As a typical European city Vienna does have a fairly advanced and reliable public transport system. The number of daily users is more than two million and the share of using public transport for daily commuting is relatively high – even among owners of private cars. For the foreign visitors the complexity of such a huge public transport system with different means of transport might be initially intimidating. However knowing a few basic facts about Vienna's public transport system allows even the first time visitor a safe and affordable yet enjoyable journey through the urban landscape. This hub gives you all you need to know for navigating the public transport network in Vienna.

The transport system of Vienna comprises of several networks of different means of tranport: Trains (S-Bahn), Metro (U-Bahn), buses and tramways together cover the whole area of Vienna and even beyond the city borders. The trains are operated by the Austrian Federal Railways (OeBB) while the urban transport systems (buses, trams and metro) are operated by the Wiener Linien, a public enterprise owned by the urban government of Vienna. Today the Wiener Linien operate five different metro lines, more than 30 tram lines and about 80 bus lines (21 of them are served even through the whole night). With a total of 600 tramcars and more than 500 buses there is no shortage of public transport vehicles in Vienna.

For the international traveler the first challenge is getting into the city. Luckily, the Viennese Airport (Wien-Schwechat) is located just East of the boarder to Vienna and travel time is a mere 25-40 minutes depending on means of transport and traffic conditions. The transfer possibilities are manifold:

Train: To station Wien-Mitte by City Airport Train (CAT) approx. 16 minutes or with the standard S-Bahn (cheaper but slower) approx, 25 minutes. Station Wien-Mitte is right on the edge of the very Inner City and a public transport hub within Vienna. Travel time to the most important international hotels from this station is between 2 minutes and 15 minutes.

Vienna Airport Lines (bus service): To the Schwedenplatz / Morzinplatz (right by the city center) and other destinations in Vienna by Vienna Airport Lines, approx. 25 - 35 min.

Before using the public transport system within Vienna you have to buy and validate a ticket. This is easily done at the many newspaper / tobacco shops in the city or at official sales shop of the Wiener Linien (there you can also by a highly recommended map of Vienna and its public transport network for the bargain of EUR 2,30). Alternatively you can buy a ticket at any stations by using the vendor machines. Theoretically you can purchase your ticket even while boarding the bus or the tram (but not metro or S-Bahn), but then you have to pay a little bit more for your ticket. The current price of a single-ride ticket is EUR 1,80.

With a single-ride ticket you can go across the whole Vienna and even change lines, but you need a second ticket for your return journey. Validating is done either within the buses and tram cars by stamping the tickets at the obvious blue machines or in case of the metro (and S-Bahn) before entering the train platforms while passing the ticket barriers.

Apart from single tickets there are passes for longer periods of time. Passes are available for 24 hours (EUR 5,70), 48-hours (EUR 10,00) and 72 (EUR 13,60) hours, or as weekly, monthly or annual passes.

Children under six can use public transport for free, children under 15 only on Sundays and on public holidays and during the Viennese school holidays (don't forget identity cards as proof of age). Additionally, there are cheaper 'two-trip tickets for seniors' for women over 60 and men over 65 (passport or ID required).

The tramway network of Vienna is one of the largest in Europe. Unlike in other European cities the network in Vienna did not suffer during the heydays of the 'car-fixation' in the 1970s when other European cities dissolved good parts of their trams or even their entire system. In Vienna, own lanes for the tramway tracks and specialized traffic lights guarantee that tramways do not suffer too much from the usual traffic jam of the cars.

Today there are more than 30 tramway lines which mostly start near the city center and serve the outer districts in a star-shaped pattern. Currently the fleet of tram cars is in a process of modernization. New, special designed low floor cars with easy access even for handicapped users substitute the old cars. Trams are operated between about 5 a.m. and 12 p.m. (so this is slightly different depending on the line) and usually do have intervals between 5-10 minutes. A timetable and a layout of the tram line indicating all stations is provided at the station sign.

The buses serve mainly the urban space between the radiant lines of the trams. Most of the lines are operated between 5 a.m. and 12 p.m. Intervals are mainly 10 minutes or sometimes slightly more, especially in the more suburban areas. Again an exact time-table and a layout of the line indicating all stations is provided at the station sign. There are also some 20 lines of night buses which are opterated daily between about 1 a.m. And 5 a.m. The regular tickets are valid on these special night buses too.

Planning and construction of an underground metro system started late in Vienna. Though some traditional tramway lines as well as a special train line (called Stadtbahn) did have some underground parts, the development of a true underground metro network in Vienna started as late as 1969. The first line in operation was the U1 which started operation in 1978. Since then the underground network has been continuously improved and there are not five distinct lines which a total length of about 61 kilometers.

The metro is operated between 5 a.m. and about half before 1 a.m. Intervals are between 2-3 minutes during peak time (morning and late afternoon rush hour) and 7-8 minutes in the late evening. Average intervals during the normal hours of the day are about 5 minutes. Each of the five lines has a distinct color design making navigation extremely easy: U1 is red, U2 is purple, U3 is orange, U4 is green and U6 is brown (strangely enough there is no U5, don't look for it).

The Vienna public transport system is an integral part of the greater transport network 'Verkehrsverbund Ost-Region VOR' (transport association for Austria's eastern regions). Vienna forms the core zone of this regional transport network. The trains of this network are operated by the Austrian Federal Railways. You can use the same tickets for traveling within the core zone. The S-Bahn lines serve mainly as commuting lines connecting Vienna with surrounding suburban areas and provincial towns around Vienna. Some of them may be of interest for foreign visitors since they offer a somewhat relaxing distraction from the big city life. Examples of interesting provincial towns are Baden (old traditional spa) or Klosterneuburg (famous monastery rebuilt under emperor Karl VI. as a baroque palace).

The river Danube flows through Vienna offering some romantic boat trips. You can choose between short boat trips within the boundaries of Vienna (starting near the Schwedenplatz at the 'Donaukanal', an artificial side channel of the Danube) or longer trips to one of the many attractions alongside the Danube such as Stift Melk (famous monastery with a tradition going back to the 11^th century) and the Wachau, a famous river valley landscape which was recognized as world heritage by the Unesco.

Quite a new attraction is the possibility to travel to Bratislava (the capital city of Slovakia) just 60 km East of Vienna by using the twin city liner, a catamaran-type speed boat. The ride takes only about 75 minutes and goes through some attractive water meadows which have been recently declared as national park. The Vienna station of the twin city liner is at the Schwedenplatz, just a 5 minute walk away from the very city center around St. Stephen's cathedral.

Vienna is perfectly located as a hub for exploring the urban system of central Europe which the attractive cities Prague in the North (4 hours per train) and Budapest (3 hours) in the East of Vienna. To the West Salzburg (3 hours) and Munich (about 5 hours) serve as attractive destinations easily reached by train. Tickets can be bought directly at the train stations or online via the Austrian Federal Railways.