Vienna Airport to City 2026–27: CAT Bus, Rail or Car

What is the best way from Vienna Airport to the city centre in 2026–27?

Until the end of October 2027, take the City Airport Train’s replacement coach to Wien Mitte, 21 minutes non-stop for €14.90, if you are staying in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd district. Railjets reach Hauptbahnhof in about 15 minutes for hotels south of the centre, and Vienna Airport Bus lines serve Schwedenplatz, Karlsplatz, Praterstern and Westbahnhof.

From 7 September 2026 to the end of October 2027, a central stretch of the S-Bahn between Praterstern and Hauptbahnhof is closed to all trains, so nothing stops at Wien Mitte or Rennweg (WienTourismus). That is why the airport’s best-known link, the CAT, now runs on the road and the S7 stops short.

Vienna Airport’s arrivals overview still mentions an express train to Wien Mitte, which the closure has overtaken, so rely on the closure information below.

Choose your district with where to stay in Vienna, then use getting around Vienna for the network once you are in town.

How do the CAT coach, trains, airport buses and taxis compare?

The CAT coach is the quickest way to Wien Mitte and the U3 and U4; Railjet and REX 7 trains serve Hauptbahnhof and the U1; Vienna Airport Bus lines are the cheapest direct rides to five hubs and run almost round the clock; taxis start from the rank in front of arrivals. The table compares each option.

Rail tickets are the cheapest: the airport lists rail fares from €4.10 to Wien Mitte or Hauptbahnhof, including onward trips across the Vienna network. The CAT and the airport buses sell their own tickets and do not include the U-Bahn.

Taxi fares are not in the table because the airport does not publish them; ask at the City Transfer counters in arrivals for a price before you set off.

How does the CAT work while it runs as a coach?

The CAT now uses premium coaches between the airport bus terminal and Wien Mitte, a 21-minute non-stop run. Coaches leave the airport from 6:10am to 11:37pm, every 12 minutes from 7am to 7pm and every 15 minutes otherwise. A single costs €14.90, a return €24.90, and children under 15 ride free.

CAT gives its airport stop as Terminal 3, bus terminal, bus station 0, and its city stop as Marxergasse 1b at Wien Mitte/Landstraße, where the U3 and U4 meet; it says Stephansplatz is a 12-minute walk (CAT). Online tickets are valid for six months, and tickets from machines or the counter for 30 days.

Fares come from CAT’s price table, which also lists reduced fares of €7 for partner-card holders and €13.90 for motoring-club members (CAT fares). WienTourismus adds that CAT City Check-In at Wien Mitte is unavailable during the closure, and that the coach operates until 31 October 2027 (WienTourismus).

Which trains still run from Vienna Airport into the city?

Railjet and Intercity trains run twice an hour non-stop to Hauptbahnhof in about 15 minutes and to Meidling in just under half an hour, and the REX 7 reaches Hauptbahnhof in about 20. The S7 now ends at St. Marx, outside the centre, so it suits only hotels in the south of Landstraße.

WienTourismus says S7 passengers can change at St. Marx to trams 18 towards Hauptbahnhof and 71 towards Karlsplatz, or take bus 74A to Landstraße; the nearest U3 station is about 10 minutes on foot (WienTourismus).

Vienna Airport lists rail fares from €4.10, including travel on the whole Vienna network, an ÖBB counter and ticket machines in the arrivals hall, and barrier-free platforms a short, covered walk from arrivals (Vienna Airport). Wiener Linien tickets cover only the core zone, so an airport trip needs an extra one-way ticket into it; a core-zone single is €3.20 (WienTourismus tickets).

Meidling, on the U6, is the better Railjet stop for hotels in the west and south-west of the city, because it saves a change at Hauptbahnhof. For Wieden, Favoriten and the Belvedere, Hauptbahnhof and the U1 are the natural end point.

Which Vienna Airport Bus line should you take?

Pick the line by district: line 2 reaches Morzinplatz/Schwedenplatz in 22 minutes, line 4 Karlsplatz in 26, line 5 Praterstern in 28, and line 1 Hauptbahnhof and Westbahnhof in about 40. Most leave every 30 minutes from early morning until after midnight, and an adult single costs €11, or €20 return.

WienTourismus lists line 1 from 4:30am to 1am, line 2 from 4:15am to 12:15am, line 4 from 4:30am to 1am and line 5 from 4:42am to 1:12am, all every 30 minutes from the airport, plus an hourly line 3 to Kaisermühlen VIC and Donauzentrum (WienTourismus). The low-floor buses have air conditioning, Wi-Fi and USB sockets.

Children under 6 travel free, and children aged 6 to 14 pay €6 single or €11 return. Tickets are sold online, by the driver for cash only, or from Vienna Airport Bus machines at the airport and at Westbahnhof; we could not open the operator’s own site to confirm card options on board.

How do taxis work at Vienna Airport?

Use only the taxi rank directly in front of the arrivals hall or the City Transfer counters inside it. Vienna Airport warns that people who approach you in the arrivals hall offering rides are soliciting business without authorisation and often lack the required licence. It does not publish a fare to the centre.

The airport says its taxi fleet includes hybrid vehicles and that its airport map shows the exact position of the rank (Vienna Airport). Ask for the price at the counter or confirm the meter before loading bags.

For a hotel near Stephansplatz, the CAT coach and a short walk or one U-Bahn stop is usually quicker than a taxi in traffic. A taxi or booked car makes more sense for outer districts such as Hietzing or for travellers who cannot manage the walk from Wien Mitte.

How long does it take from Vienna Airport to your hotel?

Allow about 45 minutes from arrivals to a hotel near Stephansplatz by CAT coach and a walk, about 40 minutes to one near Hauptbahnhof by Railjet, around 47 minutes to Schwedenplatz by airport bus line 2, and about 51 minutes to the Opera area by line 4 to Karlsplatz.

Ride times come from CAT and WienTourismus. The rest are TravelShifu assumptions: 5 minutes from arrivals to the stop or platform, an average wait of half the interval (7 minutes for the CAT, 15 for a train or bus every 30 minutes) and short walks at the end, except CAT’s own 12-minute figure to Stephansplatz.

Railjets run twice an hour but not necessarily evenly, so check the next departure before choosing between the train and the CAT for a hotel in Wieden or Favoriten.

When does a prebooked car beat the CAT or train from Vienna?

Book a car when you land after the last CAT at 11:37pm and the airport buses have stopped after about 1am, when four people would pay €59.60 between them on the CAT, when stairs or long walks are a problem, or when your base is outside the centre, such as Hietzing or a Wachau day-trip hotel.

The closure has made several hotel areas one change further from the airport than before, especially around the former S-Bahn stops at Rennweg and Wien Mitte. A booked car removes that change and the walk from Marxergasse with luggage.

Families should note that CAT carries children under 15 for free, which narrows the gap with a car. If you plan rail trips onward to Salzburg, Budapest or Prague, Omio can show ÖBB and other operators alongside each other.

What should you check before landing in Vienna?

Check which hub is nearest your hotel, because the closure changes the answer: Wien Mitte for the CAT, Hauptbahnhof for trains, or Schwedenplatz, Karlsplatz, Praterstern or Westbahnhof for airport buses. Then check the last departure for your landing time and remember that a Vienna transport ticket alone does not cover the airport.

Buy the right ticket for the mode: a CAT ticket for the coach, a Vienna Airport Bus ticket for its lines, or a rail fare including the core zone for trains. Mixing them up is the commonest mistake during the closure.

For a very early flight home, note that the first CAT leaves Wien Mitte at 5:30am, while airport bus line 1 leaves Westbahnhof every 30 minutes from 3am. WienTourismus advises allowing a little extra time either way until the line reopens.