Travel Information
Getting to Vienna (and back)
Vienna is easy to reach by train, by bus, or by plane. An overview over the different options is also given here.
Train
There are numerous direct connections between Vienna and other cities in Europe, including many night train connections. Most trains stop at Vienna main station ("Wien Hauptbahnhof"), which is located south of the city center. From there, you can reach the conference venue and hotels nearby easily and quickly via underground lines U1 and U4.
Tickets:
- ÖBB is the Austrian federal railway company and sells tickets for most connections to and from Vienna. If you book early, you may find Sparschiene offers, where you can book a certain train for a reduced rate. There are also Sparschiene offers for connections within Europe and for night trains. Note that except for night trains, there are no seat reservations included in a ticket by default, but you can buy them separately.
- Westbahn is a private railway company that offers connections within Austria and to/from Munich. Westbahn trains stop at Vienna Westbahnhof station ("Wien Westbahnhof") in the western part of the city. From there, you can reach the conference venue and hotels nearby easily and quickly via underground lines U3 and U4 or U6 and U4.
Plane
Vienna International airport, IATA aiport code VIE, is located south-east of the city. There is a large number of direct connections from and to places all over the world, many of them are offered by Austrian airlines.
There are several options to get from the airport to the city center using public transportation. A good tool to plan your trip and research the different options is ÖBB Scotty.
- High-frequency railway line ("S-Bahn") S7 to Wien Mitte (23 minutes), where you can change for the underground lines U3 and U4, e.g. to go to the conference venue. Or you can continue to Wien Praterstern, where you can change for the underground lines U1 and U2. Usually, S7 is the cheapest option. Note that you need to buy a ticket in advance, either online, via the ÖBB (Austrian federal railway) App (Google Play Store | Apple App Store) or via an ÖBB ticket machine.
- Vienna Airport Lines (VAL) runs several bus connections between the airport and places all over the city. Tickets can be bought online, at the bus driver, or at vending machines at the airport. You get a small discount if you fly with Austrian.
- City Airport Train (CAT) provides non-stop connections (16 minutes) between the airport and the station Wien Mitte in the city center, where you can change for underground lines U3 and U4 as well as local railway lines. Tickets can be bought online or at vending machines.
Bus
There are several bus companies offering connections between Vienna and places all over Europe. Long-distance buses usually stop at either the Vienna International Bus Terminal at Vienna main station, the Vienna Bus Terminal at Stadion Center, or the Vienna International Bus Terminal at Erdberg. You can reach the conference venue and hotels nearby easily and quickly via underground lines U1 and U4 from Vienna main station, U2 and U4 from Stadion Center, and U3 and U4 from Erdberg.
Tickets:
Moving around within Vienna
Vienna has a very good public transport system, which is run by Wiener Linien. There are currently 5 underground lines (U1, U2, U3, U4, U6 — line U5 is currently only being built), as well as several tram lines and buses. Tram lines are identified by a number only - well almost, as an exception, there are also lines O and D. Bus lines are identified by a number, followed by "A", e.g. 1A. You can buy tickets via the Wiener Linien app or at vending stations.
A map of fast connections within Vienna is available here.