How to reach Vienna
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By plane
Vienna International Airport (VIA) is located in Schwechat, 10 km southeast of the city border. It is served by most major airlines.
The local train S7 takes about 25 minutes to the city center. A single ticket is €4,30 with departures every 30 minutes. The local train has several stops in Vienna. To reach the University of Vienna, get off at Praterstern, change to U2 direction Schottentor, and get off at Schottentor.
Alternatively, the City Airport Train (CAT) takes 16 minutes to Wien Mitte/Landstraße in the city center. A single ticket for the CAT is €12 with departures every 30 minutes. Wien Mitte/Landstraße is a major transit hub for public transport, the Wiener Linien (see below). To reach the University of Vienna from Wien Mitte/Landstraße, take U4 direction Heiligenstadt to Schottenring, change to U2, and get off after one stop at Schottentor. Note that the CAT ticket is not valid for the Wiener Linien.
The airport is also served by several regular trains of the Austrian Railway Company, ÖBB, with final destination Wien Hauptbahnhof. A single ticket is €4,30; check the webpage of ÖBB for the schedule.
There is also an airport bus service to various locations in the city (€13 for a return ticket; €8 one-way).
A taxi from the airport to the city center is around €30. -
By train
As a member of the Green Meeting program, we encourage participants to consider the option of traveling to Vienna by train if feasible. The Austrian train network is run by ÖBB, the Austrian Railway Company (webpage) with direct trains to all major Central European cities.
Vienna's main train station is Wien Hauptbahnhof. The University of Vienna can be reached from Wien Hauptbahnhof either by taking the tram line D to Schottentor or by taking the metro U1 direction Leopoldau to Karlsplatz and changing to tram lines 1/71/D/U2Z to Schottentor. Note that the metro line U2 is closed between Karlsplatz and Schottentor (see below). -
By bike
We encourage Strings 2022 participants from middle Europe to travel to Vienna by bike. Vienna lies on the crossroads of the European bike trails Euro Velo 6 along the Danube River and Euro Velo 9 from Poland to Slovenia. Cyclists approaching Vienna from the west along the Danube river are rewarded by a ride through the UNESCO World Heritage Wachau valley; see also the Biking section on the Outdoor Activities page.
Getting around
Vienna has an excellent public transport system ("Öffis") operated by the Wiener Linien, consisting of metro lines, trams, busses, and local trains. Trams are labeled by a number, busses are labelled by a number+A/B (e.g. 40A), metro lines by U+number (e.g. U2), and local trains by S+number (e.g. S7). You can consult the website of the Wiener Linien or the Wiener Linien app to plan a trip.
A single ticket (€2,40) is valid for an uninterrupted journey in one direction with an arbitrary number of changes. Tickets valid for 24/48/72 hours are also available, as are tickets valid for a whole week from Monday till Monday. Tickets can be bought at tobacconists ("Trafik"), vending machines, in the Wiener Linien app, or online and printed out. Red-colored vending machines are located in most larger transit hubs and in any metro station. Usually, tickets can be bought also directly on trams and busses but it is recommended to buy them in advance. Physical tickets must be validated when used for the first time, using the blue punching machines located at metro station entrances or on trams and busses.
Regular metro, tram, or bus lines run from 5:00 until 00:30. From Friday night till Sunday morning, metro lines run all night long every 15 minutes. Night buses ("Nightlines") serve selected lines on a reduced schedule during off-hours.
NOTICE: Due to an ongoing major restructuring of the Viennese metro system metro line U2 is currently closed between Schottentor and Karlsplatz. To travel between these two stations, use instead any one of the tram lines 1/71/D/U2Z on the Ring.
