Vienna Subway

Vienna’s metro allows you to easily reach any part of the city: run by the Wiener Lienen company, it is fast and reliable and is used by one and a half million passengers every day. It is not exactly cheap, but you can save money thanks to convenient season tickets and tourist passes.

Five lines are currently in operation, covering a total of 79.2 kilometres and 109 stations, 10 of which are intersections between several lines.

It is not difficult to understand how the underground works in Vienna, but the information on lines, timetables and tickets that we give you below will make things even easier for you.

Lines

Below is a list of Vienna’s underground lines:

• U1: Reumannplatz – Leopoldau
• U2: Seestadt – Karlsplatz
• U3: Ottakring – Simmering
• U4: Hütteldorf – Heiligenstadt
• U5: Elterleinplatz – Karlsplatz (under construction)
• U6: Siebenhirten – Floridsdorf

Curiosity: the U5 line

Have you wondered why there is already a U6 line but not yet a U5 line? The U5 line of the Vienna underground was planned as early as the 1970s but was cancelled during construction for economic reasons. Work started again 20 years later but once completed the line was named U3.

The new U5 line will have a different route.

The new names of the stops

As of September 2017, 40 of Vienna’s more than five thousand bus, tram and metro stops were renamed to facilitate searching on mobile devices.

So for example the stop ‘Dr-Karl-Renner-Ring’ has been renamed‘Ring, Volkstheater U‘,‘Kärntner Ring/Oper‘ becomes‘Oper, Karlsplatz U‘ and‘Stadiongasse, Parlament’ is simply ‘Parlament’.

Keep this in mind if you are travelling with an old map or travel guide; better still, download the updated metro map at the bottom of this page.

Timetables

Vienna’s highly efficient metro system runs 7 days a week, including public holidays. On weekdays the first trains leave around five in the morning; the last train from the centre leaves at half past midnight. On public holidays, the metro runs 24 hours a day.

During the day you will never have to wait for the metro for more than ten minutes: the waiting time is only 2-3 minutes at peak times and rises to 7-8 after 8.30 pm. At night, the metro runs every 15 minutes, but numerous night buses are also available.

Tickets and subscriptions

The Vienna Card is the official tourist card of the city of Vienna and is the most convenient and economical way to travel by public transport: in addition to discounts for admission to more than 200 attractions, shops, bars and restaurants, the Vienna Card allows you to use public transport, including the underground, free of charge as often as you like.

A single metro ticket costs €2.20 and can be bought at station ticket offices, vending machines or some tobacconists. Metro tickets can also be used on buses, trams and some trains.

Single tickets are not cheap if you use the metro or other means of transport several times a day. There are several types of season tickets and passes suitable for tourists that will save you money.

To find out more go to the page Tickets, subscriptions and transport in Vienna.

Underground map of Vienna

When you need it, you can never find an underground map! Very useful for planning your travels, the Vienna Metro map is available in PDF format: download it to your smartphone or print it out so you can consult it whenever you need it.