Five U-Bahn lines, nearly 30 tram lines and hardly ever more than five minutes' wait. Where visitors regularly go wrong is choosing a ticket. Here's what pays off and when.
Vienna's public transport is among the best in Europe: five U-Bahn (subway) lines, nearly 30 tram lines and a dense bus network that also serves the outer districts. In the city center it gets you practically anywhere without ever waiting more than five minutes.
Where visitors regularly go wrong is choosing a ticket. Here's what pays off and when.
2026 Prices
New fares have applied since January 1, 2026:
- Single ride: €3.20 (reduced for children: €1.60)
- 24-hour ticket: €10.20
- 7-Tage-Wien (7-day Vienna ticket): €28.90
- Annual pass: €461 digital, €467 as a physical card
Money-saving tip: Tickets bought digitally are about five percent cheaper than at a ticket machine or counter. With a weekly ticket, the WienMobil app already makes a difference.
Which Ticket Is Worth It for You?
One to Three Rides a Day: Single Tickets
It sounds obvious, but it's often overlooked. If your hotel is in the city center and you walk a lot anyway, two rides a day will do. That's €6.40 compared with €10.20 for the day ticket. In the 1st district, Vienna is more compact than the map suggests: from St. Stephen's Cathedral to the State Opera is a seven-minute walk.
Four or More Rides a Day: 24-Hour Ticket
From the fourth ride on, the time-based ticket pays off. Important: it's valid for 24 hours from validation, not until midnight. If you validate it at 14:00, you can ride until 14:00 the next day.
Four Days or More: 7-Tage-Wien
The 7-Tage-Wien ticket costs €28.90, which makes it cheaper than daily 24-hour tickets from roughly the fourth day of your trip. It's non-transferable and, unlike the classic weekly pass, doesn't run Monday to Monday but for seven days from the start of validity.
What You Need to Know About Validating
Vienna has no ticket barriers. You can enter any station and board any train without anything stopping you. That regularly tempts visitors to forget to validate their ticket.
- Paper tickets must be stamped in the blue validating machine before you start your journey: in U-Bahn stations before the platform level, on trams and buses inside the vehicle.
- Time-based tickets only need to be validated once, at the start of your first ride.
- Digital tickets in the app are valid from the time of purchase, so there's no need to validate them.
Ticket checks are discreet: inspectors don't wear uniforms. The fine is €105, and saying you "did buy the ticket, just didn't stamp it" doesn't count.
The Lines You Really Need
U1: The North-South Axis
Connects Hauptbahnhof (the main train station), Karlsplatz, Stephansplatz and Praterstern. If you arrive at Hauptbahnhof, the U1 gets you to the center in eight minutes. Get off at Praterstern for the Prater and the Giant Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad).
U3: Across the City
Stops at Stephansplatz and at Zieglergasse station for Mariahilfer Straße, Vienna's biggest shopping street.
U4: To the Palaces
Runs to Schönbrunn, making it your route to Schönbrunn Palace. In the other direction it goes to Heiligenstadt, the starting point for trips to the Heurigen (wine taverns).
Trams 1 and 2: The Ringstrasse
These two lines run along the Ringstrasse (the Ring), line 1 clockwise and line 2 counterclockwise. Along the way you pass City Hall (Rathaus), the Austrian Parliament, the State Opera and the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts).
This is Vienna's best city tour, and on a regular ticket rather than with a sightseeing surcharge. A full loop takes just under 25 minutes.
Trams D and 38: To the Vineyards
Tram 38 from Schottentor goes to Grinzing, tram D to Nussdorf. Both end right in the middle of Heuriger country.
At Night
On Friday and Saturday nights and the nights before public holidays, the U-Bahn runs all night, every 15 minutes. On all other nights, NightLine buses take over from around 00:30, recognizable by the N in front of the line number. They run every 30 minutes, and regular tickets are valid.
From the Airport to the City
There are three sensible options:
- S-Bahn S7: the cheapest option. You need a ticket for the outer zone in addition to your Vienna ticket. Travel time to the center is about 25 minutes.
- City Airport Train (CAT): faster and direct to Wien Mitte station, but considerably more expensive and with its own ticket.
- Vienna Airport Lines (bus): handy if your hotel is near one of the terminal stops.
For most visitors, the S7 is the most sensible choice: the time you save with the CAT is small, the price difference isn't.
Five Things You Should Know
- On the escalator, stand on the right, walk on the left. If you stand still on the left, you'll get pushed.
- Bicycles can be taken on the U-Bahn outside rush hour, but they need their own ticket.
- Dogs need a muzzle and a leash, and also a ticket if they don't fit in a bag.
- The app is called WienMobil and handles ticket purchases, route planning and real-time departures. That said, Google Maps also works reliably for Vienna.
- Trams don't stop automatically. At smaller stops you have to signal the driver, and press the button to get off.
If you're interested in the history of the network, the Remise Transport Museum displays historic vehicles in an old tram depot. It's an underrated museum, especially on rainy days.
Prices as of September 2026. Fare changes usually take effect at the turn of the year.
