Getting around in a city can be a challenge, particularly if you are a visitor without access to a car.
Fortunately, Vienna isn’t one of those cities. It actually is easier to navigate the city by other means than driving yourself most of the time. (Which doesn’t mean that we are against the use of (rental) cars, mind!) As you will see, there are quite a few different types of transportation you can make use of in Vienna:
Public Transport
The hands-down best solution of going around the city is by making use of Vienna’s extensive and well-developed public transport system. You are able to reach virtually any point in the city by train, subway, tram, or bus without any hassle as they all are operated by the same public transport network.
It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s pretty okay price-wise.
Information
All you need to know about public transport in Vienna, like transportation maps, timetables, notifications on delays, prices, etc. can be found on the website of the Wiener Linien.
Tickets
Buying
There are several places where you can buy tickets:
- ticket machines (can be found in any train or subway station);
- Wiener Linien ticket and information offices (can be found in many of the larger stations; more info: here);
- tobacconists (virtually everywhere in the city; they tend to only sell a selection of types of tickets);
- in the tram;
- from the bus driver;
- online (both via an app or on the website).
Types
There are quite a few options of public transport tickets to chose from, some of which are:
- single ticket (fairly high price if you need more than one ride per day)
- 2 trips ticket
- 24 hours / 48 hours / 72 hours ticket
- weekly ticket
- monthly ticket
- annual ticket
- youth ticket (for school students)
- semester ticket (for university students)
- holiday ticket (for university students)
There are quite a number of other options available, some of them particularly interesting for tourists who plan on visiting museums and other sights. Please check for details here.
Prices
Prices vary greatly depending on which ticket type you chose (anywhere from 2,40€ for a single ticket to 365€ for an annual ticket). Please check the website for more info.
E-Scooter
A new addition to the city, 7 companies currently provide e-scooters for rent all around Vienna. You will see the scooters virtually anywhere (in parks, on sidewalks, right in front of the restaurant you have just exited, etc.) and each and every one of them can be booked via a phone app.
Requirements
- at least 18 years of age
- a debit- or credit card, or other means of cash-free paying (e.g. PayPal, GooglePay)
- a smart phone
City Bike
The CityBikes company lets you hire bikes at over 120 bike stations all throughout Vienna. Bikes are available 24/7 all year round and can be returned at any free slot at any bike station.
Requirements
- register online (here)
- bank card, credit card, or (tourist) City Bike card
Taxi & Uber
Another good way of getting from A to B without having to drive yourself but also without having to rely on public transport are taxis and Ubers.
Taxis can be either directly accessed at taxi stands or booked via phone. A map with all taxi stands, as well as information on taxi companies and fares can be found here.
Ubers can be booked via the app, just as you are used to.
Cars
For those of you wanting to be independent from public transport, and/or needing or wanting to go outside the city as well, a car might be a good idea.
Car Sharing
The most eco-friendly way of having a car in the city is by making use of one of Vienna’s car sharing companies. Depending on which company you’re using, benefits, times, prices, and ways of doing things differ, so be sure to have a good look around and compare services before settling for one or the other.
Here are Vienna’s main car sharing companies:
- Car2Go (no fixed rental stations, pick up and parking wherever you want)
- Drive Now (same principle as Car2Go)
- ELOOP (electric fleet)
- Caruso (both electric and gas fuelled cars; website in German)
- drivy (car sharing amongst private individuals; from 4 hour to a few days; now part of GetAround; website in German)
- MOpoint (sharing of all types of electric vehicles, not only cars)
- StadtAuto (hybrid cars; website in German)
Rental Car
If you’re in the market for longer-term use of a car, or even want the freedom of starting a journey in Vienna and ditching the car in some other city or even country, one of the big rental car companies might be your best bet:
Parking in Vienna
If you use your own car (for most car sharing or rental cars parking is included; check details with your provider) in Vienna, you need to be aware of Vienna’s parking regulations:
- most parts of Vienna are short-term parking zones and require the use of a parking voucher (Parkschein) of sorts;
- parking vouchers come in two forms: physical prepaid parking vouchers that can be bought in tobacconists, gas stations, post offices, ticket offices and ticket machines in all subway stations; Handy Parken app (registration needed)
- prices range between 1.05€ for half an hour (red voucher) and 4.20€ for two hours (yellow); if you only stop for 15 minutes or less, parking is free, but still requires use of a voucher (purple)
- parking vouchers need to be filled in correctly (year, month, date, time rounded to the next quarter hour — for example, if you arrive at 1:03 pm on June 25, 2058, you fill in 2058 in the year box and tick Juni (month), 25 (date), 13 (hours), 15 (minutes)) and placed at an easily visible place on your dashboard/behind the windscreen
- when using more than one voucher (e.g. 3 red ones to make it to one-and-a-half hours), all vouchers need to be marked with the SAME starting date (i.e. if you arrive at 1:03 pm, tick the boxes 13 (hours) and 15 (minutes) on all three vouchers)
- districts 1 – 9, 20:
Mon – Fri: 9 am – 10 pm
maximum parking time: 2 hours - districts 10 – 12, 14 – 19:
Mon – Fri: 9 am – 7 pm
maximum parking time: 3 hours - area around Stadthalle:
Mon – Fri: 9 am – 10 pm
Sat, Sun & holiday: 6 pm – 10 pm
maximum parking time: 2 hours - in some districts only part of the district are short-term parking; some (busy/shopping) streets in almost every district have different rules again – if in doubt please check the signs or have a look here
- there are long-term parking options available for residents of the respective district
