks off seats and out of the aisle, and let others exit before you push in.

Official links

Survival terms

Subway/metro: U-Bahn (oo-bahn)
Ticket: Ticket (ticket) / Fahrschein (fahr-shine)
Line: Linie (lee-nee-uh)
Entrance: Eingang (ine-gahng)
Exit: Ausgang (ows-gahng)
Transfer: Umsteigen (oom-shty-gen)
Single fare: Einzelfahrschein (ine-tsel-fahr-shine)
Day pass: Tageskarte (tah-gess-kar-tuh)

Buy your ticket in the WienMobil app before you travel and validate any printed ticket in the blue box at the station entrance, so that you can enjoy the ride without worrying about a fare check.