Vienna airport to city centre: CAT, bus, S7, taxi

Vienna International Airport lies in Schwechat, about 20 km southeast of St. Stephen's Cathedral. Normally the S-Bahn line S7 and the City Airport Train (CAT) take you straight into town by rail. Not at the moment: from 7 September 2026 until the end of October 2027, ÖBB is rebuilding the S-Bahn core line between Wien Hauptbahnhof and Wien Praterstern, and that changes how you get from the airport to the city centre. The short answer for the closure period: take the CAT coach to Wien Mitte or the Vienna Airport Bus VAB2 to Schwedenplatz; take a railjet if you are staying near the Hauptbahnhof.

Important: the S-Bahn closure until October 2027

As of 31 October 2026. According to ÖBB, the core line of the Vienna S-Bahn is closed for about 14 months, from 7 September 2026 to the end of October 2027, between Wien Hauptbahnhof and Wien Praterstern, including Wien Mitte and Rennweg. For air travellers this means:

• The S7 runs only between the airport and St. Marx, outside the city centre. There you change to tram 18 (towards the stadium and Hauptbahnhof/Westbahnhof) or tram 71 (towards Rennweg and Karlsplatz).
• The City Airport Train does not run as a train. It runs as a premium coach between Wien Mitte and the airport – more often than the train did.
• Long-distance trains (RJX, RJ and IC) still run from the airport to Wien Hauptbahnhof, around twice an hour.
• Vienna Airport Bus adds connections from Karlsplatz (VAB4) and Praterstern (VAB5).

Timetables during long construction work can change at short notice. Check the ÖBB journey planner or the airport website shortly before you fly.

Vienna airport to the city centre: the options

Travel times for the CAT and the buses are the timetable times published by Vienna Airport and the CAT; the taxi time is pure driving time to Stephansplatz according to OpenStreetMap routing – with traffic, plan a third more.

City Airport Train: now a coach to Wien Mitte

During the closure the CAT is the fastest way into the centre. According to the CAT timetable, the coaches run non-stop between the airport and Wien Mitte in 21 minutes, every 12 minutes from 7 am to 7 pm and every 15 minutes at other times. The first coach leaves the airport at 6:10 am and the last at 11:37 pm; from Wien Mitte the first one leaves at 5:30 am.

At the airport, follow the CAT signs from arrivals – there is a CAT counter in the arrivals hall, and tickets are also sold online and at the ticket machines. At Wien Mitte/Landstraße you are at an interchange of the U3 and U4: the U3 takes you to Stephansplatz in two stops, and the U4 to Schwedenplatz or Karlsplatz.

Vienna Airport Bus: around the clock to Schwedenplatz

The coaches of Vienna Airport Bus leave from the bus stops outside arrivals. According to Vienna Airport, line VAB2 reaches Morzinplatz/Schwedenplatz on the Danube Canal in 20 minutes and runs every day around the clock – the best option if you land late at night. Schwedenplatz is a short walk from St. Stephen's Cathedral and has the U1 and U4.

The other lines are useful depending on where you stay: VAB4 to Karlsplatz (25 minutes), close to the Opera and the Naschmarkt; VAB5 to Praterstern (30 minutes); and VAB1 to Westbahnhof via the Hauptbahnhof (40 minutes), with departures every half hour from both stations. Timetables are on the Vienna Airport Bus website.

S7 to St. Marx and long-distance trains

The S7 still leaves from the station below the airport, but during the closure it ends at St. Marx. From there, tram 71 goes towards Rennweg and Karlsplatz, and tram 18 towards the Hauptbahnhof and Westbahnhof. According to Vienna's tourist board, the nearest U3 station is about a 10-minute walk from St. Marx. With luggage, the change makes the S7 the least comfortable option at the moment – it is worth it mainly if your hotel lies near the tram 18 or 71.

Railjets and other long-distance trains continue to run from the same airport station to Wien Hauptbahnhof, around twice an hour according to the CAT. From the Hauptbahnhof the U1 takes you to Stephansplatz. If you continue by train to Salzburg, Graz or Munich, you often do not even need to change into the city.

Taxi and transfer

Taxis and limousine services wait outside arrivals. The ride to Stephansplatz is about 20 km and 22 minutes of pure driving time; at rush hour it takes longer. With three or four people and luggage, a taxi often costs about as much per person as the coach.

If you want a fixed price and a driver waiting with your name, a pre-booked transfer from Vienna airport^* (Welcome Pickups) is the most relaxed choice, especially late at night or with children. Our article on when an airport transfer pays off compares the options.

Which option suits whom?

• Hotel in the 1st district (Innere Stadt): CAT to Wien Mitte, then the U3 to Stephansplatz; or VAB2 to Schwedenplatz.
• Hotel near the Opera, Naschmarkt or Mariahilfer Straße: VAB4 to Karlsplatz.
• Hotel near the Hauptbahnhof or onward train: railjet from the airport station.
• Hotel in Leopoldstadt or near the Prater: VAB5 to Praterstern.
• Landing after midnight: VAB2 or a taxi.

Visitors from outside the EU can set up mobile data before landing – a travel eSIM for Austria^* (Airalo) is usually cheaper than roaming, and our eSIM price index compares the prices per gigabyte.

On the day you leave

The way back works the same: CAT coach from Wien Mitte, VAB from Schwedenplatz, Karlsplatz, Praterstern or Westbahnhof, or a railjet from the Hauptbahnhof. Allow a little extra time, as coaches share the road with the traffic. If you have checked out and fly in the evening, you can leave your suitcases at a luggage storage point in central Vienna^* (Radical Storage) and spend the afternoon in a coffee house.

How long to stay and what to see is in our article how many days in Vienna, with plans for one to four days.

Vienna trip planDay by day, with map and tips

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