World City Guide

Getting There By Air

Vienna International Airport (VIE)
Tel: (01) 70070. Fax: (01) 25351.
Website: www.viennaairport.com

Austria’s main airport (Wien Schwechat) is located 18km (11 miles) southeast of the city. The airport handled 11.84 million passengers in 2001, travelling to destinations worldwide, including London, New York and Bangkok.

Major airlines: The national carrier is Austrian Airlines (tel: (05) 1789; website: www.aua.com). Other Austrian airlines serving the airport include Lauda Air and Tyrolean. There are a number of international carriers including British Airways, Continental Airlines, CSA, Iberia, KLM – Royal Dutch Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines and Lufthansa.

Approximate flight times to Vienna: From London is 2 hours 10 minutes; from New York is 8 hours 50 minutes; from Los Angeles is 12 hours 30 minutes; from Toronto is 8 hours 45 minutes and from Sydney is 22 hours 15 minutes.

Airport facilities: The airport offers cafs, snack bars, restaurants and bars, as well as a grocery store, florists, pharmacies, newsagents, duty-free shops and boutiques. In addition, there is a 24-hour Medical Centre (including a vaccination centre) and a Wellness Centre (massage, showers, solarium and Wellness Bar). Car hire is available from Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt and Thrifty.

Business facilities: The VIP & Business Centre (tel: (01) 7007 23300 or 23400 or 23406; fax: 7007 23250; e-mail: vip.vie@viennaaorport.com) organises events and press conferences. It also provides banqueting, photocopying and telex services. The Danube Aviator Club is a lounge for frequent users of Vienna Airport, with work space, telephone, modem, fax and message services, as well as an adjacent conference centre. The airport also offers 12 executive lounges.

Arrival/departure tax: None.

Transport to the city: Wiener Linien (tel: (01) 790 9105; website: www.wienerlinien.co.at) operates both an S-bahn commuter train and bus services from Vienna International Airport.

The S7 S-Bahn line runs at least every half an hour 0500–2230 (journey time – 25 minutes) to Wien Mitte and Wien Nord where visitors can change to the U-Bahn. A single ticket costs 3 (plus 1.50 for onward travel on public transit).

The A4 Airport Motorway and B9 main road connect the airport with the city. Buses depart from the airport to the City Air Terminal every 20–30 minutes 0530–0100 (journey time – 20 minutes). Other buses go to Sdbahnhof and Westbahnhof rail stations approximately once an hour 0530–2310 (journey time – 20 and 35 minutes, respectively). A single ticket costs 5.80 or 5 with a Vienna Card (see Public Transport in Getting Around). Buses are also available to Bratislava (Slovak Republic) and Budapest (Hungary).

Taxis to the city (journey time – 30 minutes) are metered but a fixed price of 35–40 to the city centre can be paid at the booking counter. The surcharge for luggage is 1 for 20–50kg and 2 for more than 50kg. For trips from the city to the airport, a charge of 10 may be added to the fare to cover the driver’s return cost. Limousines cost from 23 (journey time – 20 minutes).