Travel to Vienna
Flying to Vienna
Airlines offering direct flights to Vienna from the UK include Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Ryanair, EasyJet and Eurowings. Cheap flights are available year-round, though prices tend to rise in July and August. Austrian Airlines also operates direct flights from the USA.
Flight times
From London 2 hours; New York - 8 hours 25 minutes; Toronto - 8 hours 35 minutes (including stopover); Sydney - 21 hours 35 minutes (including stopover).
Travel by road
Austria has an excellent network of roads. Traffic drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 18 years.
Speed limits are 130kph (81mph) on motorways, 100kph (62mph) on main roads and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas. Drivers must carry a European driving licence or an International Driving Permit and third-party insurance is mandatory. Tolls are payable on a number of mountain roads, tunnels, motorways and main roads.
Toll stickers (Autobahnvignette), which must be attached to the windscreen, are valid for either ten days, two months or one year. You can also obtain a digital toll sticker. You can purchase them from tobacconists, border-crossing points, filling stations and from automobile clubs ARBÖ (tel: +43 50 123 123; www.arboe.or.at) and ÖAMTC (tel: +43 810 120 120; www.oeamtc.at).
When driving in Austria, you are required to carry: a first aid kit, a warning triangle, a reflective jacket and headlamp beam deflectors (depending on the car). Please note that private vehicles up to 3.5t are required to have winter tyres fitted between the period of 1st November – 15th April.
Emergency breakdown services
ARBÖ (tel: +43 123); ÖAMTC (tel: +43 120).
Routes
The West Autobahn (A1) connects Vienna to Linz, Salzburg and Western Europe. The Süd Autobahn (A2) leads to Graz, Klagenfurt and the Italian border. The Ost Autobahn (A4) passes the airport on its way to Bratislava and Budapest.
Coaches
Eurolines Austria (tel: +43 69 971 944 833; www.eurolines.at) offers coach services throughout Europe, departing from the Vienna International Bus Terminal, which is opposite the U3 underground station. Coach services within Austria are operated in partnership with Blaguss (tel: +43 506 550; www.blaguss.at/en).
National services are also provided by Postbus (tel: +43 517 17; www.postbus.at/en) and a number of private operators.
Time to city
From Linz - 2 hours 10 minutes; Budapest - 2 hours 40 minutes; Salzburg - 3 hours 10 minutes.
Travel by Rail
Services
Vienna is connected to other European cities by an excellent rail network. In addition to the usual onboard services (restaurant and bar cars, snack trolleys and telephones), Austrian trains offer mini-office compartments (with power points for laptop computers) and women-only compartments.
Vienna's main railway station is the modern Wien Hauptbahnhof, Am Hauptbahnhof 1.
Operators
Österreichischen Bundesbahnen (ÖBB) (tel: +43 51 717; www.oebb.at/en) operates the rail network in Austria.
Intercity trains within Austria follow the main eastbound route from Bregenz to Vienna via Innsbruck, Salzburg and Linz, or travel north from Graz or Klagenfurt via Bruck an der Mur. There are departures to the major cities at least once every two hours.
Domestic rail services pass through breath-taking Alpine scenery, but the majority of international services bypass this. Travellers should watch out for the stunning view of the Melk Abbey on the mainline approaching Vienna from the west.
International services include direct trains from Bratislava, Prague and Zurich.
Journey times
From Innsbruck - 4 hours; Salzburg - 2 hours 30 minutes; Linz - 1 hour 20 minutes; Bratislava - 1 hour; Prague - 4 hours 30 minutes; Zurich - 7 hours 50 minutes; Graz – 2 hours 38 minutes.
