Taking the Vienna Airport Train: The Fast Way Into the City
The best and fastest way to get from Vienna Airport to the city centre is by taking the train.
There are several trains that you can take from Vienna Airport to the city centre or vice versa, including the City Airport Train (CAT), Railjet, and local S-Bahn trains.
So, which of these Vienna Airport train services is the best? Well, it depends!
Which Vienna Airport train to take
If you want to travel from Vienna Airport into the city, it’s important to first ask yourself where exactly you need to go.
Although there are differences in speed, amenities, and price between the various airport trains, the biggest distinction is actually the part of the city they serve.
It makes a difference whether you plan to go directly to your hotel in Vienna’s old town, need to reach the main railway station, or want to head straight to sights such as Schönbrunn Palace.
Chances are you need to reach a place in the city that isn’t near a railway station.
In that case, you need to identify which city centre train station allows the quickest connection to your destination using other public transport options, as Vienna has an excellent metro, tram, and bus network.
Below, you will find information about all the different airport trains, including the areas of Vienna they serve, their prices, and how to buy tickets at the airport station or book them online.
City Airport Train (CAT)
The City Airport Train (abbreviated as CAT) is the premium express train linking Vienna Airport with the city centre.
This express train runs non-stop from Vienna Airport to Wien Mitte, the railway station closest to the city centre and the historic old town of the Austrian capital.
It’s just a 15-minute walk from Wien Mitte to St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the heart of the old town.
At Wien Mitte, you can easily connect to the metro, as the Landstrasse metro station (lines U3 and U4) is directly connected to the railway station.
Although the City Airport Train is the most expensive option, it is also the fastest and most flexible, as your ticket is valid on any CAT train within 6 months of purchase, and therefore not tied to a specific departure time.
The black-and-green double-deck trains of the City Airport Train service are very comfortable, with few other passengers and ample space to store your luggage.
Seats are unreserved, allowing you to sit anywhere you like, and since these trains are rarely crowded, there is plenty of space to stretch out.
The trains of the City Airport Express are also equipped with Wi-Fi internet and feature power sockets.
If you need to go from the city centre of Vienna to the airport for your flight, there is yet another huge advantage to taking the City Airport Train from Wien Mitte.
When taking the City Airport Train, you can already check in for your flight and drop off your luggage at Wien Mitte station, allowing you to travel to Vienna Airport with only your hand luggage.
However, do note that this service is available only with a limited number of airlines, including Austrian Airlines, Eurowings, Lufthansa, Swiss, and Wizz Air.
You can find the full list of participating airlines here.
The first City Airport Train of the day leaves from Vienna Airport at 6.08am, with the last train running at 11.38pm.
In the other direction, the first City Airport Train leaves Wien Mitte at 5.37am, with the last train running at 11.07pm.
The train takes 16 minutes to complete its journey between Vienna Airport and Wien Mitte, with a single ticket costing €14.90.
Kids under the age of 15 travel for free on the City Airport Train when accompanied by an adult.
S-Bahn train
If you need to get to Vienna’s old town centre but find the City Airport Train too expensive, you can also take the S-Bahn to Wien Mitte.
The Vienna S-Bahn is basically a suburban commuter train service, and these local trains therefore stop at every intermediate station.
The S-Bahn service connecting the airport with Vienna’s city centre is the S7, with this train also stopping at stations such as Wien Zentralfriedhof, Wien Rennweg, and Wien Mitte, before continuing to its final stop at Wien Praterstern.
Although these no-frills local trains are slower and more crowded, they offer the cheapest way to travel from Vienna Airport to the city centre.
Taking the S-Bahn can be challenging if you have heavy baggage or multiple suitcases, as storage space on these trains is limited, with no dedicated areas apart from the overhead racks.
Seats are all unreserved, so you can take any free seat on the train you like.
The S7 S-Bahn train runs every half hour, with the first train from Vienna Airport to Wien Mitte departing at 4.49am and the last at 1.19am, while in the opposite direction, the first train leaves Wien Mitte at 4.19.am and the last train of the day at 12.49 am.
The train takes 22 minutes to complete its journey between Vienna Airport and Wien Mitte.
A standard one-way ticket for the S-Bahn train between Vienna Airport and Wien Mitte costs €4.50, while group tickets are also available, with a ticket for two people costing €5.80.
Reduced group fares are also available if an adult is accompanied by one or more infants or children under the age of 15.
Railjet train
If you need to reach Wien Hauptbahnhof (Wien Hbf), the main railway station of Vienna, the Railjet trains between Vienna Airport and Wien Hbf will be the best option for you.
The Railjet is the premium high-speed InterCity train used by the Austrian Railways (ÖBB), with these trains being capable to reach speeds of up to 230 kilometres per hour (143 mph).
Railjet trains operate non-stop from Vienna Airport to Wien Hbf, from where they continue to various destinations across Austria, including Graz, Innsbruck, Bregenz, Linz, and Salzburg.
The Railjet train offers both first and second class seats, with second class arranged in a 2+2 seating configuration, while first class features a more spacious 1+2 seating configuration.
Seat reservation is optional on the Railjet train, and since it costs extra, I wouldn’t bother with it for the short journey between Vienna Airport and Wien Hbf, as you will almost always find an empty seat somewhere on the train.
Just make sure you don’t sit in a reserved seat – you can check the digital display above each seat to see which ones are reserved and which seats are free to take.
Taking large suitcases or bags on the Railjet train is not a problem, as both classes have floor-to-ceiling luggage racks at the entrance of each coach, as well as overhead luggage racks above the seats.
Railjet trains also have power sockets in both classes and are equipped with Wi-Fi internet.
There is also a dining car on board the Railjet train, although the 15-minute journey between Vienna Airport and Wien Hbf is too short to fully enjoy it.
The Railjet train departs every half hour, with the first train from Vienna Airport to Wien Hbf leaving at 6.33am and the last one at 12.02am.
In the opposite direction, the first Railjet train departs at 5.42am from Wien Hbf, with the last one typically departing at 22.42pm.
Outside these hours, you may still be able to travel between Vienna Airport and Wien Hbf by taking the S-Bahn, which operates later into the night and earlier in the day, although in this case you will need to change trains at Wien Rennweg station.
A standard second class one-way ticket for the Railjet train between Vienna Airport and Wien Hbf costs €4.50, with reduced fares available for infants and children under the age of 15.
For what it’s worth, the seat reservation surcharge is €3, but as mentioned before, I really wouldn’t bother with it if you only need to travel between the Vienna Airport and Wien Hbf.
Searching train departures and timetables
If you want to find train connections between Vienna Airport and any station or address in the city, you can use the online route planner on the website of the ÖBB, the Austrian Railways.
Besides all of the above trains, this handy route planner also includes buses, trams, and the metro.
Both RJ and RJX are abbreviations for Railjet train services (with RJ standing for Railjet and RJX for Railjet Express), CAT stands for the City Airport Train, any train service starting with S is a local S-Bahn train, REX is a Regional Express Train, while a service starting with U refers to a metro connection.
How to buy your train ticket
Train tickets for the Railjet or local S-Bahn trains can be bought online through the ÖBB website, while tickets for the City Airport Train can be bought on the CAT website.
Of course, you can also buy your ticket at the railway station, whether it’s one of the stations in the city centre or at Vienna Airport.
Regardless of which train you choose between Vienna Airport and the city centre, tickets never sell out, and the price remains the same whether you buy them in advance or on arrival.
The main advantage of buying your train ticket online in advance is saving time, as queues at the ticket booths or ticket machines at the airport can sometimes be lengthy.
Ticket validity
An advantage of the City Airport Train (CAT) over the Railjet and S-Bahn trains is the fact that its tickets are fully flexible.
You can easily buy tickets for the City Airport Train online in advance, as they are valid for 6 months from the date of purchase (tickets bought at the station are valid for 30 days).
It therefore won’t matter if you arrive up to 4 hours late at Vienna Airport due to a flight delay, as you can simply board the first available CAT train with your ticket.
Tickets for ÖBB trains (both S-Bahn and Railjet) on the other hand are only semi-flexible, allowing you to use them on a later service within certain limits.
For example, if you have bought a ticket for the 7.02pm Railjet train from the airport to Wien Hbf, you can also use it for the 7.33 pm service or even the 8.02 pm Railjet train.
Just make sure that your journey begins within 2 hours of the departure time of the train for which you originally bought your ticket, as you cannot commence your journey later than that.
It is not possible to take an earlier train, so if you have bought a ticket for the 7.02 pm Railjet train from the airport to Wien Hbf, you cannot use it on the 6.33 pm service, even if your flight arrives a bit earlier than anticipated.
Because of this, it might be wise to wait buying your Railjet or S-Bahn ticket until you arrive at Vienna Airport, as you never know whether your flight might be delayed or whether there might be a hold-up at passport control or baggage reclaim.
Onward connections from Vienna
If you want to travel between Vienna Airport and other destinations across Austria or in neighbouring countries, an there are no direct trains available, you will need to travel via Wien Hbf.
At this station, you can not only connect to trains across Austria, but also to destinations such as Budapest, Bratislava, Brno, Prague, Munich, Venice, and Zurich.
Indeed, many people living just across the Austrian border use Vienna as their local airport, particularly those from the nearby city of Bratislava.
You can read my article about the Vienna-Budapest train to get an idea of how quick and comfortable it is to travel by train from Vienna to other Central European cities.
In case you need to travel between Vienna Airport and another city in Austria, or to a destination in a neighbouring country, it’s best to buy your tickets on the ÖBB website or on third-party booking website Omio.
Omio’s search engine is more user-friendly, and they offer train tickets at the same price, accepting all foreign debit and credit cards.
Since Omio has access to the internal booking systems of almost every national railway company in Europe, you can use this highly rated website (4.3 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot) to book all your bus and train tickets for your European trip in one go!
The further in advance you buy your long-distance train ticket, the cheaper it will be.
However, it’s important to remember that cheap saver fares are often non-flexible and tied to a specific train departure, so if you plan to connect from an arriving flight to a train at Vienna Airport, it is advisable to allow enough time between your flight’s arrival and your train’s departure to account for any delays.
Of course, you can always buy a long-distance train ticket on the spot when you arrive at the airport station, but there is a chance that all the cheap fares will have sold out, leaving you with no option but to buy a more expensive full-fare ticket.
Vienna Airport station
The railway station at Vienna Airport is located in the basement of the terminal.
Once you have reclaimed your luggage and find yourself in the arrivals hall, the station is just a 2-minute walk away.
The path to the airport train station is clearly signposted, so it should be easy to find.
In the arrivals hall of the airport, you will find the main ticket office for both ÖBB (for local S-Bahn and Railjet trains) and the City Airport Train (CAT), but if you walk one level down to the station, you will also find plenty of ticket machines there.
Check the departure boards to see which platform your train departs from, and then head down one more level from the main station hall to reach your platform.
There are escalators and lifts at the airport train station, making it fully accessible to everyone.
Note that there are no other facilities at the airport train station, and seating is quite limited, with only a few benches available on the platform level.
If you need to wait a while longer before your train departure, it might be more comfortable to wait in the arrivals hall of the airport.
Conclusion
For travel between Vienna Airport and the city centre, there are several train options available to get you to your destination.
To reach the historic old town of Vienna, where most of the sights are, it’s best to take one of the trains between Vienna Airport and Wien Mitte, as this railway station is the most centrally located in the Austrian capital.
On this route, the City Airport Train (CAT) is the fastest and most premium service, as it travels non-stop and offers fully flexible tickets.
Another advantage of the City Airport Train is that on your return to Vienna Airport, you can check in your luggage at Wien Mitte station if you are flying with one of the few airlines that partner with this premium airport train service.
Between Vienna Airport and Wien Mitte, you can also take the local S-Bahn train.
While these commuter trains are less comfortable and can get crowded, they are the cheapest way to travel between the airport and the city centre.
If you need to travel between Vienna Airport and Wien Hauptbahnhof (Wien Hbf), the main railway station of the city, there are comfortable Railjet trains departing every half hour.
