Logistical Details

Situated in the east of the country, Vienna is Austria’s largest city (with a population of more than 2 million inhabitants in 2024) as well as the nation’s capital. As you’d expect, Vienna serves as Austria’s cultural, economic, and political center. As the former seat of the Habsburg court, the city still has the trappings of the imperial capital it once was, and the historic city center is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Getting in

Most European airlines and a significant number of intercontinental airlines have direct connections to Vienna from their respective hubs. However, only Austrian Airlines and Air Canada fly to the Americas (Chicago, Montreal, New York, Toronto, and Washington), and there is no service to Africa (aside from Egypt and Tunisia) making a change necessary to reach Vienna.

The train station names of all stops in Vienna start with its German name « Wien ». This is internationally recognized and helpful for buying tickets. The railways are managed by the ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways). It can be puzzling to understand where trains depart and arrive, i.e. trains heading East often leave from West Station. It is best to check the schedules online and plug in the exact train, subway or tram stop you are going to/departing from, this will give you the quickest solution. Railway agents are likely to give you an easy answer about where the most train to somewhere leave from, you may not be told about certain trains that don’t fit the regular pattern.

Getting around

Vienna has a good public transport system, which includes rail, commuter rail, underground, trams (trolleys), and buses. The underground is very efficient and will take you within a few minutes walk of anywhere you are likely to want to visit. The subway alone has the second-highest per-capita ridership in the world, and that does not account for the 27 tram lines, dozens of train lines, or numerous buses.

Google Maps works with most public transport options, including the underground (U-Bahn). The city has decided to make its travel data more available to 3rd parties.