Holiday Travel: Vienna Buses Running Smoothly

Vienna, Austria's capital, has a well-developed public transportation system, including buses, trains, trams, and underground lines. The Wiener Linien, the city's primary transportation company, manages five underground lines, 29 tram lines, and 127 bus lines, 24 of which are night lines. The public transportation system in Vienna is efficient, affordable, and environmentally friendly. It is also one of the best in Europe.

Vienna's public transport runs on a reduced schedule during the Christmas holidays

Vienna's public transport system is one of the city's strong points. It is cheap, frequent, fast, clean, efficient, and rarely overcrowded. The Wiener Linien is the municipal transport authority, and its tickets and passes cover all city train and subway services and nearly all tram and bus services. The four main forms of transport are U-Bahn (subway), Schnellbahn or S-Bahn (local train), Straßenbahn (tram), and Autobus (bus).

During the Christmas holidays, Vienna's public transport runs on a slightly reduced holiday timetable. This means that there are longer intervals between services, particularly during the early weekday mornings when children would otherwise be travelling to school. However, the Viennese version of a reduced timetable is still impressive, and services continue to run frequently.

On Christmas Day and Boxing Day, which fall on a Wednesday and Thursday in 2024, intervals between services may be longer than during normal weekdays, but they will still be more frequent than in many other cities. The same applies to Sundays and public holidays.

Christmas Eve is an exception to the rule. Although it is not formally a public holiday, the subway, bus, and tram lines traditionally reduce their frequency and switch to longer intervals later in the day, recognising that Austrian families tend to celebrate Christmas in the early evening. In 2023, for example, lines switched to 15-minute intervals across the municipal transport network after 6 pm. A handful of bus lines also provide a changed service during the day.

The Vienna Card allows unlimited travel on public transport and discounts at shops and restaurants

Vienna's public transport system is one of the city's strong points. It is cheap, frequent, fast, clean, efficient, and rarely overcrowded. The Wiener Linien is the municipal transport authority, and its tickets and passes cover all city train and subway services and nearly all tram and bus services.

The Vienna Card is a great option for those visiting the city. It offers three main benefits: free travel on public transport, discounts at shops and restaurants, and optional add-ons that can include sightseeing buses and airport transfers.

With the Vienna Card, you can travel anywhere in the Vienna city network on any of the numerous municipal tram, bus, subway, or train services. The card acts as a travel pass when activated or validated and is valid for the period you bought (e.g., 24 hours or 7 days) from the moment of activation. The card must be validated before the first use, and without validation, it is not valid. Validation can be done at a Wiener Linien ticket validator, and no further validation is necessary for print-at-home or app tickets.

The Vienna Card offers various discounts at shops, restaurants, concert venues, tours, and museums. While some museums offer small discounts, others provide more generous reductions, such as 30% at the Kunst Haus Wien or Madame Tussauds. Additionally, several restaurants and coffee houses offer discounts, such as 20% off at Café Landtmann.

The card can be purchased online as an app or print-at-home version or in Vienna from tourist information offices, hotels, national rail ticket counters, and public transport ticket offices. The card costs €17, €25, €29, and €35 for the 24-hour, 48-hour, 72-hour, and 7-day versions, respectively.

Tickets for buses can be purchased from the driver

Vienna's public transport system is considered one of the city's highlights. It is cheap, frequent, fast, clean, efficient, and rarely overcrowded. The municipal transport authority, Wiener Linien, offers tickets and passes that cover all city train and subway services and nearly all tram and bus services.

Vienna works on an honesty system, with no ticket barriers at stations and no formal, permanent ticket checks on public transport. However, this does not mean that public transport is free. Undercover agents may ask to see your ticket, and travelling without one incurs a fine.

There are several types of tickets available for purchase from the bus driver. Single tickets, for example, are valid for a journey in one direction and can be purchased for €2.40 (or €1.20 for children). These tickets are valid for 80 minutes from the moment of validation and allow for multiple changes, as long as the journey is direct with no breaks.

Other ticket options that can be purchased from the bus driver include 24-hour, 48-hour, and 72-hour tickets, as well as flexible 7-day tickets. The 24-hour ticket costs €8.00, the 48-hour ticket is €14.10, the 72-hour ticket is €17.10, and the flexible 7-day ticket is €22.60. The 7-day ticket is valid for seven consecutive calendar days and is transferable, meaning it is not tied to a specific person.

It is important to note that most tickets must be validated before the journey begins. Validation can be done by inserting the ticket into a blue validation machine at the entrances to subway and S-Bahn stations, or in the vehicle itself for streetcars and buses.

Vienna has 127 bus lines, 24 of which are night lines

Vienna's public transport system is one of the best in Europe. It is clean, fast, reliable, and cheap. The capital has the best transport system in the country, including buses, trams, trains, and a metro. Wiener Linien is the main transport company in Vienna, carrying over 4.59 billion passengers in 2019.

Vienna has an extensive bus network, with 127 bus lines, 24 of which are night lines. The Wiener Linien fleet consists of over 450 buses. Buses in Vienna come every 5-10 minutes during the day and every 15-30 minutes at night. The night buses (marked with an 'N') operate from 12:30 am to 5 am throughout the week.

The bus network in Vienna includes type A & B lines, regional buses "100er", and ASTAX (Anrufsammeltaxi). The Nightline night bus network has 17 lines and is open from 00:30 to 05:00. The Nightline has been in operation since 1986 and is managed by Wiener Linien.

Public transport in Vienna is affordable, with a single ticket costing €2.40 and a day ticket costing €5.80. There are also various passes available, such as weekly, monthly, and annual passes, as well as discounted tickets and passes for students. Tickets can be purchased at main stations, ticket machines, online, or through the Wiener Linien app.

Overall, Vienna's bus network is an efficient and convenient way to get around the city, with frequent services and extensive coverage.

The Vienna Transport Authority operates for nearly 20 hours a day

The Vienna Transport Authority, Wiener Linien, operates for nearly 20 hours a day. The municipal transport authority's services include the U-Bahn (subway), Schnellbahn or S-Bahn (local train), Straßenbahn (tram), and Autobus (bus).

The U-Bahn, or underground trains, run from about 5:00 a.m. in the morning to about midnight. Trams and buses usually stop running earlier. The Vienna Transport Authority website provides detailed schedules for each line.

On Fridays, Saturdays, and the nights before holidays, Vienna's subway lines run 24 hours a day, with trains arriving at 15-minute intervals. Night buses operate daily from 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m., arriving at 30-minute intervals. The Vienna Transport Authority's Nightline schedules can be found on their website.

Vienna's public transportation network is highly developed, offering quick and reliable travel by subway, streetcar, and bus. The transport system is considered one of the city's strengths, providing a cheap, frequent, fast, clean, efficient, and rarely overcrowded service.

The Wiener Linien tickets and passes cover all city train and subway services and nearly all tram and bus services. The passes are also valid for the Nightline services.

Frequently asked questions